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For more information on
Building Biology
Call (03) 5664 2469 | |
Why Use Building Biology.Many buildings designed and built today are being constructed with little to no thought at all for the occupants' health. Mould, water intrusion, building material damage and decay, foundation and structural damage are some of the more commonly found problems in today's high standard buildings even before they have been finished and the owners can move in.
Add to this the pollutants from our new and modern building materials and we have a walls / roof in a day with all the latest fashionable additions, using minimal space, built to the highest standard as cheaply as possible type of building that has an adverse effect on our health in almost every way possible.
Another concern with today's building designs is that they require the use of mechanical devices to maintain the air quality, moisture and humidity levels, and temperature comfort levels. These can be noisy, energy inefficient and prone to breaking down as well as being completely useless when the power goes out.
A Building Biology Consultation can assist you to create a building both residential or commercial, that:
* Is Non-Toxic to the occupants
* Is Ecologically Friendly
* Is Energy Efficient
* Has a superior Indoor Air Quality
* Has reduced Mould problems
* Reduces Electric and Magnetic Field Exposure
* Improves the Health and Well-Being of the occupants
* Has a higher Resale Value
A Building Biology Consultation will collect your ideas and performance expectations for the new building (or renovation), all aspects of the building and surrounds will be discussed, sites checked and recommendations made as to the type of site that would be ideal for your building, and material use and design concepts discussed to determine the best outcome for your proposed construction.
Within your price constraints every effort will be made to help create a building that is as healthy as possible.
You are free to choose as many or as few of the Building Biology recommendations as you wish; every effort will still be made to produce as healthy a building as possible.
Over time a well designed Building Biology building will have reduced operating costs, and with rising health concerns, this type of building should also minimise occupant health problems.
The other branch of Building Biology that needs to be mentioned is in environmental inspections.
Building Biologist can, where qualified, inspect your current building
for poor IAQ concerns, mould contamination, electrical and magnetic
concerns including those from the use of mobile phones and other
wireless transmissions, gas leaks and other VOC chemical emitters, as
well advising on pest control methods etc..
The Difference between a Healthy Building and Building Biology.The most commonly found healthy buildings constructed today tend to be mainly concerned with creating a well sealed building with a mechanically controlled indoor air mass to provide a filtered, humidity modified and temperature controlled air to the building interior. Other aspects of "healthy" buildings have been further developed over recent times to include considering the toxic chemical off gassing from the materials used in building construction and finishing, using energy and water efficient appliances, and waste minimisation to a degree. But the main concept remains - sealing the building off from the exterior environment, and creating a mechanically controlled indoor air quality.
Building Biology (or Baubiologie in German), considers other characteristics of what makes a healthy building as well as the now commonly known concerns regarding indoor air quality.
Using 25 main principles and a number of design, construction and material guidelines, Building Biology considers and covers all possible aspects of the interaction between each building and the occupants as well as the interaction between the building and the environment it is constructed in. These range from the impact a building site will have on the proposed building through light and noise concerns, natural or passive heating and cooling, the toxicity levels, sustainability, embodied energy and durability of the materials used in the buildings' construction and finishing, the provision of low energy ventilation and air exchange to provide a suitable healthy indoor air quality, improving the quality of drinking water and reducing general water and energy consumption, the use of harmonic proportions and colour to enhance the occupants' sense of wellbeing, all building associated waste minimised and managed, all the way to the potential health impacts of natural and technical electromagnetic fields and radiation.
This is no more than a summary of how much Building Biology differs from the other "healthy" building philosophy's and guidelines but it serves to indicate the depth of the study Building Biology uses in reducing the impact to health that our buildings or 'built environment' can have on our health and wellbeing.
'Healthy' Buildings are a good step in the right direction to improve our built environment, but Building Biology is still the only and oldest way to ensure that the buildings you live and work in have the least potential adverse impact on your health.
Building Biology is a holistic study of how our buildings impact on our health and well being as well as how they impact on the world at large, and has been so for more than 30 years. Want a truly healthy building, then you need Building Biology and at Building Biology Australia you can have the benefit of over 10 years experience, the equipment and the know how to provide you with the best information regarding your building's environment, and advice on how to improve it.
Daryl Reeves
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