product developments
Healthy Building Materials
‘GREEN’ PRODUCTS
Healthy Building Materials: What You Need to Know Andrew Pace, Founder of The Green Design Center, offers his advice and insight. The impact of the built environment on human health isn’t a new topic. The World Health Organization coined the term sick building syndrome more than 40 years ago. While the practice of architecture has made huge strides in designing buildings for improved human health, more work is needed, especially when it comes to the development, availability, and specification of safe building materials. Architectural Products sat down with Andrew Pace, Founder of The Green Design Center and Host of the “Non Toxic Environments” podcast, to get his pulse on what’s out there, the myths and obstacles making it hard, and the resources available to help.
Green is Not Always Healthy With so much emphasis on building with renewable resources to protect the planet, have we neglected to give human health equal consideration? We asked Pace, who responded, “I believe green buildings and healthy buildings are two different tracks.” Practices like natural ventilation and access to daylight are good for both the environment and human health, but not all building products that are green are good for us. Pace uses nylon 6,6 carpet made from 100% recycled plastic as an example. “It’s fantastic for the environment because you’re taking that junk out of the landfill, out of the waste stream, and you’re reusing and getting more life out of it. On the other hand, it’s full of chemicals and toxins that can emit into the indoor air for a period of ten to thirty years,” he says. Synthetic-free carpeting made out of natural fibers (e.g., sheep’s wool, jute, hemp, or latex) can’t be recycled at the end of its lifetime. “It’s a battle between ‘Is recycled and recyclable more important than natural and non-toxic?’”
Why We Should Be Concerned If you don’t hear the term sick building syndrome being bandied about anymore, don’t be fooled into thinking the problem no longer exists. “Early on we had what’s called sick building syndrome, then we had environmental illness, then we had 20th-century disease, and then it turned into what’s called chemical sensitivity,” explains Pace. “Over the years, the terminology has shifted as we get closer to what the actual issue is.” Chemical sensitivity is a physical reaction
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ARCHITECTURAL PRODUCTS
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11-12 . 2024
12/5/24 2:03 PM