Building biology
Encyclopedia
Building biology is a field of building science that investigates the indoor living environment
for a variety of irritant
s. Practitioners consider the built environment as something with which the occupants interact, and believe its functioning can produce a restful or stress
ful environment. The major areas focused on by building biologists are building materials/processes, indoor air quality
(IAQ) and electromagnetic field
s (EMFs) and radiation (EMR). Building Biology is a holistic approach to the built environment. It is concerned with the interaction between the built environment and the health of the occupants. This can be in residential, public, or commercial buildings.
There are 25 Principles of Building Biology http://www.baubiologie.de/site/english/principles.php, which govern the decision making of Building Biologists.
, new houses were quickly built in Germany
to accommodate the growing population
. Studies of these new houses found a pattern of illnesses not characteristic of the population
, but characteristic to the commonalities of the living environments. The new housing, being quickly built, and unable to properly air out ("outgas", or "offgas") provided for an environment where the occupants were the recipients of every volatile organic compound
(VOC) emitted from the construction materials. Along with this, other irritations became manifest because of the electrical
systems. These two major irritants set to work simultaneously, and enhanced effects arose.
From these discoveries a study began in earnest among a few individuals to catalog and characterize the offending components. What emerged was a Standard of Baubiologie Method of Testing, with recommended threshold guidelines for sleeping areas (the space where and when one is most susceptible to biological irritation and damage). A small cadre of individuals was formed among whom Dr. Anton Schneider, Wolfgang Maes, and the Institut für Baubiologie und Ökologie Neubeurn (IBN) started a training system to educate those that were willing.
One of the architects, Helmut Ziehe, took the program and its possibilities to the USA. In 1987, he founded the International Institute of Building Biologie and Ecology (IBE) (http://buildingbiology.net) which presently offers seminar
s across the USA. Two certification streams are available, the Building Biology and Environmental Consultant (BBEC), and the Building Biology Practitioner (BBP).
The three groups of most sensitive individuals that reap the greatest benefits are: infants, the elderly, and the immuno-compromised. Some people become environmentally hypersensitive
, and although conventional medicine suggests that the problem(s) may be psychological, there is growing acceptance that there is an environmental cause. One aspect of this problem is known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).
, which is enforced by various government agencies in the USA and elsewhere.
Strong lobbying efforts on the part of some building material and chemical manufacturers whose products are currently permissible in standard building code may also play a role in communities keeping those codes that prevent Bau Biologie recommended building practices - practices that are traditional and time tested throughout the world and are regionally appropriate.
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
for a variety of irritant
Irritation
Irritation or exacerbation, in biology and physiology, is a state of inflammation or painful reaction to allergy or cell-lining damage. A stimulus or agent which induces the state of irritation is an irritant...
s. Practitioners consider the built environment as something with which the occupants interact, and believe its functioning can produce a restful or stress
Stress (medicine)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
ful environment. The major areas focused on by building biologists are building materials/processes, indoor air quality
Indoor air quality
Indoor air quality is a term referring to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants....
(IAQ) and electromagnetic field
Electromagnetic field
An electromagnetic field is a physical field produced by moving electrically charged objects. It affects the behavior of charged objects in the vicinity of the field. The electromagnetic field extends indefinitely throughout space and describes the electromagnetic interaction...
s (EMFs) and radiation (EMR). Building Biology is a holistic approach to the built environment. It is concerned with the interaction between the built environment and the health of the occupants. This can be in residential, public, or commercial buildings.
There are 25 Principles of Building Biology http://www.baubiologie.de/site/english/principles.php, which govern the decision making of Building Biologists.
Effects of poor building
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, new houses were quickly built in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to accommodate the growing population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
. Studies of these new houses found a pattern of illnesses not characteristic of the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
, but characteristic to the commonalities of the living environments. The new housing, being quickly built, and unable to properly air out ("outgas", or "offgas") provided for an environment where the occupants were the recipients of every volatile organic compound
Volatile organic compound
Volatile organic compounds are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. Their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and...
(VOC) emitted from the construction materials. Along with this, other irritations became manifest because of the electrical
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
systems. These two major irritants set to work simultaneously, and enhanced effects arose.
From these discoveries a study began in earnest among a few individuals to catalog and characterize the offending components. What emerged was a Standard of Baubiologie Method of Testing, with recommended threshold guidelines for sleeping areas (the space where and when one is most susceptible to biological irritation and damage). A small cadre of individuals was formed among whom Dr. Anton Schneider, Wolfgang Maes, and the Institut für Baubiologie und Ökologie Neubeurn (IBN) started a training system to educate those that were willing.
One of the architects, Helmut Ziehe, took the program and its possibilities to the USA. In 1987, he founded the International Institute of Building Biologie and Ecology (IBE) (http://buildingbiology.net) which presently offers seminar
Seminar
Seminar is, generally, a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is...
s across the USA. Two certification streams are available, the Building Biology and Environmental Consultant (BBEC), and the Building Biology Practitioner (BBP).
The three groups of most sensitive individuals that reap the greatest benefits are: infants, the elderly, and the immuno-compromised. Some people become environmentally hypersensitive
Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity. These reactions may be damaging, uncomfortable, or occasionally fatal. Hypersensitivity reactions require a pre-sensitized state of the host. The four-group classification...
, and although conventional medicine suggests that the problem(s) may be psychological, there is growing acceptance that there is an environmental cause. One aspect of this problem is known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).
Criticism in USA
Some practices of building biology are contrary to the International Building CodeInternational Building Code
The International Building Code is a model building code developed by the International Code Council . It has been adopted throughout most of the United States.-History:...
, which is enforced by various government agencies in the USA and elsewhere.
Responses to Criticism in the USA
Some practitioners of building biology cite the inertia of the insurance industry as a force that has kept unhealthy building practices in legal building codes in the USA.Strong lobbying efforts on the part of some building material and chemical manufacturers whose products are currently permissible in standard building code may also play a role in communities keeping those codes that prevent Bau Biologie recommended building practices - practices that are traditional and time tested throughout the world and are regionally appropriate.