Building Biology
Building Biology is a science that originated in Germany, which looks at the relationship we have with our buildings and the environment. Building Biologists consider our homes our third skin and value how important and interrelated these living spaces are.
Our primary concern is the health and well being of the occupants. Building Biologists apply the precautionary principle, by this we don’t assume that because something is common it is safe. If there is evidence of the potential to cause harm precautionary measures should be undertaken, even if the causal relationship has yet to be fully established.
The reality is our environments have changed considerably. Today we live in a fast paced digital world, where we want everything quickly. Rapid advances have made our lives more convenient, but at what price? Many of these advances in products and technology have not been tested for their effects on human health. Given that we spend 90% of our time indoors it is incredibly important that we understand how our homes impact us.
Traditionally our homes were designed to protect us from the elements. Since WWII significant changes have been introduced into the way we build and many long held traditions were discarded and replaced with mass-produced materials that along with tighter building envelopes have contributed towards sick building syndrome and the unhealthy buildings of today. Our buildings have increased in size thereby needing a lot more energy to heat and cool and the amount of electronic devices we have now incorporated is beyond anything our grandparents would have imagined.
As consumers I am sure most of you believe that our products are thoroughly tested, regulated and labelled correctly. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Today chemicals are found everywhere and have become ubiquitous in our environments with little understanding as to how these may affect our health. As far back as 1962 Rachel Carson warned of the implications of chemical use. If we fast-forward to today these warnings have not been heeded. Did you know the Chemical Abstract Services (CAS) online database shows us that today 200,000 new chemicals are added each week? That equates to approximately 20 new chemicals every 60 seconds. These types of figures help us understand just what we are dealing with.
Building Biology is a field of Environmental Health that considers the relationship we have with our buildings and the environment with its focus on the health of the occupants. Our job is to evaluate and control health hazards in the built environment, as we know there are many adverse health effects like asthma, allergies and chronic fatiguing illnesses that have been correlated with hazards in the home.
Working with a Building Biologist gives individuals the tools to create healthy environments and an understanding of how to make better consumer choices. Healthy Buildings, Healthy Life, you deserve it.
"I have just engaged Narelle to complete an assessment of some farm land that we are looking to buy, to see if it is going to be suitable for our family to build a new home on. Narelle’s knowledge and skills I hold in high regard being the last piece of our due diligence process, before committing to purchasing the land. The priority for me is to build a healthy home for our family and Narelle has taught me that this process starts with honouring the land. She also made recommendations for the most suitable areas to build our home. We look forward to working with Narelle to assist in the design and building process to create the most healthy living spaces for our family
"After living in many houses that I knew were making my family unwell (poor sleep, coughs and sniffles whenever we were inside), I sought Narelle’s help to ensure our new house was healthy. She is very knowledgeable and provides practical advice on how to make your house healthier. She went above and beyond and I would not consider buying or renting another house without her checking it. Thanks Narelle."
Find out how our Building Biology packages can help you today!
Building Biology Packages
Package 1: One Hour Phone Consultation
This package is suitable if you are considering small changes in your home or are health conscious and have some questions regarding one or two aspects of your home and would like to gain educated awareness of these changes. Discussions could cover areas such as healthy nursery advice and/or baby products, water filtration options, personal care and cleaning products or information on different building materials and considerations. Basically any topic related to Building Biology can be discussed in this one hour consultation.
Additionally, if you are investing in new build or renovation and value living in a healthy home this will give some insight into the information the larger packages provide, if your focus is building related.
The process includes: a 1-hour phone consultation where questions provided via email are answered directly.
What you gain: An educated awareness to make healthy choices for one or two elements of change in your home. If after this initial investment you would like to learn more you can upgrade to one of 2 packages available and this amount is taken off the package price.
Package 2: Healthy Finishes Package
This package is suitable if you have passed the planning stage to build and/or renovate and plan to review with your focus to obtain information and advice in order to make educated decisions for healthy finishes.
Elements considered are alternative interior materials and products that are lower in toxicity and VOC’s thereby assisting in creating a low allergy home, avoiding problems with condensation and mould and minimising exposure to electromagnetic fields.
How the process works to establish your specific needs:
- An initial detailed brief to be completed by you
- 30 minute phone consultation
- Total package consists of 5 hours of exploration and research
- Comprehensive report based on a summary of the above answering all your questions outlined in the initial brief and phone consultation.
What you gain: Information and advice to enable you to easily make educated decisions for healthier finish options to assist you in creating a healthy home for you and your family.
Package 3: Healthy by Design Package
A well designed, constructed and maintained home will lay the foundations for a healthy building. This package is suitable for those at planning and design stage of a new build or renovation. The process reviews two concept designs from a Building Biology perspective. Site location is also considered as is discussing aspects with your architect if required.
This service ensures you are informed to make an educated decision about a concept plan for a new build or renovation. Once the final plan is decided a complete overview of the design and materials specified is given. External elements are also taken into consideration such as tank and pool options.
How the process works to establish your specific needs:
- An initial detailed brief to be completed by you
- One hour phone consultation.
- Total package consists of 10 hours of exploration and research for your individual needs.
- Comprehensive report based on a summary of the above answering all your questions outlined in the initial brief and phone consultation.
What you gain: All elements from design to internal and external factors are considered in order to assist in creating a low allergy home, avoiding problems with condensation and mould. Alternative material and products that are lower in toxicity and VOCs are also recommended and minimising exposure to electromagnetic fields to create a healthy home for you and your family.
Working with a Building Biologist gives individuals the tools to create healthy environments and an understanding of how to make better consumer choices. There are great opportunities at design stage to work with your site, your climate and individual needs. Having the right information and knowledge to hand at the at the early stages, can ultimately save time and money. Once the home is finished things like wiring are more difficult and expensive to change.