According to one of Building Biology’s guiding principles, dwellings and housing estates should be individually planned, in harmony with nature, fit for human habitation and family oriented. This paper will discuss, step by step, how this can be achieved and the potential benefits of such dwellings to your health and wellbeing.

Throughout this discussion, it has been assumed that a new dwelling is being designed. However, the principles described may also be applied to either the purchase or renovation of an existing home.

Building for the Human Aspect

The human aspect of housing design involves building homes that specifically meet your lifestyle and social needs, enabling you to comfortably live the way you want to live. For example, if you have a young family and intend staying for a long time, a house must accommodate family group activities, while also providing space for privacy, relaxation and silence and possibly study/business activities.  The home must also function well throughout your family’s lifecycle, accommodating new parents, toddlers, teens and the elderly.   However, if you are a middle aged professional couple with no children, who enjoy entertaining and only intend staying for a few years, a house may need to accommodate entertaining, guests and business activities as well as space for privacy and relaxation.

Hence, the first step in designing a dwelling is determining your needs. The second step involves deciding how best to meet these needs – what rooms are required; whether some rooms can be multifunctional or easily reconfigured to reduce the total floor space; whether or not the home requires wider hallways, ramped entry, vehicle access, etc. 

Once your requirements for the home have been determined, the next step is determining the type of environment/neighbourhood in which you wish to live in order to meet your social needs. For example, do you want a large acreage where your home is surrounded by bush or do you require a dwelling in a suburban neighbourhood where you are close to schools, parks, shops and public transport? Irrespective of the type of environment required, the fourth step is to find an area where you think you may want to live, then spend some time there - go there at night, visit during the day, talk to people already living there, observe the appearance of the area and activities taking place - to get a feel for the neighbourhood and determine whether or not you are truly comfortable there. Once you are comfortable in an area, you can proceed with the fifth and sixth steps – determining the desired site characteristics for your home and purchasing a site for your dwelling.

Building in Harmony with Nature

Hence, once the site for a building has been selected, the seventh step is determining the microclimate factors present on the site e.g. geopathic stress, exposure to electromagnetic fields and radio frequencies, solar access, seasonal temperature, humidity, direction and strength of prevailing breezes and storms, slope, drainage, soil type, elevation, vegetation, shading from neighbouring buildings and the proximity of high voltage power lines, main roads and industry.

Once details of these factors are known, the next step is designing a home that meets your needs while accommodating the microclimate factors. The house should be positioned on the block so that it is protected from adverse climatic factors, unaffected by geopathic stress and as far as possible from electromagnetic field sources (e.g. high voltage powerlines), main roads, neighbouring buildings and vegetation that interrupt the flow of sunlight into the building in winter. Vegetation, often in combination with earth mounds, can help protect buildings from wind, storms, and noise. Where possible, vegetation and mounded landforms that occur naturally on site should be used for these purposes to minimise the impact of the building on the environment. Care must also be taken to ensure a well drained site without interfering with natural drainage patterns, for ignoring natural drainage may result in a building affected by damp and mould ^(12).

Increasing solar access in winter, while reducing it in hot weather, is important for passively maintaining comfortable indoor conditions all year round and can be achieved using a combination of design features including northerly building orientation; room layout with daytime living areas  facing north; clerestory windows to allow natural lighting deep into the building; significant areas of glass only on the northern side of the building; wide eaves, slatted pergolas, verandahs and deciduous vegetation ⁽¹²⁾.

Drawing prevailing breezes through the dwelling to cool/dry indoor air in hot/humid climates can be achieved by locating windows and doors on opposite sides of the building, aligned with or at an angle of up to 45 degrees to the breezes ⁽⁵⁾.

In order to minimize the impact of the building on the site, the building footprint should be as small as possible while still meeting your needs. This can be achieved by using multifunction rooms and rooms which can be opened up or closed off as necessary. To enhance the feeling of being part of nature, the design should allow a connection between the indoor and outdoor environments and allow access to greenery and desirable views.

The ninth step is incorporating into the design the use of building materials and landscaping which minimally impact the environment. Natural, renewable, recycled materials, with low embodied energy, which are either biodegradable or easily recycled and allow the building to breathe and respond well to the local climate without loss of energy efficiency, are preferred ⁽⁸⁾. They should be sourced from as near to the building site as possible. Synthetic materials and those which are either chemically treated or contain substances such as VOC’s, which adversely impact health, should be avoided.

Materials with high thermal mass may be useful in those areas exposed to direct sunlight, while sufficient natural insulation should be used in the walls, ceilings and floors to minimise heat loss in winter ⁽¹⁰⁾. Textiles and wall/ceiling/floor finishes should be natural and non-toxic and be in colours that support the use of each room.

Outside the dwelling, the use of garden beds and permeable paving will allow penetration of water, thereby retaining rainwater on site. Plantings of native, drought-tolerant species will both retain aspects of the natural environment around the home and optimise on-site water usage ⁽⁹⁾.

Finally, systems which minimise your impact on the site and on the general environment should be included in the plan. This includes rainwater tanks, greywater treatment systems, greywater diversion to gardens, composting toilets, solar power systems, solar hot water services, wood burning stoves and heaters and compost heaps/worm farms for recycling household waste. Water efficient tap fittings and appliances and low energy lighting should be installed. Where gas or electrical appliances are used, these should be the smallest, most energy efficient models available which comfortably satisfy your needs ⁽⁴⁾.

Effects on the Your Health and Wellbeing

Pearson ⁽⁸⁾ states that a home should be “a place of comfort and healing, a place where we feel in harmony with ourselves and with all life”. A dwelling created using the ten steps described above will provide such a place.

Locating the dwelling away from geopathic stress and electromagnetic radiation sources may reduce your chances of developing disorders such as tension, headaches, insomnia, immune problems and cancer, all of which are associated with exposure to these stressors ^{(7, 11)}.

Access to natural daylight and greenery will improve your moods, while the low toxic environment may reduce your body’s chemical load and allow detoxification ⁽⁸⁾, as well as improving your general health and reducing fatigue, headaches, immune system problems, allergies and chemical sensitivities ⁽¹⁾. The appropriate use of colour in each room will be generally therapeutic, while the ability to relax and “just be”, in solitude and silence, will pacify their spirits, rebalance and heal your physical body and improve your creativity ⁽⁴⁾.

Housing Estates

The steps described above should be applied to each building erected in a housing estate. In addition, the connection of the estate community with nature can be enhanced by providing ^(3,6) :

The human aspect of the estate inhabitants may be enhanced by providing ^(2,3)  :

Conclusions

A building designed in line with Building Biology Principles will provide you with a healthy haven for relaxation and rejuvenation and allow you to live comfortably while meeting your lifestyle and social needs. You will feel connected with nature and both your building and activities will minimally impact the environment.

References

1. Bijlsma, N.  2005  Air Pollution Manual  Australian College of Environmental Studies, Melbourne.
2. Brighton Peace & Environment Centre  2007  Eco Villages  Online, available at : http://www.bpec.org/node/64  ( Viewed 12.10.07)
3. Global Eco Village  2007  Eco Villages – Why? Where? What? Who?   Online, available at : http://www.globalvillage.com/articles/12_ecovillages4ws.htm  (Viewed 12.10.07) 
4. Harwood, B.  1997  The Healing House Hay House Inc., California.
5. Hollo, N.  2005  Warm House, Cool House  Choice Books, NSW.
6. Mollison, B.  1991  Introduction to Permaculture  Tagari Publications, Tasmania.
7. Olson, A.  2006  Geobiology Manual   Australian College of Environmental Studies, Melbourne.
8. Pearson, D.  1998  The New Natural House Book   Fireside, New York.
9. Pearson, D.  2006  Designing Your Natural Home  - A Practical Guide   Gaia Books,  London.
10. Reardon, C.  2005  Your Home Technical Manual   Australian Green House Office, Canberra.
11. Reeves, D.  2006  Electrobiology Manual   Australian College of Environmental Studies, Melbourne.
12. Reeves, D.  2007  Building Design Manual  Australian College of Environmental Studies, Melbourne.