Healthy Buildings ll

Lesson Structure: Healthy Buildings II (Building Environment & Health) BSS300
There are 8 lessons:

• Environmental Impacts On Buildings
• Scope, nature and principles of building biology
• Environmental impacts on buildings
• Climate, building location, radon, air quality, allergies, temperature, humidity, light, EMR
• Creation of electric fields
• Chemicals
• Air pollutants
• Cleaning chemicals
• Chemical breakdowns
• Leakages and spills
• Pesticides -household, industrial, agricultural
• Solid Waste pollutants
• Persistent organic polutants (POP's)
• Formaldehydes
• Heavy Metals
• Ammonia
• Resins
• Where different chemicals originate in a building
• Building Surrounds
• Creating a buffer zone
• Windbreaks, hedges, screens
• Creating Shade
• Designing a healthy home garden
• Going natural in the garden
• Avoiding problem materials
• Disposing of waste
• Making compost
• Working with rather than against nature
• Energy conservation
• Solar House Design
• Green principles for house design
• Furnishings
• Gas appliances, heaters and fireplaces
• Furniture
• Materials characteristics
• Floor Coverings
• Cane
• Metals
• Fabrics
• Flame retardation treatments
• Matresses
• Dry cleaning and mothballing
• Temperature and acoustic properties of fabrics
• Finishes
• Chemical reactions
• Lung disease, cancer, skin disease
• Paint
• Repainting
• Timber finishes against decay
• Varnishes and oils
• Pesticides & Alternatives
• Types of insecticides -inorganic and biological (organophosphates, carbamates etc)
• Rodenticides
• Miticides, Bacteriacides, Algaecides, Termite treatments
• Understanding pesticide characteristics -toxicity, persistence, volatility, etc
• Common chemicals used in buildings, and natural alternatives
• Common garden chemicals and natural pest/weed management
• Understanding Insect Pest Management options
• Managing Interior Environments
• Assessing air quality
• Ventilation
• Temperature control
• Cleaning
• Acoustics
• Electricity
• Domestic pets
• Light
• Colour
• Indoor Plants
• Othyer hazards
• Consulting
• Services that can be offered to a client
• Checklist of building hazards
• Procedures and business practice for a consultant
• Setting up costs
• Operating a business
• Developing a business plan
• Determining fees to charge

Learning Goals: Healthy Buildings II (Building Environment & Health) BSS300

Explain the impact of the macro-environment (location) on health.
Explain the impact of building surrounds, including a garden, on the interior environmental conditions.
Choose interior furnishings which are not likely to damage human health.
Explain the health implications of using different types of finishes, including sealers, paints, preservatives and stains.
Explain the health implications of using alternative methods of pest control inside buildings.
Plan health conscious management systems of interior environments.


Practicals:

Explain how proximity to different bodies of water can affect human health, including:
Sea/Ocean
Freshwater lakes
River
Ground water.
Explain how different aspects of prevailing weather patterns may influence house design in different regions, including:
temperature
rainfall
winds
day length.
Explain in a summary, how proximity to electromagnetic radiation may impact on health.
Explain in a summary, how proximity to different types of pollution can impact on health inside a dwelling.
Compare the impact of different garden treatments upon temperature inside buildings, including:
tall trees
lawn
paving
mulched surfaces
climbers on walls.
Explain how different garden design decisions can affect ventilation in a house, including:
earth shaping
planting
constructions
water features.
Compare the affect different garden components on light inside a building, including:
Plant types
How plants are grouped
Walls
Topography
Pergolas.
Explain how the visual characteristics of two different gardens influence the inside environment of a building.
Analyse two different gardens for the impact they have on buildings they surround.
Compare health aspects of different materials used for furnishings including:
metals
plastics
timbers
upholstery
curtains.
Compare health aspects of different floor coverings including:
tiles
carpets
vinyl
cork
slate
timber.
Explain health aspects of different electrical appliances including:
televisions
computers
refrigerators
microwaves
heaters
air conditioners
ovens.
Evaluate the furnishings in a building inspected by the learner, to determine recommended changes to improve building habitability.
Compare the health affects of different types of finishes including: sealers, paints, stains, preservatives and varnishes.
Compile a resource directory of ten sources of healthy alternatives to traditional finishes.
Describe the characteristics of three different specific products which are healthy alternatives to traditional paints and finishes.
Explain the toxic affects of ten different pesticides commonly used in buildings, both during and after construction.
List alternative "healthier" methods of controlling pests in buildings, including:
rodents
ants
termites
flies
cockroaches.
Develop a detailed pest control strategy for a building, in the learners locality, which includes:
structural treatments during and post construction
preventative measures for anticipated problems
eradication measures for existing problems.
Explain issues of building usage which can impact on health with respect to different factors including:
number of people
electricity
windows and doors
cooking
smoking
curtains
hygiene.
Analyse the way two specific buildings including a home and a workplace are used; to determine health risk factors in that use.
Recommend guidelines to the way in which different buildings, including an office, and a workplace, are used, to minimise negative impacts upon health.