Healthy Buildings II - Building Environment & Health 100 Hours Certificate Course

1 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

2 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

3 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

4 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

5 Finishes

• Chemical reactions
• Lung disease, cancer, skin disease
• Paint
• Repainting
• Timber finishes against decay
• Varnishes and oils

6 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

7 Managing Interior Environments

• Assessing air quality
• Ventilation
• Temperature control
• Cleaning
• Acoustics
• Electricity
• Domestic pets
• Light
• Colour
• Indoor Plants
• Othyer hazards

8 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