The Health Petal

The Health Petal: Maximizing physical and psychological health and well being.

According to the Living Building Challenge 2.0:

"The intent of the Health Petal is to focus on the major conditions that must be present to create robust, healthy spaces, rather than to address all of the potential ways that an interior environment could be compromised. Most buildings provide substandard conditions for health and productivity. There is a direct correlation between decreased comfort and increased environmental impacts, since solutions in the physical environment to improve well-being are often energy-intensive and wasteful."

I know... sounds a little "new age-y" right?  I try to think of it as the Challenge architects want us to live comfortably and to breathe fresh air. How many of us, in an effort to save a little bit of money, turn down the heat just a little too far? Or how many times have you entered someone's house and all you smell is the fresh carpet that they just had installed?  That's formaldehyde (form·al·de·hyde) folks and a host of other nasty chemicals off-gassing from your brand new carpeting. That new paint smell?  Same thing.  Chemicals.

Big deal right?  Hey, I'm all about chemicals. When I was in the Job Corps, we used to paint every day. Every day we would clean our brushes with our bare hands in that vat of paint thinner that was half saturated with that "donated" paint [read: lead based paint].  Do I have cancer? Not yet.  But, even then, and even us stupid kids in the Job Corps would joke about how we were all going to get cancer someday. Nowadays there are some people that are so sensitive to chemicals that they can't even be around certain things in new houses or they get sick.  Chemicals have their place but it's pretty silly to go around thinking that you can breathe them and nothing will ever happen.So, we have the Health Petal and it's three Imperatives.

The Health Petal:

• Civilized Environment = Every occupiable space must have operable windows that provide access to fresh air and daylight.
  
  
• Healthy Air = To promote good indoor air quality, Renovations, Buildings, and buildings completed as part of Neighborhood projects must meet the following criteria:
   
• Entryways must have an external dirt track-in system and an internal dirt track-in system contained within a separate entry space.
• All kitchens, bathrooms, copy rooms, janitorial closets and chemical storage spaces must be separately ventilated and exhaust directly to outside air.
• Ventilation rates must be designed to comply with ASHRAE 62.1-2007 and equipment must be installed to monitor levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature and humidity.
• Smoking must be prohibited within the project boundary.
  
  Conduct air quality testing at pre-occupancy and after nine months of occupancy to measure levels of Respirable Suspended Particulates (RSP) and Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC).
• Biophilia = The project must be designed to include elements that nurture the innate human attraction to natural systems and processes. Each of the six established Biophilic Design Elements must be represented for every 2,000 m2 of the project:
  
  
• Environmental features
• Natural shapes and forms
• Natural patterns and processes 
• Light and space 
• Place-based relationships
• Evolved human-nature relationships

Remember wayyyy back (last week) when I told you it was going to get a little touchy feely? Biophilia is what I meant. Pete Dubois from the county says that this is more of an "intent" thing. We have looked at the Biophilia book referenced and it all looks like pleasant shapes and room design. Like Fung-sheui kind of. We are planning on tackling this part by making some allowances to preserve the view, allow in as much light as possible, make our house blend in as much as possible with color and size [Read: our house is not going to be Southfork on the Washougal River. Please tell me that you got that reference or I am truly too old to be writing a blog.  :) ] .

As far as the "Evolved human-nature relationships"... you've got us there. Seems to me that the Indians when Columbus landed had a pretty good "human-nature" relationship so shouldn't it be "uncivilized human-nature relationships"?  We are planning on going back to the Great Depression sans the killing all of our animals for food. I doubt that PJ and No-Name would appreciate being dinner and the joy that they give us is more valuable than any chicken dinner their bodies would afford us.

I'll let you ponder this latest Petal. The Materials Petal is next. Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!

The Energy Petal

This is another one that is kind of a big deal. For the purposes of the pilot project, strict compliance with this petal is not required. We only have to use 25% of the energy that an average house would normally use.

According to the Living Building Challenge 2.0:

"The intent of the Energy Petal is to signal a new age of design, wherein the built environment relies solely on renewable forms of energy and operates year round in a pollution-free manner.

In addition, it aims to prioritize reductions and optimization before technological solutions are applied to eliminate wasteful spending – of energy, resources, and dollars. The majority of energy generated today is from highly unsustainable sources including coal, gas, oil and nuclear power. Large-scale hydro, while inherently cleaner, results in widespread damage to ecosystems. Burning wood, trash or pellets releases particulates and carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere and often strains local supplies of sustainably harvested biomass. The effects of these energy sources on regional and planetary health are becoming increasingly evident through climate change, the most worrisome major global trend attributed to human activity"

The Energy Petal:

• Net-Zero Energy = One hundred percent of the project’s energy needs must be supplied by on-site renewable energy on a net annual basis.
  

Again, if you are thinking that this one seems hard, it's because you are not in the conservation mode already. I go into peoples homes for my job and I am almost constantly amazed at how wasteful most people are. Even those who are on the edge of being able to make it. The TV is always on, or the heat is turned up, or the dryer is going non-stop in the middle of summer. I know that I sound preachy and it is not my intent. I just don't get it. Maybe someone can explain it to me.  For us, we hope to comply with this Petal and then some. We are extremely excited about trying and we will probably throw a big party when we do. Woo Hoo!! 

 From here on out, the Living Building Challenge 2.0 gets a little touchy feely. The Health Petal is next. I am hoping that you will see what I mean.  Peace out for now.

The Water Petal

The Water Petal is a big deal and, for us, the first real challenge to existing thinking so far. 

According to the Living Building Challenge 2.0:

"The intent of the Water Petal is to realign how people use water and redefine ‘waste’ in the built environment, so that water is respected as a precious resource. Scarcity of potable water is quickly becoming a serious issue as many countries around the world face severe shortages and compromised water quality. Even regions that have avoided the majority of these problems to date due to a historical presence of abundant fresh water are at risk: the impacts of climate change, highly unsustainable water use patterns, and the continued drawdown of major aquifers portent significant problems ahead."

The Water Petal:

• Net-Zero Water = One hundred percent of occupants’ water use must come from captured precipitation or closed loop water systems that account for downstream ecosystem impacts and that are appropriately purified without the use of chemicals.
  
  
• Ecological Water Flow =  One hundred percent of storm water and building water discharge must be managed onsite to feed the project’s internal water demands or released onto adjacent sites for management through acceptable natural time-scale surface flow, groundwater recharge, agricultural use or adjacent building needs.

I'll let you think about exactly what that means for now. We will be complying with this petal 100% and are extremely excited about doing so. Stay Tuned. The Energy Petal is next.

What is a Living Building anyway? Site Petal

In a nutshell, a Living Building is a building that has a footprint (water, energy, pollution, asthetics, etc... ) of as close to zero as possible.

In  the heavily rule intensive and regulated world bureaucracy that we live in, a Living Building is a building that complies to all 7 "Petals" with 20 related "Imperatives"  of the Living Building Challenge 2.0. administered / created / overseen by the International Living Building Institute (ILBI). 

The standard is explained in all its glory in the following document:
     http://www.clark.wa.gov/environment/sustainability/documents/LBC2-0.pdf

Today's post will cover the Site Petal

Site Petal:  Restoring a healthy coexistence with nature.

•  Limits to Growth  =  Projects may only be built on greyfields or brownfields – previously developed sites that are not classified as any of the following:
  

  On or adjacent to sensitive ecological habitats such as:
      • wetlands: maintain at least 15 meters, and up to 70 meters of separation
      • primary dunes: maintain at least 40 meters of separation
      • old-growth forest: maintain at least 60 meters of separation
      • virgin prairie: maintain at least 30 meters of separation
      • prime farmland
      • within the 100-year flood plain
  
  Project teams must document conditions prior to the start of work. On-site landscape may only include native and/or naturalized species planted in such a way that emulates density and biodiversity of indigenous ecosystems and supports succession.

  
  
• Urban Agriculture = All projects must integrate opportunities for agriculture appropriate to the scale and density of the project using its Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.) as the basis for calculation.
  
  
• Habitat Exchange =  For each hectare of development, an equal amount of land must be set-aside in perpetuity as part of a habitat exchange.
  
  
• Car Free Living = Each new project should contribute towards the creation of walkable, pedestrian-oriented communities.
  
  

You may be scratching your head about now because this seems pretty tough. You're right!! That's why there are hardly any of these homes built anywhere. I guess the phrase, "Go Big, or Go Home." comes to mind. Luckily for us here in Clark County, we have a hybrid of sorts. A pilot project where we don't have to adhere to all of the Imperatives. 

You see the people in Clark County have enough vision to realize that it's not an all or nothing game that we are playing. Some of the Imperatives are so far out of most peoples boxes that there is no way it has a chance of catching on with Joe Public, not to mention Joe Legislator or even Josephine City Official.  That's why this pilot project is so awesome. We are going to get to try out some stuff that would never, ever fly in this day and age.  Remember when everyone had a clothesline? In my mind, it's the same era as when you could swim in the river without worrying about getting sick?  We are going back to stuff that makes sense. I hope that you keep coming back here. 

The next post will cover the WATER PETAL. That one's really going to blow your mind