Older homes and buildings are often constructed without the health of the environment and occupants in mind. However, steps can be taken to ‘breathe life’ into older buildings, ensuring they are healthy for years to come.
Adrian Judd, Operations Director, Steico UK, explains how retrofitting older buildings using natural materials can provide a new lease of life and secure healthy buildings for future generations.
Constructing an entirely new, healthy building may not always be feasible. Retrofitting and refurbishment offers the construction industry a cost-effective alternative, allowing older buildings to become healthy with improved performance, enhanced air quality, energy efficiency and safeguarding the health and wellbeing of occupants.
Concerningly, research from Velux revealed that one in six Europeans currently live in an unhealthy home[i] – highlighting the urgent need for an overhaul of our existing housing stock if we’re to meet the government’s ambitious net zero carbon target by 2050[ii].
Healthily improving the performance of homes
Refurbishment and retrofitting provide a practical solution to creating healthy buildings. In comparison to the energy used in constructing entirely new, healthy buildings, the energy use of retrofitting is minimal, reducing the impact on the environment. This impact is further decreased when natural materials are used.
Rather than entirely renovating a building to ensure it is healthy, there are small retrofitting processes that can be invested in to help improve the overall performance of a home, including:
- External insulation
External insulation is a suitable method for ensuring warmth and comfort within a home, whilst also providing energy efficiency. An external insulation system made from natural materials, such as woodfibre or wool, has a high thermal efficiency and breathable qualities, contributing to an overall higher indoor air quality.
- Improvements using natural or sustainable materials
Structural improvements to homes, such as new flooring, windows or constructing an extension, can all be carried out using natural or sustainable materials, contributing to a healthy home.
- Natural light
Natural light within a home is highly beneficial. For occupants, it can improve productivity and focus and help to regulate sleep cycles. Natural light is also used in space conditioning (light and temperature control).
- Remove toxins
Impurities within the external environment of a home are damaging to the planet, but impurities in the internal environment can be highly damaging to occupant health. These internal impurities can include toxins released from mould, damp or mildew. Internal air quality can be improved by eradicating damp within homes – achieved through improved ventilation and the breathability of construction materials.
Healthy homes safeguard occupant wellbeing and help to secure a healthy planet for future generations and retrofitting provides a cost-effective solution to creating healthy homes.
To find out more about the benefits of healthy building, or to show your commitment to healthy buildings, visit www.steico.com/en/news/campaign/.
[i] Velux (2017). The impact of unhealthy buildings. [online] Velux.com. Available at: https://www.velux.com/article/2017/the-impact-of-unhealthy-buildings
[ii] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/852605/Future_Homes_Standard_2019_Consultation.pdf
