Image Source: Richard Bryant/arcaidimage.com
The philosophy of biophilia, “love of living things,” the innate affinity between humans and the natural world underpins the project. Spiraling up from the surrounding landscape, six interior and exterior gardens in the building, serving as meeting nodes and circulation connectors, bring the natural world indoors. Natural materials and forms, plants, water, open spaces, daylight, views to the outside, and references to familiar outdoor landscapes enhance emotional well-being, reduce stress, and increase learning and cognitive processes. To ensure personal comfort throughout the building, occupants will be able to manage their own lighting, heating and window shades.
Overview
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans spend an average of 90% of their time indoors.1 Therefore, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has a significant impact on occupant health, productivity, and well-being. The indoor environment is the result of dynamic interactions between climate, site conditions, building systems, and activities conducted in the building, and encompasses indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, acoustic well-being, ergonomics, visual quality, and connection to nature through principles of biophilia.
In 2014, 92% of the world’s population lives in locations that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended level of ten micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) of air for this type of pollution.2
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 4.3 million people a year die from exposure to household air pollution.3 Indoor air pollution originates from both outdoor and indoor sources. Outdoor air pollutants enter buildings through doors and windows, ventilation systems, cracks in structures, and foundation penetrations. Exposure to outdoor air pollution can lead to a number of adverse human health problems, including heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease, respiratory infections, and lung cancer.4 Figure 1 illustrates annual fine particulate air pollution around the world. Sites located in regions with high pollution levels should take extra precautions to prevent migration of outdoor air pollution to indoor environments.
Figure 1: Annual means for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in selected cities (2009)*
Indoor sources of pollution include combustion sources, cleaning chemicals, biological contaminants, such as mold, and chemical emissions (off-gassing) from building materials, finishes, and furnishings.
In many developing countries where coal and biomass are the principal fuel sources, open fires and stoves that function poorly are the primary sources of indoor air pollution, particularly in residences.5
Providing and maintaining high indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is an important component of a healthy work environment. For example, selecting the appropriate heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system filters based on local air quality are best practice that could be shared.