How Buildings Can Give Back to Their Community
Hello, readers! Welcome to the Architecture Plus blog! We provide useful information concerning architectural design, unique trends, and essential aspects of the residential and commercial building process. Based out of Charleston, our full-service firm specializes in new residential construction, renovation, and commercial design. We aim to create sustainable structures which facilitate the health of their inhabitants while pairing harmoniously with their surrounding community. We encourage you to take a look at our residential and commercial galleries to glimpse our work and assess our artistic vision. If you need any additional information, reach out to us!
We recently finished our in-depth series on the architectural design process. We broke down how buildings are conceptualized, rendered, and transformed into reality in our two-part series titled, ‘Drafting Architecture: From Blank Page to Finished Design.’ Have you ever been curious about an architect’s perspective, the stages of a design project, and what you can expect from the entire endeavor? Look no further! Part one is a detailed explanation of the initial aspects of pre-design –from the first client meeting to the design development stage. We give you a few tips on choosing the right architectural firm for your project, as well as an idea of what to bring to the table to ensure your vision is accurately conveyed. The first part focuses on project goals, preliminary budgets, the formation of a design team, the timeliness of these benchmarks and more. In part two, we completed the design process, elucidating the intricacies of construction documents, construction bidding, permitting, and construction administration. Is there anything you should be doing while construction documents are being drafted? What will changing something in these later phases of the design process cost you? Is it better to commission a design project with a general contractor already attached or undergo a bidding process? These are common questions and you can find their answers in our series!
Today we’re discussing a topic held in high regard by our firm and that’s the impact of a building’s design on its community. Few, if any, buildings exist completely detached from their surrounding environment. Buildings have the potential to help or harm. While the health of a building’s inhabitants is essential—making air quality, water quality, and functionality top concerns during the design process—so too is the health of the community and the world. We want to shine a light on the multitude of ways buildings can do good on a grander scale. We’ll explore the environmental benefits of clean, energy-efficient buildings, as well as the social benefits of multipurpose, adaptive uses of older spaces. We hope you find this topic intriguing and do remember: Architecture Plus’s artistic vision, technical skill and attention to detail are the foundation of this firm. A strong sense of stewardship for the environment, our community, and our client’s dreams continue to inspire our work.
Health
The health of a building’s inhabitants and surrounding community is of the utmost importance. However, the vital question is: What makes a building healthy? While there are a number of different standards regarding a building’s impact on the community provided by a number of different environment and health agencies, there is no set definition. The general aspects relevant to a building’s health score are: safety, sustainability, economic impact, and social impact. We’ll explore how each of these elements can be catered to throughout the design process, but first let us give an example of how the design of a building can directly impact the health of its inhabitants and community.
Mithun, an architectural firm which performs health impact assessments for building projects, performed an assessment for an affordable housing project in Seattle for the Seattle Housing Authority. The assessment revealed a prevalence of asthma rates among inhabitants. In response, Mithun cited medical research for designing a new type of residence, called “Breathe Easy Homes.” These homes were equipped with hard-wood floors (which do not harbor small fibers such as lint and dust), highly efficient air filters, low-allergen landscaping, and more. When studied years later, these factors contributed to a 67% decrease in emergency room visits and a 61% increase in symptom-free days for the inhabitants who participated in the study. According to an associate principal at Mithun, “that was the first time that we had really seen a direct relationship shown between the built environment and the health of residents.”
In terms of how a building can impact its community, an example would be to use an impact assessment to determine the needs of the community. If a community lacked access to healthcare, then adding a community room within a development to serve as a space for mobile clinics could be a way to bring healthcare access to residents in the community. Designers and project supervisors must use creativity to think of new ways to service the community in which they build.
Safety
Many factors contribute to the safety of a building. The mind jumps first to building materials, such as lead and asbestos, which in the past have contributed most frequently to common health concerns. Utilizing safe building materials, which have been tested for their impact on the human body, is therefore essential. Likewise, using materials with low chemical emissions and which will hold up over time (i.e. resistant to the formation of fungus) is also important. Building safety is often associated with occupancy limitations, abundance of exits, and other fire safety codes. However, air quality is another aspect of building safety which can greatly impact the quality of life for inhabitants. Air quality isn’t just regulated by the quality of the filter used. As evidenced by the Breathe Easy Homes, other factors play a role in determining air quality. Air should be regulated in terms of temperature, humidity, biological contaminants, chemical pollutants, solid particles. According to an EPA report published in 1989, air quality contributes to higher productivity and lower medical care costs for employers. Since then, further research has shown the huge link between air quality, health, comfort, and well-being. The pandemic revealed this importance even more plainly, as ventilation became a popular topic of discussion.
Sustainability
Sustainable buildings are quickly becoming the standard, as the importance of protecting the environment becomes even clearer year-after-year. Our article, ‘Sustainability in Architecture: How Design Affects Impact,’ explored the tenets of sustainability in the design process and how buildings can improve the state of our world. Sustainable buildings use materials which can be or have been recycled, such as timbercrete and ferrock. Any material used, on both the interior and exterior of the building, should be graded according to their life-cycle assessment (LCA) for their impact on the environment. As well, materials should be locally-sourced. Locally-sourced materials leave less of a carbon footprint. As well, sustainable builders make an effort to conserve resources, such as water and energy. Sustainable designers will prioritize efficiency within the design process from the very beginning. Adapted spaces are inherently sustainable, and this sustainability can be added upon throughout the renovation. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program and the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) both measure the sustainability of building projects.
Economic Impact
How is a building’s economic impact an important aspect of its health? Well, a building’s economic impact has an effect on the health of its surrounding community. According to the National Association of Home Builders, new construction contributes to increases in local income for residents, increases in revenue for local governments, and increases in job opportunities. As businesses benefit from additional sales from an increased population, salaries and wages also increase.
Social Impact
Consideration should be given to the social impact of buildings. In other words, how will the building bring people together? How will the building facilitate or hinder social interaction? Being social is a key aspect of our health as human beings and, as such, should be given due importance during the planning process.
We are passionate about the health of our building’s inhabitants, stakeholders, and surrounding community. This endeavor separates run-of-the-mill buildings from high-performance, healthy, sustainable building projects. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out to us. We’re always happy to explore healthy building strategies with prospective clients! For more information on architectural design and building, keep up-to-date with the Architecture Plus blog! If you’re ready to sit down with an experienced team of designers and hash out the elements of your next project, reach out to us! We’re eager to hear from you. Until next time, thank you for reading!