Talky talk - healthy buildings

I love the sound of this workshop, not least because it sounds just on the edge of what the mainstream 'green building' dialogue is about. Plus the venue sounds ace.

"Building Biology
& Creating Healthy Environments
Weekend Residential Workshop for Planners, Designers,
Environment and Health Consultants

When: Sat 16 August (9am) - Sun 17 August (2pm) 2008

Venue: Gudhara Holistic Sanctuary, Southern
Highlands, NSW

Our buildings affect our health and sense of wellbeing. Homes, schools, offices, shops: they all have an impact on us. They affect how we think, feel, sleep and age: even how we interact with each other. By understanding just how this happens,
we're better able to create environments in which people are able to enjoy living, working and playing.

Building health is said by many to be the next wave of construction legislation after sustainability. This ground-breaking workshop will include background research, a wealth of case studies, plus visual examples to illustrate what works, and what doesn’t. You’ll be able to use the practical information and techniques you gain over the weekend straight away in your design practice.

Many of the influences that cause ‘Sick Building Syndrome’ are invisible. However, just because we can’t see them, it doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. Most buildings today are affected to some degree by chemicals, polluted air, disinfected tapwater, geopathic stress, and electromagnetic and microwave radiation electrosmog) – and they all affect our health. There are a whole host of 21st Century health conditions that research is now linking to our homes and offices. These include: depression, allergies, anxiety, stress, insomnia, asthma, immune system disorders, heart conditions, ADD, autism, miscarriage and infertility, short term memory loss, foggy thinking, Alzheimers, premature aging - plus many more....

The challenge for architects and interior designers today, is to become aware of the elements in our buildings that can create health issues, so that they can provide their clients with a safe living environment. Becoming aware enables these problems to be prevented in new buildings at the design phase. The ability to identify the issues and their early warning signs, also allows us to minimise the problems in existing buildings.

This weekend residential workshop is an introduction to the body of knowledge that is known as ‘Building Biology’: the study of the impact that buildings have, not only on our biology, but on our Mind, Body and Spirit. Building Biology goes
“Beyond Green”, in that it not only provides buildings that look after the
health of the planet, but also the health of the people who spend time in
them. Not all eco-homes are healthy homes. The workshop will introduce you to the very real issues currently affecting our buildings, the ways in which they are impacting our health, plus design philosophies and some simple, practical solutions.

The venue

Gudhara Holistic Sanctuary in the Southern Highlands is a 7 acre property run according to permaculture and biodynamic principles. Weekend workshops and retreats are conducted with an emphasis on raising consciousness for personal and global transformation and environmental sustainability. For more information and directions see www.gudhara.org.au phone 0403 203 963 or fax (02) 4841 1336."