We are halfway through the 20 imperatives of the Living Building Challenge.
For good indoor air quality performance, I10 Healthy Interior Performance requires the project team:
• Provide the results from an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) test one to six months after occupancy
• Comply with the CDPH Standard Method v1.1-2010 for 90% of interior building products that have the potential to emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Implement a cleaning protocol that uses cleaning products that comply with the EPA Safer Choice label or international equivalent, such as Eco Choice Aotearoa
All projects must provide access to views and daylight from 95% of regularly occupied spaces and sufficient operable windows to provide natural ventilation.
Pā Reo, commits to providing a high-quality indoor air and healthy environment. An IAQ test conducted by Precise Consulting has meticulously measured all required toxins within each building (20 different VOC’s and 6 pollutant types), ensuring optimal indoor air quality standards are met.
All interior building products at Pā Reo have undergone vetting to align with CDPH. A quick way to tell if a product meets CDPH standards is to see if it has any of these certificates:
• Berkeley Analytical ClearChem
• SCS Indoor Advantage Gold, EC 10.2 Standard Addendum
• FloorScore, EC 10.2 Standard Addendum
• Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS), Procedures and Standards for Product Inclusion Version
• NSF 332Q
• UL GREENGUARD Gold, UL 2818 and UL 2821
• Intertek Sustainability, Clean Air
• Blue Angel (Der Blauer Engel) DE-UZ 113
• EMICODE EC1 and EMICODE EC1PLUS
• Finnish Emission Classification of Building Materials: M1
• Indoor Air Comfort GOLD
Alternatively it can be tested by BELL Laboratories in Australia.
“As a black person in America, I am twice as likely as a white person to live in an area where air pollution poses the greatest risk to my health. I am five times more likely to live within walking distance of a power plant or chemical facility, which I do.” - Majora Carter, “Greening the Ghetto” TED Talk
Many of the cleaning products on Pā Reo are found on the Eco Choice Aotearoa website. For example, we recommend Bio-Zyme to our clients, their products are completely non-toxic and biodegradable.
Other standards such as WELL Building Standard cover circadian rhythm, something architects can consider, which is not covered by the Living Building Challenge. However, you can look forward to our future posts on imperatives I13 Red List, I17 Universal Access, I18 Inclusion and I19 Beauty & Biophilia which show that Living Future and Living Future Oceania are committed to human health at an extraordinary level.
“May the sun bring you new energy by day. May the moon softly restore you by night. May the rain wash away your worries. May the breeze blow new strength into your being. May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.” - Apache Blessing
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