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The Boiled Frog Syndrome: The way building material affects

The use of natural & preferably local materials i.e. materials with little man made alteration to their natural state like timber, hemp blocks, earth walls & sheep's wool. This has much to do with the low level of embodied energy involved in their manufacture but also in the inherent qualities of natural materials.

Breath ability of walls:

A building should be seen as an organism, which must breath, and the walls as our third skin. Material should be chosen which allow the transfer of air and moisture through the building envelope. This not only helps avoid condensation in and on the building fabric but also this diffusion process helps with the necessary air exchanges for a well- ventilated room. Timber, straw and earth walls are appropriate for this.

The use of hydroscopic material for the natural regulation of the room humidity: relative humidity of a room should not fall below 40% and not rise above 70% for the health of the occupant and of the building fabric. Hydroscopic materials like clay renders and earthen floors help reduce fluctuation in air moisture content and reduce condensation.

The use of absorptive material to health neutralize and filter pollutants in the air: again, material materials like clay renders, timber and earth walls are appropriate when used within a breathing wall structure.

To seek a balance between the use of thermal mass like bricks walls or earthen floors of receive the sun ray’s for heat storage and of high insulation to keep the heat within the building.

Consideration should be given to colour, harmony and proportion in form and space. An understanding of proportioning system and man’s relationship with them is important in design and, when so much of green architecture is to do with building envelope, it is important to remember that joy in form and space are equal concerns.

Implicit in the principles is the connection to the Earth, particularly in the sourcing and use of material and their effect on the environment. In the use of sun’s energy Building Biology deals with the integration of landscape and building, in optimizing solar orientation of the building and in how plants might be used as shelter in winter or shade in summer.

Finally, Building Biology looks at sustainable community structure, based on the above principle transposed to the larger scale. It champions eco-villages as potential self-regulating eco-systems benefiting from the economies of scale that a community can offer without so many of the disadvantages that cities can bring with them.

The use of renewable energy sources, of waste recycling including composting and read bed system are all investigated with the intent of achieving a holistic integration of man and environment.