How Building Envelopes Affect Health

A building envelope can have a profound effect on health—the health of the building and the health of individuals who spend time in the building. That’s because the building envelope regulates the movement of air in and out of the building as well as the efficiency of any cooling or heating processes.

Ventilation

Buildings need a certain amount of ventilation or fresh air coming from outside. Too much ventilation means that the heating or cooling won’t be efficient, but not enough ventilation can create Sick Building Syndrome.

Ventilation is important for many reasons, and one of those reasons is that many building materials off-gas different chemicals that are unhealthy for those living or working in the building. Fresh air dissipates these chemicals.

Water Leaks

Furthermore, the building envelope is responsible for whether water is coming in the building where it’s not supposed to, such as along the foundation, from the roof, around windows and doors, or anywhere else.

When water leaks into a building and is not attended to, over time that water can create mold and mildew, which not only pollutes the air, but it can also impact the building structure—and not for the better.

Healthy Buildings

Healthy buildings have healthy envelopes. That is, the right amount of air is moving in and out, and heating and cooling are working efficiently. Fresh air comes in, but water doesn’t come in except in pipes where it’s supposed to. Healthy buildings don’t have mold or microorganisms hiding in the building materials, something that’s hazardous for people in the building.

If you think your building is sick or it’s making building residents sick, give us a call at the number noted below. We are experts in this area.

Westerly Restoration provides building envelope integrity inspections and restoration in Surrey, BC and the entire Greater Vancouver area. If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about building envelopes or restoration, please call us at (778) 881-2877 or use the convenient form on our Contact page.