Kitchen & Bath Design News

JUL 2015

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18 | Kitchen & Bath Design News | July 2015 Planning & Design { Mary Jo Peterson, CKD, CBD, CAPS } W hether as designers we choose to make design for wellness our niche or simply another area of knowledge that we add to our expertise, it's time to make sure we're doing everything we can to promote the health of our clients in the work we do. Recent new standards and action plans in the building industry have raised my awareness as to the urgency of this im- perative and the opportunity it ofers. The health statistics are fright- ening. Globally, by 2030, 52 million people will die annually from chronic diseases. Today in America, 33% of our adult population is obese (body mass of 30 or greater), up from 12.5% in 1970. Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. We Baby Boomers are advancing in the active aging process, and with that progress come some challenges. These health challenges need attention, not just in the doctor's ofce, but where we spend most of our time – in our homes. As designers, we have an opportu- nity and a responsibility to positively combat poor health and promote good health in the home, as well as in the kitchens and baths we create. There are things we can add to our design criteria to work in this direction. RESOURCES There's a lot of attention being paid to the impact of the built environment on health, so we have great, fresh resources. Hot of the presses and available for download is the Build- ing Healthy Places Tool Kit, from ULI (Urban Land Institute). This is geared toward community, urban planning, multifamily and the home, and it is founded in reality, with award- winning examples. This wonderful resource ofers evidence-based rec- ommendations as well as additional strategies that apply to our spaces. In addition, the International WELL Building Institute offers training and certification relating to improving health and well-being through the built environment. The program is grounded in medical research and is organized around several key components: air, water, nourishment, light, ftness, comfort and mind. While the initial focus has been on commercial spaces, Institute has piloted a certifcation standard for multifamily residential spaces, and again, there is much that applies to our single-family design work. OUR ROLE We must contribute to the clean air in the home and the spaces we are designing, which means taking re- sponsibility. The obvious ways we do this include selection and speci- fication of products and materials that have low or no volatile organic compounds and no of-gassing. The perhaps less obvious ways we do this include monitoring the sealants and making our contractors and clients aware of appropriate cleaning prod- ucts that are safe for use in those same spaces. A little research might surprise you as to the of-gassing occurring from cleaning products, more of a problem in our newly constructed tight homes. On the positive side, there is a trend toward living or green walls – both indoors and out – made of plants, which operate as a connection to nature and an air purifer. We also need to be involved in the circulation of clean air in the ventila- tion and return air system plan for the home. Recently, an engineer friend who does home inspections told me that she allows about 400 CFMs for a kitchen ventilator when planning an air handling system for a whole house, and we know that many times our large ranges require much more than this. Of course, we need to be involved in the planning of return air if we are specifying a large hood and ventilator, but we must also con- sider whether that air is being drawn from a clean source, or be sure that the professional involved in locating the return intake has taken this into account. Whether the return air is fl- tered or otherwise treated before it's brought into the house is also a factor, and while we may not need to be the expert at this, we do need to be aware. We have an opportunity to en- hance access to drinking water, a key component of good health. Can we, in our design of the two spaces in the house that will have at least one water source, make drinking water more en- ticing? Given the appliances we have to work with and the ability to custom- ize, we can certainly consider options to make it more easily accessible to every person who passes through our spaces, with respect to size and ability. Similarly, can we design spaces that encourage the social aspect of prepar- ing healthy food and eating together to improve eating habits? Regarding lighting and health, the emphasis is on making light as natural as possible by maximizing use of day- lighting and mimicking it with your lighting plan. Technology is allowing us to create lighting scenarios that follow the daylighting, adjusting to it in tone and brightness, and according to the time of day, to follow both the weather patterns and our circadian rhythms. In simpler plans, including the ability to adjust and program the lighting can achieve a degree of this. Since the open plan came into being, we have been working on minimizing noise pollution for peace of mind, and we continue to work at it, with some success. The double and triple glazed windows and tightly sealed doors that are part of our en- ergy-efcient movement in building have reduced noise from outdoors. Staggered stud and double-wall construction and acoustic mats and sheetrock have also helped, as has the use of sound absorbing decorative fn- ish materials. Designing the spaces with bufer zones between quiet areas and social or noisy ones is another way we can impact this. Probably the single greatest need for change toward better health is in physical activity, and we have the chance to impact this. In the home exercise space, we can generate en- ergy and inspire activity with the use of appropriate colors, day lighting, a connection to the outdoors and those details that personalize the space for each client. Much of what we can do we al- ready know to do, but this just makes these concepts imperatives rather than good ideas to practice when pos- sible. As is often the case, there are experts in the feld of wellness design for us to learn from – health profes- sionals, engineers and others – but we are the true experts in knowing our spaces and the products and concepts that go into them. For that reason, it's time for us to step up and contrib- ute to this efort to adjust design and make that diference in the direction of health and longevity for our clients and ourselves. A Look at the Wellness Imperative Designers can enhance wellness with spaces that improve air and water quality, encourage healthy cooking, provide more natural lighting, minimize noise and encourage physical activity. Read past columns and features and send us your comments about this article and others by logging onto our Web site: ForResidentialPros.com "We have an opportunity…to positively combat poor health and promote good health in the kitchens and baths we create."

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