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SICK BUILDING SYNDROME and WELL BUILDING STANDARD

09.07.2018

What is Sick Building Syndrome?

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a condition that results in headaches and respiratory problems and is attributed to unhealthy or stressful factors in the workplace, such as poor ventilation.

The case study reveals that many disorders afflict individuals who spend many hours indoors. In recent decades this habit has taken root with the consequence that, while on the one hand, the need to have protected environments with acceptable microclimate standards has grown, on the other hand, the demand to contain energy consumption by eliminating waste and sealing workplaces has increased. The sick building syndrome, as found by the O.M.S. itself, manifests through a combination of symptoms related to staying in the building. These include irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, headaches, mental fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. A characteristic of Sick Building Syndrome (S.B.S.) is that most symptoms disappear or fade away from the “sick building.”

The buildings, then, become containers where air quality is contaminated by countless factors that affect the health of the people who live there. Scholars suggest the most effective approach for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease is bio-psycho-architectural, which focuses on environmental control, conscious design, which puts design and planning at the service of those who will live in the building.

The Well Building Standard is a certification that helps to prevent these problems. It is the first health and wellness standard to promote wellbeing through the design and construction of buildings.

These standards measure the attributes of buildings that impact occupants’ health by examining seven factors or concepts:

  • AIR
  • WATER
  • NOISE
  • LIGHT
  • FITNESS
  • COMFORT
  • MIND

With this approach based on medical research, we explore the connection between buildings where we spend more than 90% of our time and the impacts on the health and well-being of us as occupants.

It is no coincidence that air is the first of the seven concepts on which the Well standard is based and that the designer of the building must take into account the fact that to optimize and achieve high standards of indoor air quality, one must consider three aspects: remove contaminants, prevent their appearance and manage purification. The WELL standard proposes using UV-C technology to reduce the microbial load in the air, which would lead to an increase in IAQ.