MATERIALS MATTER

BY REBECCA STAMM

What toxic chemicals are lurking in our buildings?

Our interior spaces have an enormous impact on our health and productivity. From designing for an active lifestyle to proper lighting, insulation, and acoustics, how we build our buildings matters. One often overlooked aspect of how buildings influence people’s health are the chemicals found in building materials.

Globally, there are limited regulations of chemicals used within building products, and unfortunately there are toxic chemicals found in some everyday building products that have the potential to harm human and environmental health.

Evidence increasingly shows that toxic chemical exposures in general are costing countries billions of dollars and millions of IQ points. Although these toxic chemicals affect all of

us, they are disproportionately impacting the health of children, communities of colour, and lowincome families.

Building and construction materials contribute to these potential exposures. Because we spend an estimated 90 per cent of our time indoors, we are constantly interacting with the materials that surround us, creating countless opportunities for exposure.

Toxic chemicals can have huge and complex impacts on the health and wellbeing of people and the environment not just when installed in indoor spaces, but also throughout a product’s entire life cycle. For example, communities near factories can be exposed to air pollution and industrial waste during the manufacturing of products, workers can be exposed on the job during the manufacturing and installation processes, and building occupants can be exposed while the product is in use. Some individuals suffer multiple exposures because they are affected in all of those instances.

“In the age of COVID, it’s also important to consider how chemical exposures in uence our ability to ght disease.”

In addition, toxic chemicals can be released when materials are disposed of or recycled. When manufacturers use recycled materials in new products, sometimes toxic chemicals come along for the ride, inhibiting a circular economy and exposing more individuals to hazardous chemicals—even those that have been phased out as intentional content in products. For recycling to work and subsequently reduce waste, toxic chemicals must first be eliminated from products.

The rise in construction taking place means more materials and greater potential impacts. It is estimated that over the next 35 years, 2.5 trillion square feet of buildings will be renovated or constructed globally, an area equal to the entire current global building stock.

There are many examples of hazardous chemicals in building products, in homes, and ultimately in people. Your choice of drywall could release mercury into the environment. Your paint could have chemicals that interfere with how hormones work in the body. Your insulation could include an asthmagen. Your carpet could introduce toxic “forever” chemicals into your home. Chemicals can migrate from products into the

GREEN EXPERTS ISSUE ANTIMICROBIAL USE WARNING

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for antimicrobial chemicals in building products like doorknobs, countertops, and paint. However, a joint statement released by leading green building organizations, architects, and scientists warns that building materials with added antimicrobials have no proven health benefit—and may be harmful.

In response to the surge in advertising for antimicrobial products, the statement’s authors sought evidence-based guidance for the building industry. They found that outside of limited studies on copper, no building products with added antimicrobials have been shown to reduce viral infections in people. Worse, many of the chemicals are linked to health and environmental harm, and could produce resistance to the antibiotics we depend on to fight disease.

Signed authors include: Healthy Building Network, Green Science Policy Institute, Perkins&Will, International Living Future Institute and Health Product Declaration Collaborative. Additional signatories are Heather Buckley, Assistant Professor, University of Victoria; Erica Hartmann, Assistant Professor, Northwestern University; Megan R. Schwarzman, Associate Director, Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry; Brightworks Sustainability; ZGF Architects; Health Care Without Harm; Center for Environmental Health; and HKS, Inc.

Antimicrobials used in building products include quaternary ammonium compounds, which are associated with asthma—a potential risk factor for severe COVID-19. Triclosan, which can disrupt hormone functioning, is banned in hand soaps but is still used in some building products. However, the identities of the chemicals used in products are often not disclosed.

The statement concludes that antimicrobials should not be used in building products when not required for product preservation. The authors urge building product manufacturers to practice truthful advertising and to disclose the compounds they use. They also call for more hazard assessments and research.

- REMI Network

“Toxic chemicals can be released when materials are disposed of or recycled.”

air in buildings or can deposit on surfaces or dust, where people can be exposed by inhaling or ingesting it or through direct absorption through our skin.

Young children often see greater exposures because of their smaller, developing bodies. They frequently place their hands in their mouths, ingesting dust and the chemicals that lodge on dust particles, and breathe up to three times more air pound-for-pound than adults. Some of these chemicals can also pass from mothers to babies through the placenta or breast milk. In fact, a study showed that babies may be born with over 200 chemical pollutants already in their blood.

In the age of COVID, it’s also important to consider how chemical exposures influence our ability to fight disease. In addition to contributing to underlying conditions that make individuals more susceptible to adverse impacts from COVID-19, such as cancer,

Interior Heart and Surgical Centre | Vancouver, BC Committed to better performing buildings.

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RJC Engineers rjc.ca some chemicals can also impact our immune systems’ ability to fight infectious disease and the effectiveness of vaccines.

The COVID crisis has also led to an increase in marketing messages containing questionable health claims around antimicrobials added to myriad products, including building materials. While some products need antimicrobial preservatives to protect the product itself from mould, mildew, or spoilage, antimicrobial technologies added to products have not been shown to have any human health benefits. There is no evidence that the addition of antimicrobials to building products lowers the rate of infection; in fact, some antimicrobial substances can cause direct physical harm to human health.

So, what can you do?

One important step toward safer materials is an understanding of what products are made of and whether or not they are hazardous. We believe you have a right to know what’s in the materials in your buildings, and an increasing number of building product manufacturers are disclosing this information through programs like the Health Product Declaration (HPD) and Declare. Transparency is the first step to understanding and avoiding hazardous impacts on building occupants and throughout the lifecycle of a product.

Awareness about these issues is growing, and demand for safer materials is driving innovation. For example, many manufacturers have already phased out the “forever” chemicals once pervasive in carpet, and some large retailers have introduced policies to remove them from the products they sell. Despite the lack of regulatory pressure on chemicals in products, change is still possible. When product specifiers and purchasers know what to ask for and exert their collective power, markets can move for the better.

Try starting with interior nishes, for example: • Prefer products that have disclosed content through Health Product

Declarations. • Choose drywall made from natural gypsum and avoid synthetic or FGD gypsum. • Choose paint that is low in VOC content and emissions, and free of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs). • Choose a safer flooring product type such as linoleum or ceramic tiles rather than vinyl. • Choose a safer insulation product type such as berglass insulation or formaldehyde-free mineral wool insulation. • Avoid building products marketed as “antimicrobial” or “containing antimicrobials” and making health claims.

Each decision you make about the materials you use, each step toward using healthier products, can have big impacts within a housing unit, a building, and in the broader environment. Collectively, these individual decisions also influence manufacturers to provide better, more transparent products for us all. Ultimately, this can reduce the hazardous chemicals not just in our buildings, but also in our bodies.

Not sure where to begin? Resources to help you understand toxic chemicals in building products and make safer material selections are available from Healthy Building Network. Check out the product guidance resources for information on safer paints, oors, insulation, and more. | CFM&D

Rebecca Stamm, senior researcher, works with the team at HBN to conduct vital building materials research. She has a B.S. from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and M.S. from Purdue University, where she studied Chemical Engineering with a focus on materials. Rebecca has worked extensively in materials research, including more than three years in building materials manufacturing and six years of building product and chemical hazard research and analysis at HBN.

Since 2000, HBN has defi ned the leading edge of healthy building practices that increase transparency in the building products industry, reduce human exposures to hazardous chemicals, and create market incentives for healthier innovations in manufacturing. A team of researchers, engineers, scientists, building experts, and educators work to reduce toxic chemical use, minimize hazards, and eliminate exposure, especially to those chemicals of concern that are deemed unnecessary or fail to improve product performance. HBN promotes the development of affordable green chemistry solutions that support a healthy, successful, circular economy.

Sustainability on Display

Using digital signage to boost sustainable goals

Promoting sustainability is key to leaner, greener, and more resilient facility operations. Getting occupants to notice and take part, however, can be difficult. For this reason, facility managers/owners are increasingly turning to digital signage to get their messages across.

Digital signage is nothing new, but its capabilities are expanding. In the days of energy-saving directives and eco-forward attitudes, however, it is proving to be a valuable tool for boosting sustainable activities.

“People typically think digital signs are only there to help visitors navigate their way around the building. That's one use, but more and more facilities are also using them to increase awareness about their environmental activities and encourage occupants and visitors alike to get involved," says Scot Martin, CEO of youRhere.

Today, for example, digital signs are being used to advertise sustainability campaigns, promote special events (e.g., Earth Day), broadcast water and energy consumption statistics, or even display real-time public transportation information to encourage alternative forms of transit.

Overall, says Martin, there is a growing trend towards using digital signage to capture attention and gather support: "For example, you could program your sign to display information about a major energy-saving campaign project you're launching and upload energy usage stats every month to keep people invested. At the same time, you can use that same screen to share energysaving tips and updates on anything else you're doing."

After all, he adds, sustainability is a team effort: “And to keep everyone invested, you need to keep these messages top of mind.”

SETTING THE STANDARD

The sustainability journey is one of continual improvement. Putting environmental programs in place is only step one; the next is tracking and reporting on your programs to continue making gains.

Here again, digital signs are an effective way of sharing one's progress and keeping the momentum alive. Facilities can upload monthly updates or celebrate important achievement milestones, and opportunities exist to link digital signs to a facility's control systems and display results automatically or even in real-time.

These modern communication strategies can also help facility teams hit their eco-certification targets. Programs like BOMA BEST and LEED, for example, require “Tenant Communications” or “Awareness and Education” initiatives on the part of program participants, awarding points if they are conveying their sustainable activities effectively.

“In other words," notes Martin, "not only do they want certified buildings to be environmentally conscious, but they also want to know there's a communication plan in place to achieve buy in and make them an ongoing initiative, not a ‘one and done’ activity”.

Of course, it helps that digital signs are an eco-friendly asset in their own right. For its part, youRhere signs include options such as automatic start-up/shut-down controls to reduce energy usage when buildings are closed and, increasingly, screens are being produced with built-in sensors that allow them to automatically adjust the brightness of the display based on the ambient light in the room real-time (aka “Eco-Mode”). Moreover, the use of digital signage over posters and paper-based signs decreases printing requirements, reduces waste, and lessens their environmental impact.

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There are many benefits to sustainable operations. And for facilities, they extend beyond saving costs and achieving industry certifications. With more and more individuals seeking eco-conscious lifestyles at home and where they work, there's value in displaying one's green ambitions for all to see.

“Several surveys have shown that employees would prefer to work for an employer that is environmentally conscious, and tenants would rather populate a building that has those same goals," says Martin. "Anything you can do to demonstrate that you're listening and taking action is bound to draw attention."

Scot Martin is CEO of youRhere, a leading provider of digital signage solutions for commercial, retail, healthcare and educational properties across Canada. For more information, visit www.youRhere.ca.

BY ROBERT SONNEMAN

ILLUMINATING THE WAY

Advancements in LEDs

Design is often evolutionary and only rarely revolutionary, but today, technology has excited a revolution in lighting. Now, more than ever, lighting design and technology are essential to the success of a project. Lighting has become a critical extension and an added value to architecture and designed interiors.

No longer generated by burning fuel or filaments, lighting today is produced by exciting electronic signals that produce luminous energy, otherwise known as the LED — light emitting diode — which is based on the electroluminescence of semiconductor materials.

The quality, performance, and controllability of the light produced by LEDs is realized because of their unique compatibility with digital technologies that permit the incorporation of intelligence into lighting systems. By understanding that electronically generated illumination is a wave in the spectrum of energy we can control and direct, we are able to manage this illumination as a component of a broad-based integrated system of energy and deploy it across multiple applications of a building system. Our electronically managed information, communication, and entertainment will include the quality, colour, intensity, and mood of illumination as a synchronous component of a smart-controlled environment.

Understanding certain characteristics of light is important to understanding the functionality and applications of LED illumination. For example, light from illuminating sources takes shape because of the way light propagates through three-dimensional space, obeying properties such as divergence, focusing, reflection, refraction, transmission, absorption, and di raction. LEDs emit bright point sources of light, and as such, they do not inherently work well in illuminating across large spaces. Of course, this functionality has been solved by the development of larger-scale luminaires that are created by arranging multiple LEDs into a broad array of

diodes. Additionally, the optical lensing and photometrically designed re ectors built into luminaires produce a broad distribution of balanced illumination.

Technology provides the ability to manage the intensity, colour, and distribution of illumination from multiple sources at varying intensities and optical focuses within a space. Control and management of the visual experience and the extensive range of available applications have extended the possibilities of realization, perception, and utility of the lighting performance within a built environment.

In addition, we can now impact the dynamics of human interaction and emotional well-being with the colour control of a dynamic lighting system. For example, we can implement the progression of colour tuning to align with natural daylight over the course of a day. Tunable white, warm dimming, and full-spectrum colour control connects the relationship of people, their moods, performance, and state of being to the dynamically, electronically lit environment.

Of course, the possibilities of imposing subtle or intense colours on independent

surfaces or environments dramatically changes the mood, intensity focus, and perception of the physical environment. As such, lighting is no longer just an accessory to a designed environment. Rather, the dynamic capabilities of technologically sophisticated lighting within a space impact the emotional, physical, and psychological experience. It impacts the perception, utility, performance, and well-being of people as a synchronous component of a smartcontrolled environment.

Science and technology can be enablers of art and design. Now, more than ever, it is exciting to discover the possibility of what’s next. | CFM&D

“Lighting is no longer just an accessory to a designed environment.”

Robert Sonneman is the visionary behind SONNEMAN – A Way of Light. His awardwinning designs have been at the forefront of the design world for over 50 years, as he continues to push the boundaries of innovation to achieve the perfect balance between art and technology. His focus today is on using the latest technology to innovate new directions for modern lighting.

BY REBECCA MELNYK

CIRCADIAN LIGHTING FOR THE SPECTRUM

Circadian lighting plays a special role in facilities management as long-term care homes and schools increasingly look to enhance well-being among seniors and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who all rely on daily routines.

In “The Power of Routine,” the Illuminating Engineering Society’s (IES) first ever virtual webinar, which took place last fall, Connie Samla, a lighting specialist with the Sacramento Municipal Utility

District’s (SMUD) Energy Education and Technology Center, discussed how correlated colour temperature changes throughout the day can reinforce routines and ease transitions between activities.

‘A PRIMARY SYNCHRONIZER’

Light is a “primary synchronizer” of humans’ circadian rhythms—a natural process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and is tied to a person’s 24-hour body clock. Using light in humancentric design can have profound e ects on people’s day-to-day lives. It jumpstarts the human system to stay awake or relax and fall asleep. Hormones control much of this internal rhythm.

The deepest sleep happens at 2 a.m., with sleep hormone melatonin secreted at night and stopping sometime in the morning. Serotonin sets in as the day hormone, with alertness at its height by 10 a.m. The idea is that these two hormones coincide on a regular basis to optimize one’s best self.

The advancement of LEDs has helped to achieve this feat, speci cally tunable white LED lighting fixtures that are capable of adjusting colour temperature and intensity, from very warm to very cool. The appearance of light sources is measured and described using a metric called Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT). This system uses degrees in Kelvin as the units of measure. Lights that appear warmer have lower CCTs Cooler lights have higher CCTs. Warmer tones are recommended in the evening and higher CCTs for the morning.

IMPROVING CHILDRENS’ LIVES

Children with special needs depend on daily routines. Those with ASD often suffer from sensory overload. Lights bring too much glare, sounds bring too much noise, and some can’t stand the touch of water. Meltdowns often ensue.

Beginning with a U.S-based elementary school in 2018, researchers installed and tested tunable white LED lighting systems in three classrooms, since the school board was already looking to revamp its lighting xtures across the board. Two classrooms were used for teaching students with ASD, while a fth grade classroom taught students without ASD.

Original lighting averaged 570 to 910 lux at desk level, compared to new lighting that averaged 300 lux at desk level—much less stimulating and easier on the eyes. Twenty-four 2 x 4 recessed uorescent luminaires were switched up for twelve 2 x 2 recessed tunable white LED luminaires that moved from 2700 to 6500 K. The teacher could also use a touchpad controller to manage the light for calming students. The lighting system o ered an improved working and learning environment.

The dimming colour tuning o ered an e ective cue to get students’ attention, while instantly changing the whole dynamic of the room. Teachers being able to dim the lights to a warm colour also helped reduce meltdowns and allowed children to transition into the daily activities.

BEYOND SCHOOL-HOUR CYCLES

“Lighting for the Spectrum,” a more recent study completed in 2019 alongside behavioural specialists at the UC Davis Mind Institute, saw the installation of these lighting systems in the homes of students with ASD. After all, circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles, not just school-hour cycles.

To help children and their parents or guardians sleep better, the project aimed to reinforce routines and transitions, avoid exposure to blue-white light at night and provide lighting for safe nighttime navigation. Over the course of 29 weeks to six months, it included 33 families with children aged ve to 10 years old, living in both apartments and large single-family homes.

Researchers discovered that the families used either too much light or no light at all. There were various dimmers and daylight colour light bulbs in the child’s room and bathroom. The team replaced these items with a circadian routine, including time-based light with customizable scheduling. The temperature would range from 6500 to 6600 K at wake up and slowly dim down to 2200 K for night-time navigation, as many children were scared of the dark, which caused bed-wetting at night.

Equipment, including tunable light bulbs, xtures and light-strips, and wireless dimmers, switches and motion sensors, all created various types of routines catering to di erent children.

Overall, families in the study reported signi cant improvements in daily routines, behaviours and activities, including sleep, with 77 per cent of respondents saying the lighting system was “high impact” to “life changing.” The time it took children to go to bed trended downward and stayed that way, albeit for some rough patches here and there. | CFM&D

THE BENEFITS OF Building Energy Modelling

Simulating the future

Building Energy Modelling (BEM) is a versatile, multipurpose tool used in both new construction and existing buildings. Now mandatory for all new builds in many jurisdictions throughout Canada, energy modelling can help inform decision-making at the design-stage; show code compliance; achieve green building certification; and guide policy and code development as the world collectively seeks out new ways to reduce its carbon footprint.

“An energy model is a computer simulation of a building that takes into consideration the architectural geometry, building enclosure systems, mechanical and electrical systems,” explains Mohammad Fakoor, Senior Building Performance Engineer with RJC Engineers. “It can be used to simulate the thermal performance of a building in order to calculate the Thermal Energy Demand Intensity (TEDI), Total Energy Use Intensity (TEUI), and Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity (GHGI).” The simulation software works by enacting a mathematical model that provides an approximate representation of a building. It requires a vast amount of data input, as well as a qualified energy modeller to achieve optimal results.

Terry Bergen, Managing Principal at RJC Engineers’ Victoria office is a huge advocate of this technology, calling it “the most powerful design-assist tool available to a project team.” According to Bergen, a well-prepared energy model will account for the following factors:

- Building mass, shape and orientation; - Neighbourhood effects of surrounding buildings; - Building structure; - Enclosure and façade performance; - Mechanical and HVAC loads; - Electrical loads and lighting intensity; - Future climate loads.

When inputted correctly, the benefits delivered can be invaluable for building owners, designers and occupants alike. Projections can play a significant role in determining Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs), leading to reduced operating and maintenance costs over the life cycle of the building. They also lead to improved occupant thermal comfort and a lowered carbon footprint. In new buildings, design-assist iterations can help the design team determine the most suitable form of the building, and the impact of design choices on energy efficiency.

Getting reliable results Although the end results may not represent the actual energy consumption of a building, the overall reliability of an energy model is largely dependent on the component information being as accurate and meaningful as possible. For example, Bergen points to the performance values of a building enclosure, stating that they should account for the effects of thermal bridging and linear transmittance to be accurate. “A frame wall with R20 batt insulation must not be input into the model as an R20 assembly,” he says. “Accounting for wall framing and thermal bridging, the clear effective value may be R10. Factoring in building structure, linear transmittances, and thermal bridging, the correct value would be R5 or less.”

When done accurately, energy modelling can lead to more cost-effective energy conservation measures and a long-term reduction in energy consumption. Well-prepared energy models can also be used to perform thermal comfort studies to forecast occupant comfort under different meteorological data, including future climate projections.

Energy modelling and the future Energy modelling has been a part of the building code for more than a decade; however, with Canada’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030, the importance of this multipurpose building tool is more pronounced than ever.

“Different provinces across the country are adopting more contemporary energy codes and standards to advance the energy performance of buildings” says Fakoor. “For example, both the British Columbia and the City of Toronto have adopted new stringent energy standards using a passive house philosophy, with the goal of “net-zero ready” buildings by 2030. We anticipate that energy modelling will become an inevitable part of the building design in the future, and more qualified practitioners will be employed to meet the demand.”

To find out more about energy modelling, please visit www.rjc.ca

Terry Bergen CTech, CCCA, LEED® AP | Managing Principal

Mohammad Fakoor PhD, P.Eng., CEA, CPHD, LEED® AP BD+C