BAUBIOLOGY / BUILDING SCIENCE

BAU-BIOLOGY 

“Bau-biology” or building biology, is a household word throughout much of northern Europe and is the kernel from which the green building movement in Europe sprang.

(Janaki Welch Design/Build embraces the philosophy of Bau-Biologie)

“There is almost always a direct correlation between the biological compatibility of a given material and its ecological performance (quoted from IBE, Clearwater, Florida, www.buildingbiology.net). 

This embraces the essence of Bau-biologie, a holistic approach to the science of building first formulated in the 1970’s by founder Dr. Anton Schneider of Neubeuern, Germany.

There are 25 principles for creating healthy environments that are the basis of Bau-biologie. These embrace many disciplines, including architecture, city planning, engineering, biology, medicine, sacred geometry, and psychology. Combined, they help us strive for a holistic understanding of the complex relationship between human health, the built environment, and the natural world.

Several of these principles deal with the spiritual, psychological, and subtle physical factors that contribute to our sense of well-being. They include:

*Consideration of the site geobiology and the preservations of natural magnetic fields.

*Incorporation of natural light, illumination and color.

*Architectural proportioning and the harmonic order of space.

*The minimization of man-made electromagnetic fields.

*Acoustical protection from noise pollution.

*Respect for the sociological structures of family and the larger community.

Other principles of Bau-biologie address the issues of environmental health on a global scale. 

*The use of natural and local materials that are renewable and low in embodied energy.

*The use of energy-efficient materials and building systems.

*The avoidance of materials whose production exploits other human beings or the environment.

* The employment of solar energy and radiant heat sources. 

There is also criteria for the selection of building materials including: history of performance, natural occurrence, thermal properties, absence of radioactivity, diffusion, hygroscopicity, and acoustical properties. 

BAU-Biologie

buildingbiology.net

Bau-biologie™, a term coined in Germany, is a word used to describe a movement promoting the use of healthy building principles as a means to improve living and work spaces and the health of people who occupy them. Bau-biologie literally means, "building biology." Both terms are now used interchangeably and both have exactly the same definition --"how buildings impact life and the living environment”. This new field of education is characterized by the terms biological, ecological, sensitive to nature, healthy, vital, human, organic, high quality, cultural and holistic.