130399 - Is-new-housing-a-health-hazard.pdf (1.13 MB)
Is new housing a health hazard?
conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-23, 13:53 authored by Shruti NathShruti Nath, Mark DewsburyMark Dewsbury, Orr, KThe National Construction Code has been regularly enhanced since 2002 with an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many aging, and very young Australians spend most of their time within their homes. Coincidently, in Australia, asthma is the leading cause of disease in children aged 0 – 14 years, accounting for 17.9% of the total burden in boys and 18.6% in girls. Many researchers have supported a connection between damp housing and sensitivity to dust mites and other childhood respiratory symptoms. Within Australia’s temperate and cool temperate climates, the commensurate change in energy efficiency requirements in the national building regulations may have inadvertently created ideal interior environments that promote mould growth. If the built environment is promoting mould growth, leading to sick building syndrome, it is a matter of serious concern that could be resulting from design or technical flaws in the building fabric. This concern, which has been raised by medical scientists, requires the action of architects to provide guidance on methods to passively, or actively, manage air-borne moisture within homes and workplaces. This paper attempts to bridge the gap between architectural and medical science perspectives in this area of study.
Funding
Department of Justice Tasmania
History
Publication title
Engaging Architectural Science: Meeting the Challenges of Higher Density, 52nd International Conference of the Architectural Science Association 2018Editors
P Rajagopalan and MM AndamonPagination
71-78ISBN
978-0-9923835-5-8Department/School
School of Architecture and DesignPublisher
The Architectural Science AssociationPlace of publication
Melbourne, AustraliaEvent title
52nd International Conference of the Architectural Science Association 2018Event Venue
RMIT UniversityDate of Event (Start Date)
2018-11-28Date of Event (End Date)
2018-12-01Rights statement
Copyright 2018 The Architectural Science Association and RMIT University, Australia.Repository Status
- Open