With the shift towards energy efficient buildings, few building designers have considered the adverse impact this may have on the health of the occupants.
40% of new builds in temperate climates experience condensation and mould-related issues by their first winter (Law, 2017). In addition, many of these energy efficient homes are so ‘tight’ they are exposing the occupants to elevated levels of chemicals outgassing from building materials, glues, sealants and paints. The location of the smart meter, solar inverter and Wi-Fi enabled devices may expose the occupants to elevated electromagnetic fields that may impact their sleep or contribute to other longterm health disorders. All of this could be avoided if basic healthy home principles are considered at the design stage.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is suitable for architects, building designers and licensed builders to provide the knowledge and the skills to assess a building material’s impact on indoor air quality, the electroclimate and human health, and provide useful design principles to prevent condensation and mould-related problems with a focus on suitable designs for temperate, hot humid and arid climates. This course does not provide the information on how to build a home or draw architectural plans, rather it provides the key principles so you can provide recommendations and considerations of the principles that underpin a healthy home in consultation with the build team (architects, building designers…).
What will I receive when I successfully complete this course?
Upon successful completion, students will receive a nationally accredited Statement of Attainment. Completion of this course does not permit members of the public who have are no formal qualifications in the building, architectural or building biology industry to provide advice on building a healthy home. The units of competence for this course form part of the Advanced Diploma of Building Biology (10194NAT).
Prerequisites
Minimum age requirement is 18 years old. Apart from that, there are no prerequisites and we assume no previous knowledge in building, architecture or building design.
Assessments
The assessments are specifically developed to ensure you have the necessary knowledge to design healthy homes. There are two assessments: an essay on life cycle analysis, and a building project that requires you to analyse all of the building materials in your home for their impact on human health, indoor air quality and the electroclimate. To achieve this, you will learn about the Building Biology Rating Criteria. You will receive a Statement of Attainment following successful completion of these two unit of competencies.
Investment
Total cost is $1,590 ($795 per subject) which includes comprehensive manuals, videos of the lectures and access to a trainer.
Pathway
Successful completion of the Building Materials and Building Design subjects can be credited towards the nationally accredited course: Advanced Diploma of Building Biology (10913NAT).