Healthy Buildings Are a Thing
In our quest for healthier living, homes are not often considered. Air purifiers and essential oil diffusers can only go so far, and really just mask a bigger problem. In fact there are many components to a healthy home that are not considered, and many times not even known about in the general world of building and construction. Knowing that it takes small changes to make a big impact in your health and your home’s performance, these are the things we keep at the forefront of our design process.
Biophilic Design
Biophilic simply means a love of nature. The modern home is a stark contrast to the way we’ve been building homes and making dwellings for thousands of years. Put simply, our dwellings are no longer helping to connect us to nature. In the worst cases, they inhibit our connection.
Biophilic design, theorized by Edward O. Wilson, uses 14 different patterns of connection to nature. These 14 patterns are categorized into 3 sections that we design around.
Nature In The Home deals with the presence of nature in the form of water, wind, and changing light, as well as natural materials.
Nature Of The Home involves the feel of the space. Views and visibility as well as security are considered.
Natural Mimicry incorporate the complex and intricate beauty of nature through textiles and surface design.
Air Quality
Your home indoor air quality should be better than the air outside, not worse. But sometimes the parts and pieces of our homes degrade that air quality, often to dangerous levels, without us even knowing. Alongside other industry leaders, we design around higher standards to bring fresh air into the home, remove stale air, filter out harmful particles, and control humidity and mold growth.
Whether smog or smoke, viruses or pollen, your home will be your refuge.
Universal Design
Change is inevitable. How your home is designed should meet your changing needs.
Universal Design principles ensure spaces are equitable, flexible, and sized for use by any individual. Well thought out spaces are more intuitive and simple to use, and require low physical effort regardless of abilities.
Let’s make sure you will love your home just as much after 20 years as you do the day you move in.
Healthy Materials
It goes deeper than “non-toxic.” Not only are we going to choose the greenest alternatives to build your home, but we also consider how they function in order to keep your home performing at a healthier level.
For example, what materials hold the fewest allergens and dust particles? How do we prevent trapped moisture and mold growth? How many surfaces can we make anti-microbial? We make sure you’re not only moving into a healthy home, but that you’re still living in one years down the road.
Contact Us
jeremy@retrofit.design
(317) 426-9948
1450 N Drexel Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46201