Health and Biohabitability
What is Bio-architecture?
It is possible that in recent decades you may have heard the term bio-architecture.
If so, you most likely had many questions about what bio-architecture is.
Today’s article aims to clarify this concept within the world of sustainable architecture.
To begin, it is important to analyze the word, which we can break down into:
What Does Bio-architecture Mean?
The term “architecture” comes from Greek and is composed of arch, meaning “chief” or “authority,” and tekton, meaning “builder.” We can therefore understand that for the Greeks, the architect was the chief or director of construction, and architecture was the technique or art of the one who designed and directed the construction of buildings and structures, as the word techné means ‘creation, invention, or art.’
Bio: This term, also of Greek origin, meant life and is currently used as a prefix, especially in the field of natural sciences.
In essence, the concept of bio-architecture encompasses all architecture that seeks to establish balanced relationships between the built environment, the natural environment, the surroundings, and the people who inhabit these spaces.
Furthermore, at a constructive level, the aim is to provide the best response and use of the site’s energy resources, thereby generating the least possible impact on the local environment.
What is the Work of a Bio-architect – “director of construction for living spaces”?
Once we understand, at least in terms of meaning, what bio-architecture is, we will surely ask ourselves why most spaces designed today are not conceived for life, whether it is:
a. Because the conditions of the indoor environment are not healthy for people.
b. Because the construction itself has excessively altered the natural environment.
In the first case, although humans are designed to live in relation to natural spaces, we have adapted the environment in such a way to make it more hospitable and improve our survival, that we have exceeded planetary limits.
We have gone so far as to alter the natural order, sleeping uncovered in winter with heating on all night, while in summer, we cover ourselves because the air conditioning is running at full blast.
The second point refers to something more constructive. Historically, houses were built according to traditional knowledge and using locally available materials. Now, these logical conditions have become a homeowner’s whim, leading to the construction of wooden houses from Nordic forests that are sold as “ecological” because they are made of wood, without considering that the material has traveled thousands of kilometers by road, emitting more CO2 than the tree absorbed throughout its growth.
To prevent such inconsistencies, the role of the architect, or in this case: bio-architect, is fundamental.
What is bio-architecture
Thus, bio-architecture is architecture that is in harmony with the environment and with people.
And when we say -in harmony- we mean respecting the natural state of the environment and the place, altering it as little as possible and using resources coherently and with common sense in the most sustainable way possible.
Designing spaces in harmony with people and the natural environment
In harmony with people to create spaces
To create spaces in harmony with people and that effectively respond to what bio-architecture is, we must first think about generating healthy spaces.
These environments must ensure moderate temperatures, with an average humidity of 50%, free from chemical-derived materials, and minimizing all types of electromagnetic waves.
For skeptics, we could debate whether electromagnetic wave levels should comply with EU, WHO, or Spanish Government regulatory standards, or we could go to the Pyrenees and measure high and low-frequency waves with devices and verify that they are 100 to 1000 times lower than in a city center.
With this empirical verification, we can discuss at length the effects of electromagnetic waves on human health, but no one will deny that the precautionary principle, as humans, indicates that we will rest better in the Pyrenees than in an apartment next to an electrical substation or a cell phone antenna.
The reality is that, like all long-term effects on the human body, such as the genetics of each individual, their cause-and-effect relationship is impossible to demonstrate. For example, if we develop cancer in 20 years, no one will be able to say whether it was due to sun exposure, exposure to polluting exhaust fumes, exposure to electromagnetic waves, chemicals present in the home, fertilizer and pesticide residues, or a combination of all the above in small doses over many years.
In harmony with the environment
Another vital aspect for us, as architects, to resolve our projects and designs in line with the definition of what bio-architecture is, would be to generate spaces that are in complete harmony with the environment.
To achieve this, we must pay close attention to materials.
We will always choose local materials. Renewable (if possible), recyclable, or reusable. Materials that have been transformed as little as possible and whose CO2 emissions, if they have undergone any transformation, transport, installation, or even during their future useful life, are also as low as possible.
In summary, it is essential to ensure that materials are healthy and contribute to improving the indoor environment.
Principles of Bio-architecture
Having reviewed the basic design criteria of bio-architecture, we can now explain a bit more about what bio-architecture is from the perspective of its constructive principles.
Bio-architecture is a way of designing constructions based on natural principles, using local materials and resources available in the ecosystem where it is built, such as earth, wood, or vegetable fibers, and which is inspired by, recovers, and improves traditional techniques.
In fact, the relationship between humans, architecture, and nature has existed since the origins of civilizations, but this interaction, initially harmonious, gradually diverged as technologies advanced, leading to disrespectful and abusive use of the environment.
This misuse of the natural resources provided by planet Earth is causing serious problems and consequences for society.
Global warming, droughts, pollution, deforestation, and waste accumulation are unfortunately part of our daily lives.
Therefore, it is important to become aware of this situation and henceforth commit to healthier solutions and lifestyles that respect the environment and always seek a balance between comfort and sustainability.
Our firm holds these principles as a clear philosophy for our architectural studio.
We know that the role architecture plays in all of this is vital to ensuring a healthy future for society and the planet.
We are aware that many new construction techniques, besides being more costly, involve a high energy demand and generally exceed the natural resources’ capacity for renewal, leading to an imbalance in ecosystems.
For this reason, and in the face of this reality, we opt for bio-architecture as our approach to architecture.
An architecture that is based on natural principles, where building and ecosystem are integrated in a balanced way.
Nature can and should serve as inspiration for creating spaces that optimally fulfill their function and are in harmony with their surroundings.
We also relate this type of architecture to other concepts and strategies that we advocate for, such as ecological, efficient, healthy, and natural architecture.
Bio-architecture Strategies
1. Study the needs of each family
As we have mentioned before, bio-architecture must take into account the needs of each family and adapt to them.
We can find many types and characteristics of families.
A family with young children who spend the afternoon at home is not the same as a family with university-aged children who only come home on weekends. In the second case, for example, we could design, according to the criteria of what bio-architecture is, a house with independent modules both in terms of installations and construction.
One wing or module could be dedicated to daily life, with more solid elements and greater inertia, while the module for children or guests could be designed as something lighter, well-insulated, and allowing for rapid heating of the spaces.
One of our houses, Lupe and Carlos’s house in Llucmajor, meets these characteristics. Do not hesitate to take a look at it as a reference for how we work at Slow Studio and how we always try to respond to what bio-architecture is.
2. Bioclimatic design to achieve a passive house with zero consumption
Secondly, it is very important for understanding what bio-architecture is that in our designs, we always consider bioclimatic concepts that also aim for the lowest possible energy consumption.
To achieve this, we can use different strategies:
1. Maximize the use of solar energy through solar capture and thermal inertia systems.
2. Considering good insulation to maintain indoor temperature is vital to minimize energy losses in our home.
3. By simply installing windows on opposite facades, we generate air currents, better known as cross-ventilation, which promote the renewal of stale indoor air and cool the environment.
4. Avoiding potential thermal bridges by carefully detailing construction, especially in problematic areas like openings and junctions with exterior elements, will also prevent many energy losses and ensure the airtightness of habitable spaces.
5. Although the sun is a very important source of energy and we must therefore capture and accumulate this radiation, at certain times of the year, excessive radiation can lead to overheating of indoor environments.
To avoid this, we must opt for the installation of passive solar protection elements, very typical in traditional architecture, such as porches, awnings, movable louvers, window eaves, etc.
6. Finally, another traditional strategy that we can incorporate into any construction following the guidelines of what bio-architecture is, is the use of interior patios that generate tempered microclimates to help regulate the temperature in parts of the home furthest from the facades.
3. Healthy Home
Finally, thinking about generating a healthy home in all senses is also fundamental to achieving a design that responds to what bio-architecture is.
But, what is a healthy home?
A healthy home addresses four key points:
1. Average humidity (50%): The issue of humidity is very important to ensure a healthy home. Inappropriate humidity levels in indoor environments can lead to colds, dry eyes and throat, skin discomfort, etc. To avoid these symptoms, we must ensure that the average relative humidity is constant and always between 40% and 60%.
2. Constant temperature: Create a tempered indoor environment. It is considered healthier for the environment to be slightly cool. Thermal comfort is determined by the combination of different factors: atmospheric temperature, surface temperature, air movement, humidity, etc. It can thus be established that the tolerable temperature range for human comfort is between 17 and 27ºC. It is important to be tolerant and understand that everyone has different thermal sensations, while, for example, distinctions can be made between work and domestic environments.
3. Electroclimate: Implement biocompatible electrical installations and create spaces with a low electrostatic charge.
4. Healthy and natural materials: Opt for healthy and natural materials with good thermal properties (insulation, inertia…) and hygroscopic properties (accumulation of water vapor without generating condensation), low electrical conductivity, and, if possible, a neutral odor to ensure the health of everyone who inhabits the spaces they create.
What materials does bio-architecture use?
Strictly speaking, if we adhere to the parameters of what bio-architecture is, the only materials that would meet all requirements would be those of local availability, minimally or not at all transformed.
– Wood: Provided it is locally sourced.
– Earth: Earth has always been used. Traditional architecture already utilized the insulating properties of earth to create thick walls with high thermal inertia. Today, its use has somewhat diminished, whether due to aesthetic reasons, resistance, or market demand.
Therefore, it is currently an expensive technique, as it requires highly specialized labor and many hours of work.
As an alternative, there are somewhat more economical variants such as BTC (compacted earth block, like cannabrick, etc.).
– Ceramic block: Finally, the ceramic block is another eco-friendly and natural option for building healthy homes.
It has good resistance and thermal inertia qualities. It is also an economical solution and widely used today due to its ease of work and the availability of specialized labor.
Despite this, care must be taken with ceramics (and with earth too), because although they are ecological and healthy materials, they are not renewable.
Apart from these materials, there are many others we can use, whether or not they strictly follow the parameters of bio-architecture.
We can also build an efficient house with concrete blocks, for example, and although it is not strictly a natural material, it can achieve high levels of efficiency.
In conclusion, from our point of view, architecture must, first and foremost, respect the family’s needs, function autonomously through passive strategies, thus requiring minimal energy input from renewable sources, and finally, and if possible, be healthy.