At the heart of the sustainable and healthy materials movement is research, science and evidence. The information about chemical toxins in our materials and their effects on the environment and humans already exists.
But we’re all still building up our personal knowledge of these things, and we’re still in the process of deciding how we plan to apply that knowledge to whatever we’re working on.
The Healthy Materials Lab, formed at the Parsons School of Design at The New School, is creating a space for architects, designers and students to explore their relationships with healthy and unhealthy building materials.
“By advocating for a dramatic reduction of toxins in the building industry and promoting increased transparency for all building product ingredients, this initiative aims to transform the way that building products are manufactured and to support the creation of new materials,” the Lab’s website reads. “Through optimizing the health and transparency of building materials in the entire supply chain, the lives of all people will become healthier. The Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design is endeavoring to integrate product research, innovative design ideas, and a range of communication design strategies to show how designers can make positive contributions to healthier environments for everyone.”
From what we can see, the Lab’s primary tools and resources exist online in a well-organized website; visit healthymaterialslab.org.
The Lab maintains a searchable Resource Library, making available to the public a digital collection of tools and information to help designers, architects, developers and building owners/users make more informed choices about building materials and health. The library is filterable by resource type, topic area and source. The website also keeps track of all of the projects the Lab is currently working on, and has a super helpful glossary of terms, for looking up something specific or simply browsing.
A focus on healthy materials, and materials’ effects on humans, is also making its way into educational institutions’ foundational learning coursework. The Healthy Material Labs has also developed a new Certificate in Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, a program of four courses intended to complement both existing Parsons degree programs and serve as continuing education for professionals. The four courses focus on knowledge required to design more healthful interiors:
>Material and Human Health
>Building Products and Chemistry
>Healthier Material Design & Specifications
>Implementation Execution
The Lab’s first official project is a collaboration with the Green Science Policy Institute, the Healthy Building Network, and the Health Product Declaration Collaborative; their goal is to improve the lives of residents living in affordable housing by reducing the use of toxins in the building product supply chain.”
It should be noted that the numbers of organizations and standards intending to promote sustainable materials use are increasing as the topic becomes more widespread. The Healthy Materials Lab has a solid shot in becoming an impactful industry hub due to its tie to a higher ed institution.
The possibilities of using the Healthy Materials Lab to corral the power of other existing organizations and applying them to new design issues are endless. However bringing those groups together and creating usable, comprehensive tools, in order to become a leading industry voice, is a sizable challenge. Check out the Healthy Materials Lab website and see what you think. Would you consider using the Lab as your primary source of healthy materials knowledge?