Creating a healthy home goes beyond just keeping it clean. In recent years, there’s been a focus on indoor air quality for a reason – it significantly impacts our health and well-being. Fortunately, there are plenty of structural elements you can incorporate into your home design so that you’re breathing in better quality air.
Here are 3 of them to start.
Green Roof
Green roofs, also known as living roofs, are not just aesthetically pleasing additions to your home. They offer a multitude of environmental benefits, including of course better air quality.
The vegetation on a green roof acts as a natural filter, absorbing pollutants and toxins from the surrounding air. Plus, green roofs also mean better ventilation because of better air circulation. Basically, the layer of vegetation helps cool the building in summer and acts as an insulator in winter so that energy consumption for heating and cooling systems is reduced.
Outdoor Kitchen
Modern homes often have open floor plans, which can be a double-edged sword. While it means a sense of spaciousness, cooking fumes and odors can easily get everywhere so that indoor air quality is affected.
An outdoor kitchen offers a solution to this problem because you get a dedicated space for cooking and entertaining while keeping the pollutants and heat generated during food preparation out of your living space.
And the benefits remain even if you don’t have an open plan space.
You want an outdoor kitchen because it can be as simple or elaborate as you desire, from a basic grill station to a fully equipped space with countertops, sinks, plus even pizza ovens and by taking your cooking outdoors, you really reduce the amount of smoke, grease, and airborne particles that would otherwise pollute your indoor air.
This is particularly beneficial if you have allergies or respiratory sensitivities.
Natural Building Materials
Yes, what your house is made of can really impact your indoor air quality. Many conventional building materials unfortunately have volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released into the air over time.
Thankfully, there’s a growing trend towards using natural building materials that are not only environmentally friendly but mean much better indoor air quality.
Some popular options include:
- Solid wood: A timeless choice, solid wood offers a natural beauty and is free from harmful chemicals
- Bamboo: A fast-growing and renewable resource, bamboo is a strong and versatile material with low VOC emissions
- Cork flooring: Cork is not only comfortable underfoot but also has natural anti-microbial properties, making it a good choice for allergy sufferers
- Natural stone: Durable and aesthetically pleasing, natural stone like granite or slate is a low-maintenance option with minimal impact on indoor air quality
By incorporating these structural elements into your home design, you can create a healthier and more enjoyable living environment.
