Building a Stronger Nation Part 2: The Correlation Between Building Codes and Public Health

So what can be done to prevent another condominium collapse (as detailed in Part 1 of Building a Stronger Nation)? The answer lies in the innovation of building codes. 

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, we spend nearly 90 percent of our lives inside buildings. If public health is defined as, “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private communities, and individuals,” then buildings have the potential to threaten public health by compromising the lives of the individuals who spend most of their years in them. That is, if buildings are not constructed to fulfill the guidelines set out by state building codes, then inhabitants are positioned to be seriously hurt. Building codes are voted on by a variety of stakeholders, including national organizations, public and private companies, and government officials. Building codes are an element of public health, critical to keeping society safe. 

In fact, building codes are often developed in tandem with public health discoveries. For a long time, lead paint was used on the interiors and exteriors of homes because of its durability. As years went on, health concerns associated with lead paint caused many European countries to abandon the material. We know now that lead paint can be severely damaging to the human nervous system, causing stunted bodily growth and brain development. However, it took centuries to ban the use of lead paint in construction, with the earliest warning originating from Benjamin Franklin in 1786, and it was not until 1978 that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission finally banned the use of lead-based paint completely in residential and public properties.

Today, the most pressing of public health concerns are associated with climate change. The rapidly warming climate is the “greatest threat” to global public health, and repeated disasters, such as hurricanes and fires, have led to instability in shelters as residents are displaced. Sustainable development calls for economic improvement without the depletion of natural resources or aggravation of natural systems. As society continues to grow, more businesses will be established, more families will be created, and more infrastructure will need to be built to support the dreams of the future. Hence, if building codes are truly meant to protect the health, safety, and welfare of people and public health, then modern-day building codes must be reformed to account for the public health consequences posed by climate change. 

One such example of sustainable innovation in housing is the concept of Passive House. Passive House is a set of design principles aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of a home by regulating the cooling and heating systems of infrastructure with the minimal usage of additional technologies. A passive building is built according to these 5 building-science principles:

1. Employs continuous insulation throughout its entire envelope without any thermal bridging.
2. The building envelope is extremely airtight, preventing infiltration of outside air and loss of conditioned air.
3. Employs high-performance windows (double or triple-paned windows depending on climate and building type) and doors – solar gain is managed to exploit the sun’s energy for heating purposes in the heating season and to minimize overheating during the cooling season.
4. Uses some form of balanced heat- and moisture-recovery ventilation.
5. Uses a minimal space conditioning system. 

These conditions oftentimes yield improved indoor air quality, unmatched comfort, and more resilient buildings. Thus, in order to promote sustainable development to prevent the occurrence of another Miami Condominium collapse, future building codes must retain structural integrity and pursue advanced climate change mitigation goals, such as higher energy efficiency standards.

Using sustainable, resilient, and innovative building codes, we can build a stronger nation. 

Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets! 

• building codes
• building resilience
• climate change
• green
• innovation
• Public Health
• sustainability