Building Biology
Bau-biologie: Where It Began
Bau-biologie — or Building Biology, as it is now known in the English-speaking world — was founded in Germany in the 1960s by a group of professionals from a range of disciplines who were concerned about the impact of post-World War II housing on human health and the natural environment.
Rapid post-war reconstruction resulted in buildings constructed quickly, often using new synthetic materials and methods that had not been tested for long-term occupant health effects. Studies found unusual patterns of illness in occupants — conditions now recognised as Sick Building Syndrome and building-related illnesses. Construction methods that did not allow adequate time for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to off-gas, combined with electrical wiring errors, were making building occupants sick.
The American headquarters for the International Institute for Bau-biologie® and Ecology was established in Clearwater, Florida in 1987. Today, the Building Biology Institute (BBI) — a 501-C(3) non-profit educational organisation — brings together technical expertise, biological understanding and ecological sensitivity to support the creation of healthy homes, schools and workplaces. Much of the criteria used in healthy building assessments draws from the Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines (SBM-2008), developed by the Institut für Baubiologie + Ökologie IBN in Germany.
What is a Building Biologist →
The 25 Principles of Building Biology
The 25 Guiding Principles of Building Biology provide a comprehensive framework for assessing and designing the built environment in relation to human health. They span four primary domains:
Site and Community Design
Principles covering the selection of building sites, community planning and the relationship between buildings and their natural context — including proximity to natural features, green space and the avoidance of geopathic stress zones.
Electromagnetic Radiation Health
Principles addressing the management of both natural and artificial electromagnetic fields, including the minimisation of electric and magnetic field exposure from wiring systems and the reduction of radio-frequency radiation from wireless technologies.
Indoor Air and Water Quality
Principles governing material selection, off-gassing, ventilation, moisture management and water quality — the primary focus of most Building Biology assessments in residential and small commercial settings.
Occupant Well-being
Principles addressing thermal comfort, acoustics, lighting, ergonomics, proportion and the sensory experience of the built environment — recognising that occupant wellbeing extends beyond physical health to psychological and ecological factors. Selected principles include:
- Principle 15: Allow natural self-regulation of indoor air humidity, sound attenuation and healthy ion balance using hygroscopic and sorbent materials and finishes.
- Principle 16: Design for a climatically appropriate balance between thermal insulation and thermal storage capacity.
- Principle 17: Plan for climatically appropriate surface and air temperature.
- Principle 18: Use appropriate thermal radiation strategies for heating buildings, including passive solar wherever viable.
- Principle 19: Provide adequate acoustical protection from harmful noise and vibration.
- Principle 20: Utilise physiological and ergonomic knowledge in interior and furniture design.
- Principle 21: Consider proportion, harmonic measure, order and shape in design.
Environmental Protection, Social Responsibility and Energy Efficiency
Principles covering the broader ecological footprint of buildings — including material sourcing, energy performance, waste management and the long-term relationship between the built environment and natural systems.
