i+D - September/October 2018 - 36

Designing for the Unseen - By Brian J. Barth

The BioBE Center is focused not just on building the scientific foundation
for better building design, but in translating that into tools and techniques
that designers can pick up and run with.
Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg, PhD, co-director at the BioBE Center (and
director of the closely affiliated Institute for Health in the Built Environment,
also at the University of Oregon), is an architect who is comfortable spouting
off medical terminology. He describes his work as "architectural probiotics,"
or simply "designing the unseen." The "unseen" he's referring to is "not
just microbes, but acoustics and thermal performance and all the nonvisual
aspects of our physical environment-things like the retinal ganglion
photoreceptors that send signals through our suprachiasmatic nucleus,
which help us digest food and maintain healthy sleep and wake cycles."
Van Den Wymelenberg envisions a future in which buildings modulate
their own microbiome for the benefit of occupants. This notion
is borne of the recognition that total sterility is an impossibility; rather
than resorting to chemicals to eliminate pathogens, the focus instead
is on encouraging a microbiome that is healthy for occupants. Realizing
Van Den Wymelenberg's vision will require breakthroughs ranging from
a better understanding of the interaction between daylighting, HVAC,
and surface design-different materials foster different microbial
communities, which, in turn, vary according to temperature, humidity,
and ultraviolet exposure-to the development of sophisticated new
air-quality sensors ("complicated sniffers," he calls them).
"Many buildings already control fresh air intake with a CO2 sensor, which
is essentially a proxy for human occupancy-the more people in the space,
the higher the CO2 level in the return air plenum, and the greater flow of
outside air the system is triggered to pull," says Van Den Wymelenberg.
"I imagine similar sensors placed throughout buildings that sniff specific
bacterial, fungal, or viral strains and adjust airflow accordingly. These
would analyze a range of biotic and abiotic [living and nonliving] variables
simultaneously-outside air factors are also extremely important in that
scenario, such as pollution or the particulate matter from fires that's
affecting air quality over half the United States right now-to determine
the optimum airflow regime."

Researchers at the BioBE Center measure
the bacterial community from the surface of leaves,
which host a rich microbial community.
(Image: BioBE Center)

36

Humans constantly shed particles from their skin into
the air. At the BioBE Center, the bacterial cloud people
create is measured using a controlled chamber to remove
the influence of bacteria from any other source.
(Image: BioBE Center)

The Mind-Body-Building
Connection
Organizations like the International WELL Building Institute are significantly
invested in substantiating the benefits to human health that are possible
through conscientious design. The potential societal benefits, quantified in
healthcare savings and numerous intangible benefits, are equally clear. The
world's most cutting-edge companies, institutions, and organizations also
have recognized the fiscal benefits of integrating wellness in the workplace.
One example is the headquarters of the American Society of Interior
Designers (ASID) in Washington, D.C. After ASID moved from its
outdated office space to a new location that, in 2016, became the first
LEED Platinum- and WELL Platinum-certified office space in the world,
a tremendous improvement in employee satisfaction-and productivity-
was noted. Employees worked 19 percent more than previously
expected by their employers, with a 16 percent improvement in
performance, "yielding an estimated increase of $694,000 financial
impact to the society's bottom line during the first year of occupancy,"
according to the case brief prepared by architecture and design
firm Perkins+Will, which led the project. "[The new space is] expected
to yield a $7 million increase in financial impact during the total
10-year lease agreement," given a consistent improvement rate.

i+D - September/October 2018
i+D - September/October 2018

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