Palatine, Ill.-based Dior Builders will open Healthy Home 2018 this month, the first home in the country built under newly revised American Lung Association (ALA) Health House program guidelines. The Inverness, Ill. luxury residence promotes products and building practices that support healthful living, featuring energy-efficient products, innovative technologies, and nontoxic materials.
ALA’s Health House Program was founded in 1993 to address growing national concerns about indoor air quality and to educate homeowners and builders on how they can make homes healthier. The program’s recently revised guidelines raise awareness of the health risks associated with lesser-known pollutants, as well as combustion sources within a home, such as boilers, furnaces, stoves, and fireplaces.
“Exposure to indoor air pollutants – smoke, radon, dust, mold, and other pollutants – can pose serious health risks and can contribute to respiratory disease, asthma, and even lung cancer,” says Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association.
Chang2 Studios
Courtesy Dior Builders
The home is built on 5 acres of protected wetlands with no history of pesticides or water contamination. Products, furnishings, and materials under consideration by builders and designers were screened by a team of indoor air quality and environmental health experts to meet ALA criteria. Some of the products that fit the bill include American Rockwool insulation, Gaggenau appliances, TOTO WaterSense toilets, and a hard-wired smart system designed to avoid electromagnetic radiation. Healthy Home 2018 also includes an energy-efficient HVAC system, lead-free plumbing, organic bedding, and Greenguard Gold-certified drywall, cabinets, and countertops.
Victoria Di Iorio, founder of the Healthy Home Initiative, says “we are going beyond the notion of what is sustainable and perceived to be healthy and creating a real-life model of what a truly healthy home should be.” The new ALA guidelines are simple for builders, she continues, and ensure both quality construction and protection from chemical health risks.
