Health performance of housing: Indicators and tools

Human health is a condition influenced by many aspects: genetic predisposition, food and water, lifestyle, age and the physical and social environment. Outdoor hazards penetrate the house and add to the indoor hazards. The physical housing conditions and also occupant behaviour create health hazards. In maintenance policy and renovation projects, the opportunities to reduce health risks and adapt houses to the health needs of households are not used to their full potential. Health criteria were until recently poorly integrated into sustainable building, and some technical innovations to save energy are associated with health related complaints. Good diagnosis of environmental problems is often a bottleneck for home owners and housing managers. Better insight into health performance qualities and a clear framework and common language can improve health performance. The major question of the project is: What physical parameters and which type of occupancy and behaviour result in exposure to health risk and how can this risk be evaluated and reduced?