Today, most people who think about buying a home or building their own home are guided by several important factors. The first one is pretty commonplace - the price. Next, they usually look at the location of the future home: it is more convenient for someone to be as close to the city as possible, and someone will choose a cottage village farther away. The importance of these indicators is not in doubt, however, it often turns out that residential properties or plots for construction with an ideal location are idle, and apartments and houses in questionable places are sold at not low prices.
What does a person need in a new home?
This question was asked by European researchers and conducted a global survey in 12 European countries among 12,000 people. The aim of the study was to determine the non-obvious parameters of residential buildings that affect human health. Each respondent was asked to prioritize the following factors that contribute to well-being:
- Quality sleep
- Ventilation quality
- Daylight
- Household chemicals
- Vegetables and fruits
- Tobacco
- Biologically active additives
- Walking
- Physical exercises
According to the results of the study, the largest number of respondents gave the first place to the characteristics of buildings, in which they have to spend up to 80% of the time.
The absence of bad habits, a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition are certainly important, however, if at the same time there is a need to live and work in a building with an unhealthy microclimate, then all the efforts made to preserve health will be in vain. More than half of the respondents - about 61% - named access to a sufficient amount of daylight and fresh air as one of the most important parameters when choosing a home.
Microclimate is important. Not only in Europe
In Russia, such studies have not yet been carried out, however, taking into account the sophistication of Russian consumers, it can be argued that the results would be largely similar. It is no secret that apartments and houses with high ceilings, large windows, where there is a lot of "air" are in much greater demand than small Khrushchevs, regardless of their price.
In addition, Russian consumers are quite demanding in terms of comfort, for which they are willing to pay, but so far the question of the microclimate has been in the background. Much more attention in recent years has been paid to indicators of energy efficiency of buildings and energy-saving technologies in construction - due to the high growth rates of energy costs (20-30% per year) and connection to networks. Today, most companies and private developers are actively using energy-saving technologies, so it's time to pay attention to a factor that is just as important - the building's microclimate.
How to design and build a comfortable and safe home?
According to statistics, city residents spend up to 80% of their time in confined spaces, it is obvious that the correct and comfortable microclimate of a building is a necessary condition for human health and general vitality. However, more than 30% of houses lack sufficient fresh air and natural light, which are so necessary for the well-being of their inhabitants. Gradually, people come to realize that a healthy lifestyle is not only proper nutrition and regular exercise, but also a competent organization of the entire living environment as a whole. The most important place here is rightfully occupied by housing. How to make it as comfortable and safe for life as possible? What is important to foresee at the design and construction stage?
Daylight
Sunlight and natural light are a prerequisite for the normal functioning of the body, psychological health and normal human performance. Adequate level of natural light reduces the risk of developing depression (especially in the off-season and winter), significantly affects the quality of sleep and, accordingly, the state of health during wakefulness - due to the effect on the human immune and endocrine systems. It is clear that the access of light to the house is provided by the windows and their layout. Ideally, provide windows to several cardinal points, which will increase the time for solar illumination of the premises and provide a comfortable level of natural light.
However, it should not be forgotten that with a large number of windows, the energy savings of the house are reduced, therefore, at a minimum, the number of windows on the north side should be reduced in order to maximize the use of passive solar energy. In addition, an excellent option can be dormers, which, with a smaller area, give one and a half times more light and are provided with double-glazed windows with a selective coating for the use of solar energy in winter.
Ventilation and air exchange
The next most important parameter of the future home is a sufficient level of ventilation, which in turn regulates humidity, the level of carbon dioxide in the room and the concentration of volatile organic compounds. Humidity that is too high or too low can cause asthma and other respiratory diseases, high levels of carbon dioxide negatively affect sleep quality, performance and learning, and volatile compounds released during building operations are often allergic. The ventilation system of the house can be mechanical, natural or hybrid (a combination of the previous two options, automatically controlled).
The most comfortable and efficient natural ventilation can be provided by roof windows. In addition, today's technologies make it possible to automate this process as much as possible, guaranteeing constant access to fresh air. But do not forget that when designing attic rooms, you should follow the same rules as for the whole house in order to ensure ease of use and safety.
Temperature regime
Contrary to popular belief, overheating has much more unpleasant consequences for a person than hypothermia. For example, if the room is hot, then the duration of the "deep" sleep phase, which is important for cardiac activity, during which the body is restored, decreases. Heating, ventilation and sun protection systems help to control the acceptable level of heat, respectively, in future housing they must be properly adjusted to provide maximum comfort.
The future belongs to "healthy" energy efficient homes
The listed parameters are the main ones that create a microclimate in the house, respectively, they should be paid special attention to when choosing or building a house. Together with energy saving technologies, which become more accessible from year to year, this will make housing as comfortable and safe as possible for living.
You should not save on health: if you are negligent in choosing a home or in designing and building a house, you can lose not only in terms of operation, but also in the level of quality of life. Today, it is necessary to focus not only on the purchase price or fashion, but also on factors that indirectly affect a comfortable stay.
