We talked about green lighting methods and the importance of building solutions in our previous posts, let us discuss some more interior solutions, although they don’t seem so important to most of us, they can actually help make our buildings green, our lives safer and our planet cleaner. Producing green buildings is not just about using any one method or technique; it’s about using a lot of them in perfect harmony.

Flooring materials:

What, flooring? Are you serious? Flooring does seem like a negligible factor in sustainable buildings, but think again, it’s not so insignificant really. Just consider its large surface area and the amount of traffic it receives, and you will understand our viewpoint. Choosing the right type of flooring is very important. As far as the environmental and health impact is concerned, we must consider the material extraction/ production and indoor air quality effect as the main points of reference.

Choosing your flooring:

Following questions may help you choose the right type of flooring for your purpose.

  • What is the function of each room or area?
  • How much traffic is this area expected to receive?
  • What are the chances of the floor being exposed to moisture?
  • Will the floor be expected to dampen the noise levels?
  • Is there any chance of occupants having allergies, chemical sensitivities or asthma?
  • How much money and time is expected to be spent on maintaining the floor?

Prioritize your needs and then go for the flooring material best suited for your purpose. One must remember here that a good floor should reduce a building’s environmental impact and toxicity level, and function well for the occupants.

Types of floors:

Here is a brief summary of flooring materials available and their suitability.

Vinyl: Made from petroleum, not recyclable, emits harmful chemicals.

Carpeting: Those made of nylon have similar qualities as above, non biodegradable. Carpet tiles made from wool or other renewable materials are more suitable.

Stone: Durable and non toxic. But non renewable and needs large amount of energy for extraction, transportation and installation.

Terrazzo: Made from waste material and is quite durable.

Bamboo and cork: Durable and good looking. Avoid sealants and adhesives with volatile organic compounds.

 

Architectural paints and coatings:

We all know now that lead paints pose health hazard; but even other modern paints and coatings may also contain harmful pigments. The concept of paints started with natural pigment-based mixtures that got their color from minerals, crushed beetles and berries, flowers etc. However, most modern paints are synthetic that use chemicals.

Types of paints:

  • Decorative
  • Functional
  • Decorative and functional both.

Functional- enhance mold resistance, water repellence; protection against wear and stains.

Decorative- to enhance the aesthetic value

Green paint:

Paints are composed of three components- pigment (colorant), binder and solvent. Even though solvent evaporates leaving the solid components on the surface, it is the biggest contributing factor to the volatile organic compounds in paints. The smell associated with paints is generally due to these compounds only. These may or may not be harmful to human health; some giving rise to problems like asthma; irritation of eyes, nose and throat; headache or dizziness etc besides contributing to smog and ground level ozone.

There are other interior solutions for making your building environment friendly and safe for the occupants, like air sealing and ventilation, introducing greywater systems or composting toilets, and green cleaning etc. We shall be taking these up in our future posts to stress upon the need to go green. We have no other choice if we want to save our planet, to save ourselves. So, stay with us and help make our building interiors more eco-friendly!

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sandeep Singh is an architect from IIT Roorkee.

Ten years after graduating, he lost his vision to genetic Diabetes.

He reinvented his career and turned writer.

He has authored two fiction books and writes blogs on

Architecture, Outsourcing, Safety and a variety of other

subjects for different organizations. He also chairs and runs two NGOs