Healthy building

Kerry Denning Jackson, head of innovation and technology at Atlanta-based developer Jamestown, says, quote, We are starting to understand that making our buildings, spaces, and places healthier is the most important thing we can do for our health and the health of our families and children, unquote.

And Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University's Healthy Buildings program in Boston, claims buildings represent one of the greatest public health opportunities of the century.

Many architects believe that a shift towards using more natural materials will also lead to longer lasting, more sustainable spaces where people feel more emotionally connected to the world around them.

That means that while reducing exposure to the volatile organic compounds, VOCs, found in highly processed building materials, is part of the story.