Building Biology Magazine

Plastics have become an indispensable part of modern construction. However, most conventional plastics are derived from fossil fuels, which significantly contribute to increased CO2 emissions. Bioplastics offer a promising alternative. This article highlights their properties, current applications in construction, and future potential.

Get creative and express yourself! Natural paints and plasters can be used to create modern, attractive designs. Suitable products are available from various manufacturers and can be made by experienced craftspeople, or even yourself.

Health-conscious homeowners are increasingly demanding that no steel parts be used in floor slabs and ceilings so as not to distort the Earth's magnetic field, especially in sleeping areas. In an investigation that looked at two different types of floor slabs in wood frame houses, it was shown that fiberglass reinforcement maintains the naturally occurring Earth's magnetic field and does not distort it.

Mobile communications infrastructure is nearly universal, and almost everyone uses mobile devices. This raises the question of how we, especially our children, are affected by the associated exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation. As mobile communications technologies advance, democratic, ecological, and health-related considerations should guide the process, including minimizing RF radiation exposure as much as possible.

The design of the exemplary apartment buildings offers an alternative to highly complex building designs. They were constructed using monolithic wall structures made of wood, masonry, and concrete with simple details. This strategy was tested through continuous monitoring over a period of two years. The results are summarized below.

We would like to install a photovoltaic system on our roof. However, a friend advised against it, claiming that these systems cause high levels of electromagnetic pollution. Is this true? How can we avoid this?

Climate-neutral for 40 years: In Verden, Germany, a multifamily house was built using wood and straw. Its impressive material and energy concept includes a building enclosure with high-performance thermal insulation made of straw, passive and active solar energy systems, and large electricity and solar heat storage systems. According to a comprehensive life cycle assessment, the building will be climate neutral for the first 40 years, after which it will continue to emit minimal amounts of carbon dioxide.

Advice from sleep expert Prof. Dr. med. h. c. Günther W. Amann-Jennson. His most important principle: Don't worry about sleep! Sleep regulates itself if the basic conditions are right.

Prof. Dr. Tsuneo Ishikawa studied architecture in Munich and elsewhere. As vice president of the Maebashi Institute of Technology, he has been teaching building biology there since 2001. In 2005 he founded the IBN partner institute "Building Biology Institute of Japan BIJ," which offers the Japanese version of the Building Biology Course IBN, a building biology magazine, and seminars and conferences. The collaboration with the BIJ is very exciting, as the Japanese culture and building methods offer different perspectives and unknown knowledge. In this interview, he talks about his background and what inspires him about building biology.

Interview with architect Winfried Schneider, director of the Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit IBN