Blog

In this global pandemic, it is becoming clearer, more than ever, that our well-being is directly linked to our spaces we inhabit, given self-isolation and quarantining practices happening globally. Several attributes of indoor spaces are becoming more and more relevant and obvious to those staying at home during this time.

Aesthetics and Interior Design

Linking interior design and well-being is not novel, though designing for cognitive health is becoming more prevalent nowadays. In example, feng shui, a Chinese practice, is founded on the premise of arranging spaces and furniture, to allow energy to flow through your life and spaces, and has been in practice for thousands of years. There is an existing wealth of knowledge existing on feng shui practices, inspiring homeowners to design their spaces in accordance to its principles.

The pandemic has lent itself to milder changes, in comparison to buying new furniture. Small changes to colour schemes have become popular, as homeowners embrace common views of the impact of colours on people; for example, blue is commonly seen as calming, possibly even lowering blood pressure. Similarly, homeowners have embraced the introduction of plants to their spaces, for practical and aesthetic reasons; beyond aesthetics, current worries have led some to embrace growing their own food over the upcoming months, but also health benefits, such as suspected immune system boosts, have inspired some to adopt flora and fauna into their home. The LEED rating system recognizes the importance of the link between health and visual aesthetics, with credits offered for meeting certain requirements regarding views of skies and nature.

Air Quality

In May 2018, the United Nations reported that by 2050, 68% of the world population will be living in cities, and as of that report, 55% of people were living in cities. Cities are renowned for innovation, but also for air quality issues. The Canadian Broadcasting Company, in late 2019, reported that air pollution levels near major roadways in Canadian cities, are too high for the public, based on a University of Toronto study. While indoor air remains ambiguous in whether it is worse or better than outdoor air, city dwellers are more than ever exposed toward various pollutants that can enter homes, some from cooking certain foods. Thus, air filtration systems are becoming more and more important to overall health, with seven million people dying from breathing polluted air annually. Current sustainability practices, like LEED and WELL, have added indoor air quality requirements toward the design of buildings, judging improved air quality as a critical factor in overall human comfort.

Acoustical Privacy

With more people working than home than usual, auditory comfort has become more and more critical. This is not novel, as the WELL rating system judges the quality of sound insulation and background noise level. While creaky floors and squeaky doors are often noticeable, there many noises that we have accustomed to: fridges, for example, have the same decibel level as rain. Noticeable sounds are often tied with design roots, like thin drywall allowing for sound to travel far. 

Lighting

Those working from home can attest to the need for appropriate lighting for proper working conditions, to avoid negative health conditions, like eye strain and headaches, and this need for proper lighting becomes more relevant in winter, when seasonal affective disorder comes into play. Improper lighting affects our circadian rhythm, which in turn, controls health aspects like our immune system and sleeping schedules, among others; a disrupted sleeping schedule leads to further health problems, such as negative effects on brain function and body fat levels. Similarly, blue light from numerous electronic devices can also disrupt circadian rhythms. Understanding the importance of lighting, the WELL rating system requires designers to provide light exposure that allows for circadian health to be maintained.

Paving the Way for Healthy Design

The above properties are often taken for granted, until negative conditions are made noticeable by demand, such as trying to sleep by a highway. Older buildings are not necessarily adhering to these principles; simply, in example, old creaky floors are common, thus lowering the auditory comfort of a building. Trends in global building practices are acknowledging these important attributes of indoor space, such as the LEED and WELL systems. As we navigate the current shift to work-from-home arrangements, these factors will become increasingly important with respect to economical considerations for new homeowners, workplace efficiency and most importantly, human health.

The world is focused on saving electricity. We can’t keep building power plants, so reducing consumption is an important step in creating a sustainable future. However, it’s worth examining how our electricity is produced in the first place.

Generation

Almost all electricity starts with a spinning turbine. A rotating wheel attached to magnets spins through a coil of wire. Every time a pole of a magnet comes close to the wire, it induces a charge in the wire and begins the flow of electrons. Then the wheel spins 180°, and the opposite pole induces the same charge, but in the opposite direction. This is where alternating current comes from. As the turbine spins, the magnet will flip back and forth, pushing the electrons first one way, then the other. The voltage of the power produced is related to the strength of the magnetic field. It is strongest when the field is most aligned with the wire.

This alternating current creates a problem. If we only have power when the magnets are aligned, our lights would start to flicker as the generator spins. To fix this, we use three-phase power. If we attach two more coils near our turbine, each at 60° from the other two, we will have voltage three times per rotation rather than once. This smooths out the curve, and means we have stable power in our homes and cities. But the flicker is not quite gone. The rate at which the generator spins has been standardized to ensure that at least the flicker can be accounted for consistently, and different grids can work together, all pulling the electrons in the same direction at the same time. This has been set at 60 Hz in North America, and 50 Hz in the UK and Europe.

The other trick is how to get the turbine rotating in the first place. For centuries, the method has been to boil water. Using coal or another fuel in a furnace, we boil water and pressurize the steam, and then use that pressurized fluid to spin the turbine. We learned we could burn crops or garbage to boil the water too. We also learned we could use the excess heat from splitting atoms to boil the water. We can also use wind or water to spin the turbine, harnessing their existing kinetic energy.

The problem with renewables

Ignoring solar power for a minute, wind and hydro power seem relatively simple. The same turbine that spins after burning fossil fuels can be spun using the kinetic energy from natural sources, with (relatively) little impact on the natural environment, and much lower emissions. However, renewable sources have a problem: the wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun doesn’t always shine.

Reliability is a big problem with wind and solar, two big players in the arena of renewable electricity. Coal and other fuels are nearly always available. Additionally, if the fuel source should falter, the turbines in combustion plants are enormous, and contain enough mass to keep spinning for a little bit, giving the grid operator time to react. Wind turbines are much lighter than they look, and if the wind stops blowing they’ll stop spinning very quickly. Solar panels will stop producing electricity the instant the sun goes away. For wind and solar to be reliable, they require storage to keep excess electricity for when their primary energy source is missing. Right now, batteries on that scale or excessively expensive or impractical, and so solar and wind are not ready to take over every grid.

One of the traits that creates the problem also creates a niche for solar and wind. The lack of an enormous heavy turbine means that they can be turned on nearly as fast as they are shut off. This makes them perfect for meeting peak or unexpected demand. When everyone suddenly turns on their tv for a hockey game, it may take a combustion plant minutes to increase output enough to meet the new demand. Solar panels, however, will respond almost instantly. This has created a niche for renewable energy beyond being the method a province uses to be environmentally conscious.