Human perception and health in wooden buildings
Aalto University, Finland
We spend 90% of our lives inside buildings. This affects our physical and psychological well-being and comfort. Comfort is most widely associated with temperature, humidity, noise, light and smell and these factors are addressed by various regulations. However, the significance of well-being is poorly understood. Studies have indicated that the occupants’ response to natural materials such as wood is very positive with a strong preference shown for interior spaces containing high proportions of wood. Differences in wood ratios have also been shown to produce different physiological responses especially in autonomic nervous system activity. Current knowledge on the health effects of wood-based emissions is also sparse and inconsistent. A few studies have shown that wood-specific volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions could have positive vegetative effects, whilst others found no detrimental effect on human health, and in other cases they are claimed to be potentially harmful. Key topics of this mini-symposium include the securing of a good indoor environment, human health and psychological well-being, multifunctional properties of wood material and the potential for wood-based products and systems especially in care environments.
Submit an abstract to this mini-symposium here.