8 Ways HVAC Systems Influence the WELL Materials Concept

Today, it is possible to know - in the design phase - which chemical ingredients are in the products you specify. Although the design phase seems like the logical time to learn about product ingredients, such information is relatively new knowledge and vetting newly available product materials information is a relatively new skill. Conversations about Materials Transparency are increasing, thanks in part to the growing popularity of ESG reporting. Materials Science that focuses on chemicals used in the built environment has simultaneously accelerated the pace of new information released to product specifiers about the chemicals used in the construction and renovation of buildings.

If you been around the construction industry a while, you probably remember several high-profile cases of ingredients - used in buildings for decades - facing increased scrutiny. Asbestos was once common in building insulation. Once its negative health consequences were discovered, asbestos use in buildings was severely restricted. But asbestos was used so widely and for so long before being restricted, that asbestos remediation continues today. Another ingredient common in building construction for decades is only now receiving scrutiny. Vinyl chloride – a key ingredient in the PVC used in pipes and tubes - is under close scrutiny by the US EPA which seems to foreshadow a restriction on the use of PVC in future construction. While the US EPA has some nationwide authority to restrict unsafe ingredients used in buildings, its authority to do so is limited and the process is slow.

Fortunately, local jurisdictions and private industry are free to act on their own to limit the use of chemicals that pose a risk to human or environmental health. In 2021, Maine became the first government in the world to prohibit the sale of products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. With 60000 known chemicals used in industry, building teams often find it difficult to avoid the presence of hazardous chemicals in construction products they specify. One group’s challenge is another group’s opportunity, and private industry has stepped up.

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) Red List represents the “worst in class” materials, chemicals, and elements known to pose serious risks to human health and the greater ecosystem that are prevalent in the building products industry. Building project teams can prevent the use of these ingredients in their buildings by seeking voluntary building certification through programs like LEED, CHPS, LBC, EGC and WELL. Each of these standards includes requirements that unsafe levels of Red List chemicals are not used in a certified building.

For example, the WELL Materials concept aims to reduce human exposure, whether direct or through environmental contamination, to chemicals that may impact health during the construction, remodeling, furnishing and operation of buildings.

The chart below summarizes WELL Building Standard strategies related to materials used on WELL certified projects. The column labelled HVAC SYSTEM INFLUENCE indicates whether the HVAC System is a potential violator of the WELL strategy.

In addition to providing the Red List, ILFI also offers the Declare product labelling program, a voluntary labelling program offering concerned manufacturers the opportunity to disclose the ingredients of their products. The Declare program requires manufacturers to compare a product’s list of ingredients with the Red List. If there are no unsafe amounts of Red List ingredients, a product is granted a Declare label.

While the avoidance of unhealthy chemicals in buildings is still mostly voluntary, the growing availability of information and enduser interest will likely increase the uptake of materials requirements in future construction. HVAC products have long been ignored during the sustainable building vetting process, but this practice is no longer justified. The Declare labelling program gives specifiers a convenient tool to vet all building products, including HVAV system components.

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Learn More About Materials Science in the Built Environment

The use of materials in buildings is a relatively new field of study that is undergoing rapid and exciting growth. Many opportunities exist for architects, engineers and other design professionals to learn more about the materials facet of building science and to develop skills that are valuable to their clients and employers.

• The Healthy Materials Lab offers online classes that help architects and designers cultivate an awareness of healthier material alternatives.
• The American Institute of Architects Institute's Materials Certificate Program requires completion of 5 online courses.
• Ventilation manufacturer Swegon (my employer) offers an AIA-approved course on the topic of Materials Transparency in HVAC. The course is also ILFI-approved for 1.0 General LFA CE credit and GBCI-approved for 1.0 CE hour.

Find healthy products for your next project in ILFI's Declare product database.