Oct 9, 2006 4:33 pm US/Central
American Lung Assoc. Houses Affordably Healthy
by Lisa Kiava
Lino Lakes, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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There's a long list of features required in every ALA-certified house. Special windows prevent mold, underground pipes prevent radon.
CBS
Can a house really help you breathe easier? The American Lung Association is teaching builders how to construct homes that can do just that.
Clean air homes are especially appealing to people with allergies and asthma. Now the lung association's goal is to change the way all homes are built nationwide.
Ivy Ridge Townhomes in Lino Lakes, Minn. is the first townhome development in the U.S. to offer a unique design option for "health house."
"In an American Lung Association home, it's really what you can't see that's important," said Bob Moffitt of the American Lung Association. For instance, he added, lung-healthy houses "limit the amount of carpet, because carpet can trap dust and other allergens."
There's a long list of features required in every ALA-certified house. Special windows prevent mold, underground pipes prevent radon. And only certain sealed, direct-vent fireplaces are allowed.
"You get no exhaust, whatsoever, and no possibility of carbon monoxide entering the home, which is a real risk with fireplaces," said Moffitt.
The concept of a "health house" is new to many. People unfamiliar with the term might imagine that the home has an antiseptic, hospital-like design. But the townhouse looks like any other new construction home with textile furnishings and a warm atmosphere.
There are smart engineering features such as an air ventilator located in the furnace room. It's a system that pumps in completely new, fresh air into the home five times an hour, compared to the once-a-day standard in most other homes.
The air pressure in a health house is regulated as well. For instance, if you open the door to the garage in your house, air blows inside your home, as do the fumes from the garage.
But a "health house" has air blowing the opposite direction. When you open the garage door, air will move from the house and blow into the garage. The health house idea was developed thirteen years ago as an experiment at the American Lung Association in Minnesota.
Health home features in the Lino Lakes townhome development will add about $5,000 to the price of the two-bedroom townhome.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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