BUILDING HEALTH: Why it’s become more important than ever

In the 1970s, as we started to tighten building envelopes in response to energy efficiency demands, tenants started to report nonspecific symptoms—headaches, dizziness, nausea, eye, nose, or throat irritation, allergies, increased asthma attacks, and even personality changes. The media called it “office illness.” In 1986, the World Health Organization (WHO) started using the term “sick building syndrome.” The subsequent decade brought academic studies—and lawsuits—which ultimately culminated with ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineering) establishing regulations that have been incorporated into building codes for acceptable indoor...