About the event

In the 25 years The Green Register has been operating, construction professionals have become more aware of how buildings can affect our physical and mental health, and that healthy buildings are an essential aspect of sustainable design.

Building Biology is the holistic study of the interrelationships between humans and their man-made environment; the science of creating healthy, life enhancing buildings. The Institute of Building Biology and Sustainability was founded in Germany in 1983 and from this the Building Biology Standard was developed.

The Building Biology Standard is all about the environment created within completed buildings; giving an overview of the physical, chemical and biological hazards that buildings may create. Designed around 25 building biology principles and based on scientifically proven testing methods, the standard defines measurable criteria that allow us to test whether the environment within our buildings is healthy for the end users.

This session will:

• Introduce the standard and the 25 building biology principles that underpin it
• Give an overview of design strategies to meet this standard, explore how other UK standards compare and which of them are useful when assessing materials and products
• Include case studies illustrating best practice
• Provide further resources and inspiration for those who wish to delve deeper into the topic.

The Building Biology movement is growing with over 6,000 architects, doctors, surveyors and material suppliers trained to create buildings which promote health within the built environment.

What have previous delegates said?

Excellent presenter - knowledgeable and engaging
Very informative and thought provoking - Tomas is a Green Hero!

About the trainer

Tomas Gäertner

Tomas Gäertner is an expert in the field. He is an architect, certified Building Biologist IBN and founding Director of the Building Biology Association; the UK Partner of the German Institute for Building Biology IBN. He is also a director of SE3Design a design led RIBA chartered practice specialising in human-centred, ecological, Passivhaus and sustainable design.

Tomas is a practicing architect specialising in human centred, healthy high-performance design. As a certified Building Biology Consultant IBN and Passivhaus Designer he collaboratively works with contractors and design teams across the UK and is also a Passivhaus Certifier accredited with the Passivhaus Institute in Germany.

Tomas is a regular speaker at events including the UK Passivhaus conference, AECB conference and Ecobuild and has been working regularly with the Green Register and the RIBA to deliver seminars since 2018.