After World War II, Germany was left to rebuild countless structures leveled or ruined by the fighting. Unfortunately, many of the new homes and commercial structures were built out of cement block and other unnatural materials, without proper design, drainage and ventilation. Together, these building techniques created very unhealthy interior environments for the residents of these homes and buildings.

In the late 1960s, German professor Anton Schneider, PhD, began researching how a building’s environment affects the health of its residents. In 1983, Schneider founded the Institute of Building Biology & Ecology Neubeuern (IBN), devoted to extensive study and scientific research on the subject. The IBN formulated the concept of building biology, or Bau-Biologie—the treatment of the ecology of a home or structure.

Bau-Biologie incorporates specific techniques in the building of a house or addition, treating the structure as though it were another skin. These methods aim for a design that is in harmony with nature. They consider how the building site offers beneficial exposure to the sun as well as protection from the elements; they seek to ensure proper drainage and avoid harmful geomagnetic energies under common-use and sleeping areas.

In Bau-Biologie, building methods and materials are environmentally low-impact and sustainable. On the structure’s exterior, this translates to an all-natural wall and roof system that functions as both a filter and a shell. The exterior is air-tight, but it also has the ability to absorb and filter excess moisture and toxins, allowing them to pass through without any condensation points.

The structure’s interior offers a harmonic environment, with plenty of natural lighting, good ventilation, radiant heat for comfortable air and surface temperatures, and mitigation of noise and electromagnetic energies. Materials and finishes are eco-friendly; unlike many commonly used building products, they do not outgas toxins or radioactivity.

The techniques of Bau-Biologie can be applied as individual design elements or as a comprehensive design system. Whether these techniques are adapted to a remodel, a building addition or an entire house, the goal is the same: to create a living environment that will re-energize and sustain you.

Lou Levy Construction is a design/build firm specializing in custom alterations, renovations and architectural additions and building, maintaining a 95 percent dust-free environment during construction. It also specializes in green and nontoxic applications, passive and active solar installations and retrofits, and the techniques of Bau-Biologie.

This article originally appeared in Natural Awakenings: Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess Edition on May, 2011

Every home is an ecosystem, and according to natural design/build expert Lou Levy, one of the fundamental elements for a healthy home ecosystem is controlling moisture. “You must have a dry structure,” he says. “Water infiltration not only damages the structure itself, but it also causes a number of issues that affect the health.”

Levy says most homes with moisture problems have water infiltration through their basement or crawl space due to inadequate exterior foundation drainage and storm drains. Problems also stem from improper weatherization of the roof, windows and siding. Whatever the cause, he says, the constant presence of water invites infestation by termites and carpenter ants and, worse, creates indoor mildew and mold that release toxic airborne spores throughout the home. That can cause a variety of immediate and long-term health problems, he says.

Mitigating moisture issues and existing mildew and mold can be relatively simple or costly, depending on the extent of the infiltration and damage. Temporary fixes include installing a window fan or dehumidifying system, but there are natural and passive remediation systems that are permanent and much more straightforward, Levy says. “The basic idea is to create drains that will catch and redirect the water before it infiltrates the house. There are some simple, less costly tricks to try to redirect the surface and roof water. Otherwise a full exterior foundation and storm drainage system or an interior basement drainage system has to be implemented.”

This article originally appeared in Natural Awakenings: Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess Edition on Oct., 2012

The basis of feeling comfortable within a home is to have a healthy environment. One aspect of a healthy house is natural radiant heating, which can be achieved through a balanced passive solar design. The sun heats the earth with radiant heat, which heats us directly and the surfaces around us.
Most conventional heating methods used in our houses only heat the air. This is a less efficient method of heating and tends to attract and circulate dust. Passive Solar can be integrated into the design of a new house or retrofit into an existing house through an addition and interior alterations.
This is achieved through a few aspects of complimentary design.

Backup Heating

• A hydronic radiant floor heating system can be run throughout the house.
• This system can be heated by the Hot Water Heater with a heat exchanger, or an airtight custom masonry radiant stove or prefabricated as manufactured by Tulikivi.
• The radiant tubing in floor of the area with solar gain will naturally heat up the system as well.
• The Passive Solar Design brings the sun as well as the exterior natural surroundings & landscape into the interior of our homes. This helps to make us feel connected to our environment more relaxed, happier, and healthier.
• Siting of an array of windows along an area oriented toward a Southern Exposure to allow solar gain.

Passive Solar Windows

• Klearwall, Yaro & Hurd Windows are a few companies that manufacture very high efficiency triple pane windows. These windows have a thermal insulation value of up to R-9 and a balance of Low-E coatings that allow the heat to come into the house and helps to retain the heat in the winter as well as reflect the heat out in the summer.

Roof Overhangs & Trellises

• The roof is designed to properly extend over the array of windows to prevent overheating.This prevents the mid day sun from shining though the windows in the summer but allows it to penetrate in the winter as the sun gets lower in the sky.
• This can also be accomplished with a trellis that has a deciduous vine.

Create a Thermal Mass

• This can be achieved through use of tile or stone on a concrete slab, masonry wall, a contained water wall, or interior water feature.
• This will absorb and store the solar heat which will then radiate into the house over an extended period of time.

Radiant Heat Circulation

• An open wall design will allow the radiant heat to naturally circulate.
• A low speed whole house ventilation system w a heat exchanger can be added to transfer heat to closed off areas or rooms.

Our planet and its ecosystems have inherent designs that were engineered to sustain and fulfill the needs of all the life that inhabits them. So it makes sense that we can use natural elements—earth, air, fire and water—to create a comfortable, healthy balance within the ecosystem we call our home.

Passive solar heating makes the best use of the radiant heat of the sun though strategic placement and design of windows and skylights. The sun warms certain home surfaces containing thermal mass, like walls and floors made of stone, tile or brick, or even interior water containers and ponds. The heat is stored within the mass and released slowly, as radiant heat, over a period of time. Properly designed roof overhangs and the use of deciduous trees, trellises and vines will prevent overheating during the hotter seasons.

Solar hot water heating panels can supply a radiant floor heating system that is also looped into the walls of a masonry air-tight fireplace or a gas hot water heater as an additional heating source.      

A healthy home ecosystem also capitalizes on natural ventilation achieved through a few basic design principles. In warm weather, windows placed on two adjacent or opposite walls will promote ventilation within rooms. Cupolas, skylights or a clerestory with active windows boost the natural stack effect (hot air rising to create ventilation) and cooling, with reversible ceiling fans used to augment air flow. In cool weather, the fans can be used to circulate warm air that has accumulated at the ceiling back toward the floor.

A central fresh air ventilation system with a heat exchanger can be used during the winter to circulate outside air into a house with minimal ductwork and heat it to ambient room temperatures through a passive air exchanger system.

The earth maintains a year-round ambient temperature of 52 degrees three to four feet below the surface. Therefore a home, home addition or attached greenhouse can be bermed, or sunken, on one to three sides to take advantage of both thermal mass and passive solar principles. The structure’s thermal mass will maintain the earth’s cool temperature and keep the related interior environment cool, as well. A two-foot-deep crushed rock bed can also be created beneath the finished grade-level floors, with ductwork buried in the rock bed. This will pick up the ambient cool temperatures, which can then be circulated throughout the house.

Water, particularly running water, also acts as a natural coolant. A “waterwall,” waterfall or flow-form system can be created and augmented with a ceiling or free-standing fan that blows on the surface of the water.

All these building techniques rely on the simple principles of nature and physics. In the end, a truly sustainable house needs little more than what Mother Nature has provided, with a few added technological elements.

This article originally appeared in Natural Awakenings: Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess Edition on March 2013

As with many things in our modern age, there is a popular sentiment that the more technical and complicated a home addition is, the better. However, this is not necessarily the case. The premise of “natural building” is going back to the basics, as well as using appropriate modern techniques and products.  

The principles of natural building are to create an environment and ecosystem within the home that is comfortable, healthy, energizing, inspiring and sustainable. There are many dysfunctional and unhealthy elements present in a large majority of houses. An addition, as well as interior alterations, can be added to any conventional house, which, by incorporating some of the following concepts, can remedy the problems and turn the house into a natural haven. 

• An architectural basic is to design a functional layout and flow of space. In natural building, this also relates to the concept of feng shui, which incorporates many aspects of siting, balance and energy flow.
• Light is brought into the home by having windows face toward southern and easterly exposures, which also provides passive solar heating, balanced by incorporating proper overhangs with a thermal mass, which will store and release the warmth over an extended period of time.
• The placement of windows can allow the natural surroundings of the home into the interior, which is one of the more resounding aspects of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s work.
• The ambient temperature of 50 degrees at 3 and a ½ feet below the exterior grade will help cool the home in the summer and maintain the heat in the winter, by partially berming an addition.
• A vented envelope system on the exterior walls and roof of the house creates an air channel, which will minimize heat loss and heat gain within the house.
• Open spaces throughout the house allow for circulation of the seasonal heating and cooling gains. This also complements cross ventilation, which can be accelerated with an active skylight, high transom or clerestory windows.
• All-natural materials can be used for finishes throughout the house, which can eliminate harmful outgassing that occurs with synthetic materials.
• Ventilation and air filtration can be achieved by using natural materials, which creates what is known as an exterior breathing wall.
• A central exhaust system with a fresh air heat exchanger can be used to augment interior air quality. This, all combined with a proper drainage system at the foundation, will eliminate any moisture and mildew problems within the home.
• Mitigation of harmful electromagnetic and geomagnetic radiation can be done through proper placement of the main living and sleeping zones and simple alternative wiring methods, as well as use of on-demand circuit breakers.
• Sustainability can be achieved with a PV solar electrical system, which, along with current rebates, can have a 10-year payoff.
• Solar hot water heating panels can be incorporated into a whole-house radiant heating system, with the use of the hot water heater as a backup. Water storage can be achieved by collecting water from a roof made of natural materials, as well as filtering and circulating a graywater system.

The cost of natural building is comparative to that of conventional building. This is achieved by an economical use of space and design. The cost differentials are outweighed by the natural beauty, comfort and well-being that is created in one’s day-to-day environment.

This article originally appeared in Natural Awakenings: Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess Edition on Sept. 2014

The joy in our work comes from the creativity involved in the design, detail and craftsmanship of the final product, and from customer satisfaction.

Lou Levy has been a master carpenter, general contractor and builder for 46 years, 27 of which have been devoted to natural and sustainable building. That means he was ahead of his time using nontoxic, eco-friendly, energy-efficient approaches to alteration, addition and new construction projects.

His company just completed construction of a Passive House, a highly energy-efficient home meeting certified design parameters as specified by the Passive House Institute of the United States. The design features an airtight shell with super insulation, triple-glazed windows, proper ventilation, all nontoxic applications and no internal combustion—that is, no furnaces or gas or wood stoves and fireplaces.

The basic parameters of the design concentrate on energy usage, Levy says. A Passive House can use no more than 4.75 kilowatts of electricity per year, and it must be airtight, with no more than 0.6 cubic feet of air lost or gained per hour.

“Although the Passive House design is more suitable for a new house or a whole-house alteration, it can be formatted for an addition as well,” he says.

For another recent project, Levy worked with the owner-architect on the performance design of a Passive Solar and Natural House. This type of design incorporates a thermal mass that captures and holds radiant heat from the sun and then releases the heat throughout the interior of the home or addition. It can also tap into the ambient temperature of the surrounding earth, which is 52 degrees at three and a half feet below grade.

“The design enables the house to heat and ventilate naturally through a breathing wall and shell design,” Levy says. “It also allows the use of an airtight wood or masonry stove or other forms of internal combustion.”

Lou Levy Construction works on projects throughout Westchester, Western Fairfield, Putnam and Southern Dutchess Counties. Levy begins every project with an initial consultation and design review. From there he proceeds with a budget estimate and starts designing the project in collaboration with an architect he has selected for that specific project.

Levy says he and his design teams and crew enjoy all facets of sustainable building. “The joy in our work comes from the creativity involved in the design, detail and craftsmanship of the final product, and from customer satisfaction,” he explains.

This article originally appeared in Natural Awakenings: Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess Edition on March 2018

Americans are regularly encouraged to maintain a “low carbon footprint”—that is, to use as little fossil-fuel energy as possible. While many of us have switched to energy-efficient cars, fewer have switched to energy-efficient homes. The fact is, homes with oil or gas furnaces consume about 6 percent of all fossil fuels nationally.

Fortunately, there are many ways to heat and cool a house to lower, or come close to eliminating, its carbon footprint. Recently there has been an upsurge of homes retrofitting photovoltaic (PV) solar electric systems, which with current credits and rebates have become more affordable. With a battery backup system and a large enough array of PV panels, a home can supply most of the total electricity it needs.

PV Array

This is a full-house active heating and cooling system can be retrofitted through the use of variable refrigerant flow (VRF) low-velocity HVAC mini-split units that are very energy efficient. These systems can be installed with ducted or ductless units, which require a wall-mounted blower assembly in each room to heat or cool a general area. This system, coupled with additional insulation built up under new exterior siding, can lead to high energy efficiency.

Passive Solar

Another alternative is a passive solar design, which uses thermal mass to store and radiate heat from the sun. Passive solar can also provide ambient cooling by capturing lower temperatures from nighttime air or from any part of the structure that’s built below the frost line.

Any house can be retrofitted with passive solar. This can involve something as simple as installing larger windows or a patio door, which will allow the sun to warm a thermal mass such as a cement or tile floor, a garden pond or a water wall feature. Deeper roof overhangs will prevent the sun’s heat from penetrating the house during the summer months.

A sunroom addition can also be installed with a slab and a gravel mass below the frost line. This will have an ambient effect similar to a basement, which is always warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. To eliminate the need for a furnace or air conditioner, a ducted mechanical air or hydronic radiant tubing system can be run through this thermal mass as well as other supplementary heating and cooling systems.

A home with natural radiant heating and cooling is a healthier and certainly more sustainable environment, offering higher energy efficiency and a lower carbon footprint.

This article originally appeared in Natural Awakenings: Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess Edition on Sept. 2018

As with many things in our modern age, there is a popular sentiment that the more technical and complicated a home addition is, the better. However, this is not necessarily the case. The premise of “natural building” is going back to the basics, as well as using appropriate modern techniques and products.

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The principles of natural building are to create an environment and ecosystem within the home that is comfortable, healthy, energizing, inspiring and sustainable. There are many dysfunctional and unhealthy elements present in a large majority of houses. An addition, as well as interior alterations, can be added to any conventional house, which, by incorporating some of the following concepts, can remedy the problems and turn the house into a natural haven.

• An architectural basic is to design a functional layout and flow of space. In natural building, this also relates to the concept of feng shui, which incorporates many aspects of siting, balance and energy flow.
• Light is brought into the home by having windows face toward southern and easterly exposures, which also provides passive solar heating, balanced by incorporating proper overhangs with a thermal mass, which will store and release the warmth over an extended period of time.
• The placement of windows can allow the natural surroundings of the home into the interior, which is one of the more resounding aspects of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s work.
• The ambient temperature of 50 degrees at 3 and a ½ feet below the exterior grade will help cool the home in the summer and maintain the heat in the winter, by partially berming an addition.
• A vented envelope system on the exterior walls and roof of the house creates an air channel, which will minimize heat loss and heat gain within the house.
• Open spaces throughout the house allow for circulation of the seasonal heating and cooling gains. This also complements cross ventilation, which can be accelerated with an active skylight, high transom or clerestory windows.
• All-natural materials can be used for finishes throughout the house, which can eliminate harmful outgassing that occurs with synthetic materials.
• Ventilation and air filtration can be achieved by using natural materials, which creates what is known as an exterior breathing wall.
• A central exhaust system with a fresh air heat exchanger can be used to augment interior air quality. This, all combined with a proper drainage system at the foundation, will eliminate any moisture and mildew problems within the home.
• Mitigation of harmful electromagnetic and geomagnetic radiation can be done through proper placement of the main living and sleeping zones and simple alternative wiring methods, as well as use of on-demand circuit breakers.
• Sustainability can be achieved with a PV solar electrical system, which, along with current rebates, can have a 10-year payoff.
• Solar hot water heating panels can be incorporated into a whole-house radiant heating system, with the use of the hot water heater as a backup. Water storage can be achieved by collecting water from a roof made of natural materials, as well as filtering and circulating a graywater system.

The cost of natural building is comparative to that of conventional building. This is achieved by an economical use of space and design. The cost differentials are outweighed by the natural beauty, comfort and well-being that is created in one’s day-to-day environment.

This article originally appeared in Natural Awakenings: Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess Edition on Sept. 2014