Timber Home Living – September 01, 2019

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t’s no secret that just stepping

foot inside a timber home makes

you feel good — the grounded,

organic feel, the exceptional crafts-

manship of the frame and, of course,

the views soaring up to the cathedral

ceilings and out through the expanses

of glass. Your body and soul exhale a

collective “aaahhh” with each wood-

scented breath. Fans of timber frame

homes have long known that building

isn’t just about erecting four walls and

a roof for shelter. It’s about creating a

haven for the people who live inside of

those walls.

Now, the world at large is catching

up with a new trend in sustainable de-

sign known as “wellness architecture.”

An off-shoot of the green-building

movement, this concept takes the

next step in sustainable/healthy-

home design.

“Wellness architecture goes beyond

environmental and energy issues and

focuses on how the built environment

relates to the human experience,” ex-

plains Architect Ty Allen of New En-

ergy Works, a timber-framing design/

build fi rm with shops in New York and

Oregon.

Michael Grant, an architect and

the owner of Modern Rustic Homes

in Ellijay, Georgia, agrees: “Wellness

architecture ups the game on green

building by allowing architecture to

promote health and well-being at a

higher level. It effectively took a global

movement and made it very personal.

It considers how the spaces we live in

impact our quality of life.”

So, where green building stresses

minimizing a structure’s carbon foot-

print — its impact on the natural world

— wellness architecture lobbies for

better indoor air quality, for example.

This emphasis on healthier construc-

tion makes timber homes natural bed-

fellows with wellness architecture. In

support of the movement, the Harvard

T.H. Chan School of Public Health

published a list of the “Nine Founda-

tions of a Heathy Building,” which

reads like a promo for a timber frame

home with its focus on natural lighting

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The tenets of wellness architecture

go beyond the physical; discussions of happiness

and beauty are naturally at play.

Join us for a HomHome Planning Seminar! e Planning Seminar!Check Timbercraft.com or for dates &

locations. Call 888-676-9870 for more info or to register.

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