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About
Why Choose Building BiologyTM?
Why Choose Building BiologyTM? We spend an average of 90% of each day inside buildings. The EPA has determined that indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air. This is due to the build up of outgassed vapors from toxic paint, carpeting, cabinetry, and vinyl flooring; from mold; and from unhealthy positive ions, all in airtight buildings that don't breathe. A building that "breathes" has a regular exchange of stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air. It also allows excess water vapor in indoor air to be transported outside right through hygroscopic wall materials that allow moisture to slowly pass through without any loss of thermal performance. All the thick-wall building materials recommended by Building BiologyTM meet these criteria. When a house does not breathe, then "Sick building syndrome" is the result. Likewise, common electrical wiring practices create unhealthy electric and magnetic field (EMF) exposure for occupants in most modern houses, disallowing the body from settling down to deep, restful Stage Four sleep at night. This prevents the normal healthy nighttime spike in melatonin production by the pineal gland in the brain. EMFs cause other problems, as well. All of these influences contribute to chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, allergies, chemical sensitivities, and even cancer, and they make it more difficult for people to respond to health care modalities. People who have a Building BiologyTM healthy home evaluation, on the other hand, report improvements in their health when these sources of indoor ill health are identified and removed. Click here to see Comments from Clients.
Introducing Building BiologyTM Helmut Ziehe, a German architect and Bau-biologist, established the International Institute for Bau-biologieTM and Ecology (IBE) in Clearwater, Florida in the 1980s. Oram received his certification from this Institute. Oram Miller, BBEI provides on-site home and office evaluation services to residents and businesses in the Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego areas of California. He also provides his services to clients nationwide by telephone, fax and email. Oram moved to California from Minnesota in January 2010. He was based in Minneapolis from 2005 through 2009 where he provided evaluations throughout the upper Mid-West. Oram received his certification as a Building BiologyTM Environmental Inspector (BBEI) from the International Institute for Bau-biologieTM and Ecology in December 2003. Oram's training included assessment and mitigation of unhealthy electric and magnetic field exposure, indoor air quality, mold, and chemical outgassing. Oram also consults on the design, building and remodeling of healthy homes and offices in southern California and throughout the country. Besides providing information on wall and foundation materials and protocols as taught by builder and building biologist George Swanson of Austin, Texas, Oram also recommends a healthy electrical wiring protocol to create reduced EMF (electro-magnetic field) exposure. To view building projects that Oram has consulted on, click here. Since moving to California in January 2010, Oram has joined several green building and networking organizations in the LA area. These include Green Business Networking of Santa Monica, the Westside Holistic Chamber of Commerce of LA, and the Mind Body Spirit Business Network of Orange County. Oram writes and lectures on health and the built environment, including the presentation of numerous lectures and workshops throughout Southern California. These include presentations at Mother's Market in Costa Mesa and Anaheim Hills, the Living Temple Bookstore in Huntington Beach, libraries in Glendale, Pasadena and Huntington Beach, and various health clinics, including Know Your Options and Southland Spine and Rehabilitation Medical Center, both in Costa Mesa. While in Minnesota, Oram presented to members of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), as well as to architectural students at the University of Minnesota College of Design. He also presented healthy home lectures at the State of Minnesota's Living Green Expo and the Eco-Experience at the Minnesota State Fair. Oram was a panelist at the annual conference of the International Institute for Bau-biologieTM and Ecology in April 2008. He has also spoken at numerous healthy living expos and green building meetings throughout the years. Prior to moving to California, Oram was active in several organizations in The Twin Cities dedicated to green, healthy construction. These included the Mississippi Headwaters Chapter of the US Green Building Council, the Committee on the Environment (COTE) of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Minnesota ASHRAE Sustainable Design Committee (MASDeC), and the Minnesota Building Green Alliance. Oram was a member of the Technical Committee of the Minnesota GreenStar Program. He also founded and moderated a monthly study group in the Twin Cities, the Mid-West Building Ecology Coalition, that presents speakers on topics of healthy buildings and sustainable living. In 2007, the organizers of the Minnesota GreenStar Program asked Oram to submit a healthy electrical wiring protocol as part of their guidelines to help remodelers and builders provide green new and remodelled homes in the state of Minnesota. The wiring guidelines are based upon protocols developed by Oram's colleague and mentor, Spark Burmaster, EE, BBEI of Environmental Options in Chaseburg, Wisconsin. Oram is co-author of a manual entitled, "Breathing Walls," promoting the Building BiologyTM approach to healthy new home construction and remodeling. The manual is based upon the work of builder and building biologist George Swanson of Austin, Texas, who is co-author. The manual is edited by Wayne Federer. Finally, Oram has also served on the board of directors of two non-profit organizations in the Twin Cities. The first is Northland Sustainable Solutions that produces the local Northland Bioneers Conference. It was last held on October 24-25, 2009 at the University of Minnesota. Oram was co-producer of the 2009 conference. The second is the board of Tapestry Folkdance Center, where Oram enjoyed weekly Contra dancing while living in Minnesota. He now continues weekly Contra dancing with the California Dance Co-op of Los Angeles and The Living Tradition in Orange County. (To see Oram having fun at a Contra dance weekend in April 2010 up at Mt. Baldy, click here for a brief YouTube video. He is the tall fellow initially on the left with the dark hair in a poneytail and glasses. Then if you want to see how much fun Contra dancing can really be, click here to see eight minutes of pure bliss and some of the finest Contra dancing I have ever seen as folks enjoy a night out in Carrboro, North Carolina. Dozens of experienced dancers are rhythmically spinning to a great live band and the joint is jumpin'! Watch the intricate patterns that are so fun to follow and see why we love this so much!) Click here to see photos from Oram's going away party in January 2010 in Minneapolis. You will also see comments from colleagues and clients upon Oram's move to California. You can contact Oram at 310.720.7686 or info@createhealthyhomes.com.
Complimentary to Sustainable Design This committment can be seen in the 25 Principles of Bau-biologieTM, written many decades ago, before the birth of the "Green" building movement. Building BiologyTM only differs from "Green" building in a few important ways, most notably our recommendation of breathable walls rather than the use of vapor barriers, and in some of our recommendations against such energy-saving electrical devices as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and the use of charge invertors to convert DC electricity generated by wind and solar panels to AC electricity. Both devices create significant radio frequencies that bother many electrically-sensitive people. Alternatives to these health hazards are covered in detail in the electrical wiring section of our new building protocol, and discussed in Articles, Part 3, "Electrical and Magnetic Fields in the Home and Office."
Compatible with Ancient Traditions We can help you design buildings that have proper Feng Shui and proper Vastu
while being sustainabile and health-promoting.
This page last updated May 17, 2010.
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