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the appearance of The cities is linked with the epidemics: the plague in the Middle Ages, smallpox in the SEVENTEENTH century or the cholera and yellow fever in the NINETEENTH century. “The history of the urbanism and the architecture is parallel to that of the health and hygienics. The opening of many cities responded to the need of a lower population density, looking for spaces ventilated to cope with epidemics such as the plague or the cholera. You can that the pandemic caused by a coronavirus is modifying the way we design and build our homes, giving priority to the aspects related to health,” says Sonia Hernandez-Montaño , founder of Architecture and Healthy Health coordinator of the Official College of Architects of Catalonia (COAC), who makes reference to a curious aspect: “In the past, the cells of habitability of the homes gave the doctors”.

today, a growing number of on the market construction and decorative elements with the tag antibacterial : coatings for bathrooms and kitchens, paints, faucets,… and even doormats, in these days where the disinfectant products fly off the shelves of supermarkets, are seen as potential purchases for a home more secure . But for this architect, “the response to the Covid-19 may not be the creation of spaces antibacterial and aseptic that would make houses in an operating room. Human beings form part of an ecosystem, and we are prepared to coexist with bacteria and viruses. But to do this we need to be in balance with our environment, in a city naturalized. This is not the answer magic against this pandemic, but the solution does not spend as much by antibacterial products such as those for healthy people, and are the least adulterated: wood, lime, clay, ceramics cooked… natural Products that you almost could eat and do not involve more cost in the real estate projects”.

Alfredo Sanz , president of the General Council of Technical Architecture in Spain (Cgate), notes that it has highlighted the need for spaces livable, comfortable, efficient, and sustainable, but above all healthy. “Both for new housing and for the rehabilitation will be a priority to monitor the quality of the indoor air, provide proper illumination, adapted to the circadian rhythm and noise-free. These aspects will improve the relationship with our housing without the need to replace it,” he said.

sun, great bactericidal

Let the sunlight in through the windows manage to kill the bacteria that live in the dust. A study from the University of Oregon (USA) reveals that in the dark rooms, the 12% of the bacteria remain alive and can be played , compared to only 6.8% of the rooms with sunlight.

“Now we’re obsessed with cleaning, disinfection and keeping the home free of viruses and bacteria. But until now we have hardly taken into account the pollution inside of our homes , despite the fact that several studies have detected more than 900 compounds in the indoor air and demonstrate that some pollutants can be two to five times more concentrated in the stays on the exterior of the buildings,” says Mary Martin , responsible for Airlite Spain, a paint applicable in the home that ensures that purifies the interior air and, on the outside, it is capable to disinfect, as if you were planting trees. “ Eliminates micro-organisms , including the multidrug-resistant. Converts the walls in a natural purifier of the air, thanks to the effect of the natural light and it also eliminates other contaminants such as Vocs (volatile organic compounds), NOX (oxides of nitrogen, formaldehyde, etc, which cause damage to health such as lung problems, cancer and other diseases,” says Marin.

in Addition to paintings decontaminants available in the market other options such as tile or countertops to be able to eliminate bacterial strains , recommended in kitchens and bathrooms; handles and doorknobs with anti-bacterial treatment or faucets such as grupo Presto Ibérica: “Faced with the need to protect the health of the people avoiding contagions of mass centers , we have developed these faucets that eliminate any type of bacteria that may be on the installation”, highlights Gustavo Díez, director of projects.

however, Sonia Hernández-Montaño recalls that many of the solutions for a healthy home go through simple measures such as “maintaining a ventilation to avoid concentrations of CO2, especially now that we remain locked in the house, have the hvac systems clean to avoid the appearance of biological agents and it is recommended that the temperature of the household is not uniform, since our immune system is more active if it adapts to different conditions during the day.”