Background:
The Health House^® project is a national education program created by the American Lung Association (ALA) to help builders construct healthier homes within varying climates. The guidelines focus on three areas to improve indoor air quality, including: ventilation, filtration, and moisture control. The first project built under the new guidelines is the 2002 ALA National Demonstration Site home in Woodbury, MN. To date, this 5,200 square-foot house adds to the ALA's collection of more than 120 Health House demonstration homes in 30 states. 

Challenge: 
The home was ultimately built for a Minneapolis architect and his family, which includes a daughter with asthma. The Health House objective is to improve the quality of the indoor air by creating a well-insulated building envelope that would minimize random air leakage and the entry of dust, pollen and other outdoor pollutants that can threaten the quality of the occupants' breathing space. Protecting the home from the intrusion of unwanted moisture was also integral to the design and construction of this Health House. And the final challenge was to encourage the adoption of the American Lung Association Health House^® standards amongst the building community by providing a working example. 

Results:
By insulating the walls, ceilings, and floors with Icynene^®, the owner and his family of six enjoy a healthier living environment. The environmentally-friendly, soft foam insulation and air barrier material expands to 100 times its initial volume to seal all cracks and crevices that compromise airtightness. So effective is the insulation as an air block that the builder won permission from local building inspectors to reduce ceiling insulation to a total of R-19, far below what building codes typically require ¹. Icynene^® addressed moisture concerns by minimizing air movement through the building envelope, which accounts for 99% of moisture migration and subsequent mold and mildew problems. As a complete air barrier, Icynene^® locked out dust, allergens, odors and pollutants so that the family doesn't have to worry about the detrimental effects caused by poor indoor air quality. After two months in his new Health House, its

proud owner says he can see and feel the difference. “We don't have as much dust as we used to,” he says. “And when I go outside I don't notice a big difference in the air. We had a lot more odors in the old house.” ² Also, the wall between the house and the garage is filled with Icynene^® foam to keep carbon monoxide and other toxins from entering the house. By insulating the interior partitions with Icynene^®, the house was also quieter.