First Home Built Under American Lung Association's Revised Health House Guidelines Opens in January

Consistently on the forefront of providing healthier indoor living environments, Dior Builders announced today the official plans for Healthy Home 2018, 1055 Glencrest Drive, Inverness, in partnership with the American Lung Association Health House program. Constructed by Dior Builders and the next home in a series of real-life, interactive and educational models for cleaner, greener, safer living, Healthy Home 2018 will be the very first in the country to be built under the American Lung Association's revised Health House guidelines, featuring everything from energy efficient products and innovative technologies, to green building materials and nontoxic furniture and accessories. Created to showcase some of the highest standards of human health and environmental integrity, Healthy Home 2018 opens to the public when completed on January 25, 2018, and is available for tours from January 26 through February 4, 2018. Tour tickets are $20 and tour proceeds will be donated to American Lung Association.

"Exposure to indoor air pollutants - smoke, radon, dust, mold and other pollutants - can pose serious health risks and can contribute to respiratory disease, asthma and even lung cancer," says Harold Wimmer, President & CEO of the American Lung Association. "By following the American Lung Association's Health House guidance, Dior Builders has significantly reduced, possibly eliminated, many causes of indoor air pollution in Healthy Home 2018."

Founded in 1993 to address the growing national concern about the quality of air in homes, The American Lung Association introduced the Health House Program to help homeowners and homebuilders learn how to make homes healthier. The revised Health House guidelines will bring further awareness to indoor air pollutants besides radon, the leading cause of death in private homes, along with mold and moisture control concerns and will address toxic chemicals and combustion sources such as boilers, furnaces, stoves, fireplaces, and smoking, all of which will be instituted in the construction of Healthy Home 2018.

A classic-style luxury residence in Inverness, Illinois, Healthy Home 2018 uses state-of-the-art materials and methods to create a truly healthy living environment with superior indoor air quality and protection from various environmental pollutants including Electromagnetic Radiation. Raising the bar on sustainable design, Dior Builders relied on a team of Indoor Air Quality and Environmental Health experts, and collaborated with renowned local interior designers Leslie Bowman, Ilene Chase, Mary Jane Derex, Maida Korte, Brynn Olson, Kedra Pai, and Meredith Park to bring together healthy, energy-efficient building techniques with beautiful interiors. While the top priority was to build a space where residents (and workmen) could breathe easily, every product has been carefully scrutinized and selected based on the safest alternative per category.

Steering the vision of Healthy Home 2018 are a select group of industry professionals who collectively believe that more needs to be done to create healthier living environments, especially for children, who are particularly susceptible to health risks. All materials, furnishings, and products under consideration by the building and design team for inclusion in the home will be approved only after meeting a rigorous set of criteria set forth by the Healthy Home Initiative Interiors Advisory Board (IAB) that assures sustainable, healthier standards.

Victoria Di Iorio, Founder of the Healthy Home Initiative, notes, "We are going beyond the notion of what is sustainable and perceived to be healthy and creating a real-life model of what a truly healthy home should be, from foundation to food."

Healthy Home 2018 is unprecedented (as it redefines what a healthy home actually is or should be) starting with the property, consisting of 5 acres of protected wetlands, soil conservation and no history of pesticides or water contamination in the soil or water table. Highlights include American Rockwool Insulation, a hard wired smart system designed to avoid electromagnetic radiation, energy efficient HVAC system equipped with IQAir Perfect 16 Whole House HEPA filtration, Gaggenau appliances, TOTO WaterSense toilets, lead free plumbing, GREENGUARD Gold certified drywall, cabinets and countertops, hard flooring throughout (except for theater room), natural and organic bedding, and non-toxic furniture. Healthy Home 2018 illustrates what is possible when building with both aesthetics and one's health in mind.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cites that indoor pollutants can be two to five times higher than outdoors. Research indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors and homeowners today are increasingly concerned about indoor air quality. In addition, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 26 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma in their lifetimes, 7 million of which are children. About one in 11 school-aged children suffer from asthma, with the rate rising more rapidly in preschool-aged children than in any other age group. Of concern, is the fact that indoor air pollutants have been shown to trigger asthma symptoms, especially for sensitive populations.

Luxe Interiors + Design Magazine will host A Breath of Fresh Air kick-off gala on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, featuring an appearance from Academy Award nominated actor, prolific author, adventurist, eco activist, healthy lifestyle and mental health advocate, Mariel Hemingway. The home will officially be unveiled during an opening event Tuesday, January 23, 2018 showcasing state of the art products from brands including Gagganeau, Artisan Stone Tile, Toto, Silestone, Hunter Douglas, Brizo, Native Trails, Robern, Executive Cabinetry, Artistic Tile, DaVinci Custom Fireplaces, Organic Looms, Chicago Luxury Beds, and many others featuring energy efficient, locally sourced, artisan produced, eco-conscious, and healthier options for homes. For additional information on the home, events, and tours, please visit www.healthyhome2017.com.

ABOUT AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION

The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy. Our work is focused on five strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to improve the air we breathe; to reduce the burden of lung disease on individuals and their families; to eliminate tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases; and to accelerate fundraising and enhance organizational effectiveness to support the urgency of our mission.

ABOUT DIOR BUILDERS

For more than 37 years, award-winning Dior Builders has represented classic design and architecture, old world craftsmanship, innovative technology, and superior customer satisfaction. Founded by Peter Di Iorio, Dior Builders has established themselves as a leader in high end custom homes, building a legacy for generations to come. This family run business is committed to healthy living environments and is the leader in sustainable building options offering environmentally friendly features focusing on air quality, low impact and locally sourced materials, water conservation, and certified energy efficient technology. As the general contractor for the 2018 Healthy Home Showcase, Dior Builders, in partnership with the American Lung Association and Healthy Home Initiative team will introduce an indoor air quality certification program unsurpassed in the field of environmental health. Dior Builders is committed to human health and subsequent healthy home construction initiatives, positioning the company at the forefront of sustainable living. For more information, visit www.diorhomes.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.