Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building

Courses 

Materials and Human Health

This course explores building materials’ impact on human health. You are introduced to systemic challenges to healthy building and possibilities for engaging with material supply chains in a more ethical manner.

Building Products and Chemistry

By mastering fundamentals of chemistry, you can better understand the health outcomes of exposure to certain materials . This course explores chemicals of concern and their more healthful alternatives and explains how this information can inform a design project. 

Healthier Materials Design and Specifications

This course helps you navigate industry resources and certifications, find and evaluate product options, and apply resources for maximum impact. We weigh the potential benefits and consequences of different approaches to achieving a more healthful project.

Executing a Healthier Project

This course deals with the full process of creating healthier buildings, covering challenges encountered in design, construction, maintenance, and operation. The course is framed as a collection of case studies, which illustrate general protocols for healthier design.

“I hope this level of rigor in healthy material evaluation becomes the standard on every project.”

Program Highlights

Who Should Enroll

• Architects, interior designers, and specifiers who source materials and FFE
• Real estate professionals expanding their knowledge of sustainability 
• Design and construction professionals seeking mastery of LEED, Living Building Challenge, and WELL criteria
• Corporate and public policy professionals exploring social justice in supply chains

What You’ll Gain

• An understanding of the relationship between buildings and occupant health
• Knowledge of certification criteria for sustainable and healthy buildings
• Awareness of professional resources in a rapidly changing field
• A more nuanced approach to sequencing design and construction

How You’ll Learn

• Engaging video lectures and interviews with industry experts
• Project-based learning focused on developing real-world skills and portfolio assets
• Flexibility to review course content and complete assignments at any time
  

Why The New School?

The professional landscape as we’ve known it has changed dramatically, and ongoing learning is more important now than ever before. At The New School, we champion every student’s creativity and growth. By combining integrated disciplines with collaborative problem solving, we deliver an immersive, transformative learning experience. With the leadership of Parsons School of Design—a globally top-ranked design school—our faculty imparts the critical expertise students need to advance their careers or pivot to a new one in a constantly evolving world.