A Better Choice: Healthy Materials for Affordable Housing

Why should we care about material choices when designing affordable housing? During this presentation, Catherine Murphy, Senior Research Associate at Parsons Healthy Materials Lab, and Shelby O’Neil, Senior Program Officer at Enterprise Green Community Partners, will discuss the toxins most commonly found in the indoor environment and how architects, designers, and builders can reduce exposure for vulnerable communities. These experts will review some of the challenges of addressing indoor air quality, as well as what resources to utilize when specifying healthy materials for affordable housing. The session will also provide an overview of the Materials section within the 2020 Enterprise Green Communities Criteria Checklist and explain the NYC Overlay for new construction and renovation projects.

Panelists:
Catherine Murphy, Senior Research Associate, Healthy Materials Lab, Parsons School of Design
Shelby O’Neil, Assoc. AIA, Senior Program Officer at Enterprise Green Community Partners

Moderator:
Jackie Stinson, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Project Architect, Magnusson Architecture and Planning

About the Speakers:

Catherine Murphy leads educational programming at Parson’s Healthy Materials Lab and is a practicing interior designer dedicated to making the built environment healthier for everyone. Passionate about renovation and re-use, her practice is rooted in craft and the inherent potential of materials in their purest and healthiest states. She is adjunct faculty in The New School at Parsons, NSSR and Columbia GSAPP, teaching about healthier materials, craft and making. Murphy received her MFA in Interior Design from Parsons School of Design at The New School and a BFA (Hons) in Fine Craft Design (Embroidery) from Ulster University, Belfast, N.I.

As a Senior Program Officer at Enterprise Green Community Partners, Shelby O’Neill is an expert on the Enterprise Green Communities criteria in the New York City market. She has held workshops with the Healthy Building Network to help make healthier materials accessible to affordable housing projects. She holds a Master of Architecture from the Catholic University of America and practiced architecture for several years before joining the Enterprise Green Community team.

Shelby O’Neil’s Slide Presentation

This event is offered virtually; you will receive an email with a Zoom link to access the program.