You have a concern about your home. EMF, air quality, a material that doesn't seem right, and you're not sure where to start. Building biology draws on decades of research, measurement protocols, and field experience. The problem isn't too little information; it's knowing which sources are worth your time. This page collects the most useful resources: our guides, the organizations behind the discipline, books worth reading, and the measurement tools that make it all work.
EMF Guides
Electromagnetic fields are how most people find building biology. These guides cover all four EMF types. AC magnetic fields, AC electric fields, radiofrequency radiation, and dirty electricity, along with measurement methods and meter selection.
- Home EMF Assessment Guide. The full testing protocol. Covers all four EMF types, the meters you need, and how to interpret readings against SBM-2008 thresholds.
- RF Radiation Guide. Radiofrequency exposure from WiFi, cell towers, smart meters, and Bluetooth. How RF behaves in buildings and how to reduce exposure.
- Magnetic Field Guide. AC magnetic fields from power lines, wiring errors, and appliances. Why these fields can't be shielded and how to trace the source.
- Electric Field Guide. AC electric fields from house wiring and bedside electronics. Body voltage measurement and demand switches.
- Dirty Electricity Guide. High-frequency voltage transients from LED lighting, solar inverters, and switching power supplies. Measurement and filtering options.
- EMF Meters Buying Guide. Which meters are worth buying for self-assessment, which are not, and what professionals use.
- EMF Bedroom Guide. Reducing EMF exposure where it matters most: the room where you spend a third of your life.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air is often more contaminated than outdoor air. Formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, mold spores, radon, and particulates are common in homes, and most are invisible and odorless.
- Indoor Air Quality Testing. What to test for, how to sample correctly, and how to read lab results. Covers VOCs, formaldehyde, CO₂, particulates, and radon.
- Mold Testing Guide. When mold testing is useful, when it's a waste of money, and which methods produce reliable results.
- Radon Testing Guide. The second leading cause of lung cancer. How to test properly, short-term versus long-term kits, and when mitigation is warranted.
- VOC & Formaldehyde Testing. Where these chemicals come from in your home and what concentration levels indicate a problem.
Building Materials
What's in your walls, floors, and finishes determines much of what's in your air. Building biology evaluates materials for their impact on indoor air quality, moisture behavior, and electromagnetic properties, not just structural performance.
- Non-Toxic Building Materials Guide. Material-by-material guidance on healthier alternatives for every major building component, from framing to interior finishes.
- Non-Toxic Insulation Guide. Insulation options compared by health impact, moisture performance, and thermal value.
- Zero-VOC Paint Guide. What "zero-VOC" actually means on a label and which paints genuinely qualify.
- Healthy Flooring Guide. Flooring options evaluated for off-gassing, static charge, moisture interaction, and durability.
Standards & Principles
Building biology is grounded in formal measurement standards and a coherent design philosophy, not opinions. These are the working frameworks practitioners use every day.
- SBM-2008 Standard. Complete Reference. Precautionary threshold values for sleeping areas across every category of environmental stress. The first searchable HTML version, including all threshold tables and interpretation guidance.
- 25 Principles of Building Biology. The foundational design philosophy of Baubiologie, covering site selection, building envelope, indoor climate, materials, and electrical installation.
Finding Professional Help
Self-assessment has real limits. Professional-grade RF meters cost thousands of dollars, magnetic field sources can be hard to trace without experience, and mold in wall cavities doesn't show up on surface tests. When DIY isn't enough, a certified building biologist brings calibrated instrumentation and the training to interpret results in context.
- Find a Building Biologist. How to locate a qualified consultant, what credentials to look for, and what it costs.
- What to Expect from an Assessment. A walkthrough of the process, from initial consultation through the final report and remediation plan.
- Building Biology Certifications. The four BBI certification levels: BBP, BBEC, EMRS, and BBNC. What each qualifies someone to do.
Organizations
Building biology has a small number of core institutions. These organizations train practitioners, maintain standards, and compile the research behind the field's precautionary approach.
- Building Biology Institute (BBI). The primary training and certification body in North America. Offers BBEC, EMRS, BBP, and BBNC certifications and maintains the consultant directory. Approved continuing education provider for AIA, ACAC, and InterNACHI.
- Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN). The original German institute, founded in 1983. IBN develops the SBM-2008 measurement standard and publishes research on healthy building practices. The scientific foundation for the entire discipline.
- BioInitiative Working Group. International researchers who compile the scientific literature on biological effects of electromagnetic fields. Their BioInitiative Report reviews over 1,800 studies and supports the evidence base for precautionary exposure limits.
- International Institute for Building-Biology & Ecology (IBE). Founded by Helmut Ziehe in 1987 to bring Baubiologie to North America. Later rebranded as BBI. Included here because older references and certifications may still use the IBE name.
Books
The published literature on building biology is small but practical. These are the books practitioners reference most, and the ones we've found most useful for homeowners.
- "Prescriptions for a Healthy House" by Paula Baker-Laporte, Erica Elliott, and John Banta. The best single volume on healthy building design and construction. Baker-Laporte is both a certified building biologist and a licensed architect. Covers site evaluation, framing, insulation, finishes, HVAC, and electrical installation with specific material recommendations. Now in its fourth edition.
- "The Healthy Home" by Dave Wentz and Myron Wentz. A room-by-room guide to identifying and reducing environmental hazards in existing homes. More accessible than Baker-Laporte's book and a good starting point if you're not planning a renovation.
- SBM-2008 Standard Document. Not a book in the traditional sense, but the SBM-2008 is the most important reference document in building biology. It contains the threshold tables, measurement protocols, and classification system that every professional assessment relies on.
Measurement Tools & Equipment
Building biology is a measurement-based discipline. Without meters, you're guessing. With the wrong meters, you might be guessing with false confidence.
The EMF Meters Buying Guide breaks down consumer and professional options for all four EMF types: RF meters, gaussmeters, electric field meters, and microsurge meters. It covers the specific models building biologists use in practice and explains why some popular consumer devices produce misleading results.
For air quality, the indoor air quality testing guide covers sampling equipment and lab kits for VOCs, formaldehyde, mold, radon, and particulates. Most homeowner air testing involves lab-processed kits rather than handheld instruments, though real-time particulate monitors and CO₂ meters have become affordable and genuinely useful.
This site doesn't sell equipment. Our meter recommendations are based on measurement accuracy, frequency response, and suitability for the task, not brand affiliations or commissions.
Where to Start
If you're new to building biology and not sure where to begin, three pages will give you a working foundation:
- Home EMF Assessment Guide, walks you through the full testing process step by step
- SBM-2008 Standard, the reference document you'll use to interpret your readings
- Find a Building Biologist, for when you want professional-grade instrumentation and experienced interpretation
Start with the room where you sleep. That's where your body is most vulnerable, where you spend the most continuous hours, and where building biology sets its strictest thresholds. Everything else builds from there.