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A national initiative supporting affordable housing leaders who are improving human health by using less toxic building materials.
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Just Released: These Healthier Insulations and Sealants Also Improve Energy Efficiency
Addressing concerns that some insulation products release unhealthy chemicals, HBN is proud to have conducted the extensive materials research detailed in a new guide to healthier insulation and air sealing materials released today. While the report focuses on affordable, multifamily housing, its...
Read MoreHomeFree helped make the Liberty Bank Building a healthier place to live – What could it do for your project?
As part of our HomeFree program, Healthy Building Network partnered with Capitol Hill Housing (CHH) on a pacific northwest demonstration project at their Liberty Bank Building. The partnership provided information and research for CHH to explore and select healthier, alternative materials, and le...
Read MoreHomeFree Receives Funding to Expand its Pioneering Work
The JPB Foundation has awarded Healthy Building Network funding to continue and expand the work of our pioneering HomeFree initiative, which improves the health of marginalized communities by advancing and accelerating the adopti...
Read MoreNew Sealant Category for Healthier Energy Efficiency Programs
Healthy Building Network has introduced a new sealant category on HomeFree, our national initiative supporting ...
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Jess Blanch
Assoc. AIA, SEED, Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow
Jess is a Design Associate and Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow at Capitol Hill Housing (CHH) in Seattle, where she is focused on advancing CHH's capacity in design excellence, sustainability, and community engagement in a variety of low-income housing and community development projects. Jess brings over a decade of experience in affordable housing and community-engaged design work.
A champion for healthy materials in affordable housing, she has presented the topic at AIA Seattle’s Material Matters education series. Jess is spearheading CHH’s Healthy Homes Initiative to promote healthier work and living environments by reducing toxins in CHH’s 48 low-income housing properties, and educating over 2,300 CHH residents and staff on using healthier materials and green cleaning products.
Jess uses HomeFree on the Liberty Bank Building project, one of HomeFree’s pilot Demonstration Projects. The HomeFree principles and lessons learned from the design of the Liberty Bank Building have heavily influenced the CHH Healthy Homes Initiative, especially in creating design and operations guidelines to be used at all of CHH’s affordable housing properties.