By Brian Ruda

On March 29, 2004 Dr. Stagg began working in her new Green dental office in Indian Harbour Beach.  Her Green Building is a natural extension of her total health approach to dentistry and a requirement to better serve patients with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.   It took a lot of planning and research.  We started with the idea of building a better office.  With the use of special materials and techniques, we were able to build a healthy and pleasant office for our patients and staff.  

Here are just a few of the numerous construction details.  Our exterior walls were built with an insulated concrete form system known as ARXX.  We then sealed the underside of the roof with Icynene spray foam.  These two items helped us build an incredibly strong and well insulated building.  We were able to build without pressure treated wood or fiberglass.  Sealing the building also reduces dust and helps keep pests out.  We do not use any pesticides inside the building. 

I built our cabinetry myself, using maple and birch plywood.  I used a water based polyurethane product to provide a clear finish to the woodwork.  I was the first to special order Medex MDF from a local cabinet supply shop.  Medex is a water resistant, no formaldehyde fiber board product.  I special ordered our cabinet doors from Door Tech in Atlanta.  I had some very special requirements which they were happy to fulfill.  One requirement was that the material be formaldehyde free.  With this requirement, they introduced me to a new product called WoodStalk Gold.  This is another moisture resistant fiber board that is made from wheat straw.

To maintain indoor air quality, fresh air is ducted into the building and filtered through our A/C system.  The system uses electronic air cleaners and UV lights to ensure the best air quality.  Our A/C contractor understood our concerns and did an excellent job meeting our special needs.  We used sheet metal plenums for our A/C system.  We also made a significant effort to use materials with low VOC and no formaldehyde emissions. We kept our design simple to make it easier to clean and to avoid mold.  Our interior space is bright, pleasant and unique.  

We are very happy with the results of our efforts to build a better building.  The hurricanes of 2004 hit our local area quite hard and our building did not suffer any damage.

We have been very impressed with the comfort and energy efficiency.  I have noticed many formed solid concrete buildings under construction now, but even they cannot compare to the ease of construction, energy efficiency, moisture control and overall quality that using the ARXX System provided.  I can say this because we designed our building ourselves and my father and I built the exterior walls.  I highly recommend this system to anyone wanting to build a quality home or office.

We were also able to keep waste to a minimum.  We only used one dumpster for the entire project.  This was primarily for the drywall crew.  Normally, a building like ours could easily make four or more dumpster loads of waste during construction.

Brian Ruda: may be contacted for further details through our dental office.