about zara
Zara D’Cotta | Building Biology New Build Consultant
Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist | Keynote Speaker
Contributor to Green Building Advisor
Founder, The Healthy Home®
Specialising in healthy building materials, healthy home design and electromagnetic radiation, Zara discovered her passion for environmental health after going through cancer and environmental illness.
These transformative experiences led her to a profound realisation: our homes, the very places meant to nurture us, are inadvertently contributing to many illnesses we see today.
Zara’s personal journey ignited a mission: to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world building practices, empowering industry professionals to create homes that truly support health, longevity, and planetary wellbeing.
GLOBAL EXPERTISE AND CONTINUOUS RESEARCH
Zara has trained under, and continues to collaborate with, world-leading experts in Building Biology, Building Science, and Electromagnetic Radiation across Australia, North America and Canada, ensuring The Healthy Home® delivers the most cutting-edge insights in healthier home design and construction.
Zara works with leading designers, builders, and manufacturers across Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and Asia Pacific, including delivering training directly to sales, technical, and marketing teams, to integrate healthier building principles into their products, design, and construction processes.
Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist Training (Building Biology Institute, USA)
Zara completed both the Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist (EMRS) Training and Advanced EMRS Training in North Carolina, USA, under world-leading experts in electrical engineering and EMR. This certification is widely regarded as the most rigorous and comprehensive EMR training available globally, preparing practitioners to measure, interpret, and reduce EMFs within the built environment.
Zara also completed an intensive, hands-on Building Biology assessment certification in Arizona, USA, the only training of its kind to include one-to-one mentorship across every stage, from pre-assessment planning through to on-site inspection and producing a comprehensive client report.
Zara is part of a small group of Building Biologists globally holding both the BBNC and EMRS certifications, enabling her to integrate EMF awareness with moisture control, material health and healthy design principles into mainstream building practice.
industry impact & leadership
Zara’s passion for transforming the building industry isn’t just professional — it’s personal. After experiencing firsthand the effects of mould illness, EMF sensitivity, and reactions to common building materials, she saw how overlooked these issues are in standard construction practices. She now works alongside builders, designers, and industry pioneers to help them bridge the gap between health and construction - because no one should have to choose between a beautiful home and a healthy one.
Zara’s Healthy Building Materials Mastermind™ (in market since 2021) is The Healthy Home®’s signature program, guiding award-winning home designers and builders across Australia, New Zealand, and the USA on materials selection, construction and design strategies that reduce mould risk, chemical, and electromagnetic field exposure, and liability risks. Participants are empowered with:
✔ Advanced expertise in health & environmentally conscious material selection
✔ The ability to add value in pre-construction without endless research
✔ Tools to mitigate business risks & elevate industry standards
Low EMF Home Design & Construction™ (part I: Radiofrequency Radiation Course) for Home Designers & Builders (since 2024)
With wireless technology and smart homes on the rise, Zara’s RF Radiation Course helps home designers, builders, and architects understand and reduce RF exposure, making low-EMF design a practical reality.
At the heart of Zara’s endeavours is a clear and compelling vision: a world in which every home is designed and constructed with health in mind, using materials that will enable us to thrive, while minimising our impact on the environment.
Click here to see Zara’s credentials.
SPEAKING & MEDIA
Zara’s commitment to raising awareness of the least understood health challenges of our time has led her to deliver keynotes and presentations for: Australian Institute of Architects, Association of Professional Builders, Building Designers Association of Australia, Sustainable Builders Alliance, Surfers for Climate, and National Breast Cancer Foundation.
In 2026, Zara became a contributing writer to Green Building Advisor (GBA), a leading building science publication across the US and Canada, where she writes on Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and why they need to be considered in home design and construction.
She has been interviewed, featured in, and/or presented for:
Industry leading podcasts and online platforms: The Build Show Network, Green Building Advisor, The Good Builder, Building Sciology, Professional Builder’s Secrets, Future Builder, Awakening Spaces, Undercover Architect, Level Up with Duayne, The Built Environment.
TV & Radio: Ten News, The Project, Today, ABC Radio (Hobart)
Print: Domain (Sydney Morning Herald), Herald Sun, Bunnings Magazine and The Examiner
To find out more about Zara’s speaking work click here.
To listen to Zara’s podcast interviews, click here
"I believe that Zara is an absolute gift to the construction industry.
With such a genuine passion for healthy homes, it's evident that her own personal
health journey has played a significant part in driving this pursuit.
“Zara has completely opened my eyes to the numbers things that can be
detrimental to my health when it comes to the homes we build and live in.
I'm so grateful she tirelessly commits herself to continual learning in this space,
and is willing to bring this invaluable knowledge to the rest of us.
“Whether you're a builder, designer, home owner or even a tenant,
I strongly encourage you not to glance by these learnings."
- Dan Purdie-Smith, Builder, DPS Projects
