The environments we construct are not only places in which we spend our time, but they also act as a hub for our local communities. When you see development taking place, whether it be new construction or a renovation project, it signifies a growing and changing community.
We spend approximately 90% of our time indoors, so it comes as no surprise that the built environment can play a powerful role in promoting our mental health and well-being. By utilizing appropriate design, programmatic, and policy strategies as outlined in the WELL v2 Standard, we can positively influence not only the lives of employees in the workplace but also the greater community as well.
Whether you’re looking at a small home or a large commercial project, the materials, and products selected for the construction and operation of that building play a significant role in the health impacts on the building occupants. Logically, this makes sense – Any toxic chemicals you bring into your building will then become part of the indoor environment, resulting in a diminished quality of air and water, which can then result in negative impacts on your health.
Whether it is pleasant noises such as music or birds chirping, or less pleasant noises such as construction work or excessive sound from HVAC operation, sound has a powerful impact on our physiology, psychology, concentration, and behavior. By utilizing research-based design techniques in our built environment, we can maximize the acoustic comfort in our designed spaces and help improve the overall health and well-being of our building occupants.
In the A/E/C industry we design and create buildings. One of the main functions of a building is to act as a controlled environment that is separate from the surrounding exterior conditions. As designers, we have the opportunity to create an environment that is both comfortable and health-promoting for our future building occupants.
Your health is one of the biggest determinants of the quality and quantity of time you have on this earth, and physical activity is one of the major influences on your health. You might be thinking “that sounds great, but it also sounds like a lot of work,” but actually, when designed correctly, the built environment can set us up for success and encourage us to incorporate activity into our daily routines without even recognizing it.
The way we design glazing and lighting systems in the built environment has far-reaching implications on both our individual health and the overall well-being of our communities. So, what are the important things to consider when designing a lighting environment to support a healthy physiological response?
How can we utilize design techniques in our built environment to encourage us to make food selections that will promote our personal health and well-being? By designing spaces with these IFIC drivers of behavior in mind, the buildings we frequently occupy can play a significant role in promoting healthy quantities and quality of food consumption in our day-to-day lives.
Are you currently aware of what is in the water you drink? Do you know how much water you are drinking, or should be drinking, on a typical day? Whether you are aware or not, the buildings we frequently occupy can play a significant role in promoting healthy quantities and quality of water consumption in our day-to-day lives.
On average we spend 90% of our day indoors, and we typically breathe more than 15,000 liters of air every day. How many of us are currently aware of what is in the air we breathe? How about the impacts of these air contaminants on our health?