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Improving mental and physical health

“Provide better physical, and social health from societal, economic, emotional and environmental perspectives via a healthy indoor climate and comfort measures.”

Buildings need to be designed to enhance the health and well-being of their occupants, both physically and mentally. This means mitigating the risks associated with exposure to factors harmful to health and introducing elements that improve health.


How buildings affect our health

There is much research on buildings that shows how determinants of health – incomes, stress, noise, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and daylight impact both physical and mental health. For example, the air quality, noise and acoustic levels, and temperature of a building affect our satisfaction – and our general well-being and productivity.
 
In the 1980s the WHO defined these types of substandard building conditions under the term Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). Occupants of buildings with SBS reported a range of health issues including irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, persistent coughing, heightened light sensitivity, and flu-like symptoms.
 
To help stakeholders see what is required to create a healthy indoor environment that can improve the physical and mental health of a building’s occupants, this dimension uses eight indicators.

 


Key elements to improve mental and physical health in healthy buildings

Indoor air quality
Maintaining a healthy indoor environment and improving indoor air quality can be achieved by reducing the sources of air pollutants, increasing ventilation rates and using air filtration systems to prevent infectious diseases.
Thermal comfort
This means maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures for the building occupants.  This can be done using passive and active measures such as natural ventilation, solar shading, and intelligent building design.
Acoustics comfort
To keep sound and noise from outside and within the building at acceptable levels, this indicator covers the provision of silent and active spaces, adjustment and control of sounds by opening/closing windows, and the avoidance of noise reverberation.
Daylight, electric light, and visual comfort
This means providing sufficient daylight, the primary source of light inside during daytime, and appropriate electric lighting. This creates a visually comfortable environment and improves the productivity and mood of occupants.
Connectedness to nature
This includes designing easy access to outdoor areas so occupants can spend time in green spaces, bringing nature into the interior space and incorporating elements like vegetation, fresh air, sounds, colours, and views within the building.
Social connections
Building design can encourage meaningful connections between people, which enhances well-being, reduces anxiety, and fosters overall health. Promoting community can be done in ways that include shared spaces and focus on participation.  
Design appeal
Employing affective design principles to positively prioritise human needs means making architectural and design choices related to aesthetics, daylight, colours, textures, and layout. This can influence the psychological and emotional responses of occupants.
Affordability
Faced with rising urban housing costs and a need for more housing, this indicator considers the financial aspect of well-being in buildings and takes account of household disposable income, and building operating and maintenance costs.

Policy recommendations

The recent Healthy Buildings Barometer has developed policy recommendations that can support these indicators and promote healthy buildings that can improve physical and mental health.

 

This includes:

  • Strengthening legislation to provide access to high-quality, healthy, affordable and environmentally sustainable buildings
  • Focusing on Indoor Environmental Quality
  • Creating integrated climate-responsive building design strategies
  • Strengthening biodiversity and access to nature
  • Creating community support schemes
  • Strengthening participatory design


Case studies
DENMARK
Langebjerg school
The Langebjerg School embarked on a renovation with roof windows to improve their dark, stuffy classrooms.
FRANCE
Marcey-les-Grèves school
A renovation of the Marcey-le-Grèves school in France meets the challenge of hotter outdoor temperatures by introducing solar window shading and automatic window ventilation.
GERMANY
Dortmannhof home renovation
A renovation of an old barn house in Germany keeps the aesthetically beautiful architecture for residents and visitors to enjoy.
NETHERLANDS
Nijverdal social housing apartments
This newly built social housing apartment block aims to create sustainable, affordable, and comfortable housing using off-site construction and circular materials
SLOVAKIA
Sala single-family home
A family home in Slovakia is designed to improve air quality and ensure thermal comfort – while reducing energy bills.