“Healthy buildings are the new frontier of public health”
ARQBOREA in Madrid (Spain), an office building that has obtained WELL Health-Safety Rating certification and Platinum Well Shell & Core certification.
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Quality of living
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“Healthy buildings are the new frontier of public health”
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Why is it crucial to include health and well-being among the essential criteria for building performance?
We’re starting to realize how much buildings influence our health. We spend nearly 90% of our lives indoors! Yet the indoor air is often three to five times more polluted than outdoor air, sometimes up to 100 times more. Designing living spaces that protect health is thus becoming a major issue. In my view, healthy buildings represent a new frontier in public health: architects and engineers could have an impact comparable to that of doctors.
How does the WELL standard assess health and well-being?
The WELL standard is based on ten factors: air, water, nutrition, light, movement, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, materials, mental health, and community. Each of these translates into concrete requirements: ventilation, natural light, spaces that promote activity, mental health and inclusion policies, and so on. The goal is to make the invisible visible in order to manage the health of occupants.
What levers could speed up the integration of health and well-being into sustainable construction on a global scale?
The most forward-thinking companies now understand how buildings influence health, productivity, and employee retention. Well-being is becoming a strategic asset: when choosing between two employers, the one that puts health center stage has a clear advantage. With the rise in home working, the office must be “worth the trip” by offering an environment where employees feel more productive and better cared for.
In economic terms, these buildings also command higher rents, longer leases, and better occupancy rates.
Public authorities are also making progress: cities and governments are imposing air quality standards in buildings open to the public, as in Europe with the new energy efficiency directive.
Lastly, investors are taking up the issue: ESG benchmarks such as GRESB* incorporate health and well-being as material performance indicators.
The momentum has been built up, and now we need to make sure that health is permanently rooted in governance, public policy, and practices in the sector.
*The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) assesses the sustainability and governance of real estate portfolios.
Sustainability and comfort go hand in hand
Occupants’ health and well-being: the other major issue at stake for sustainable construction
Game of Norms: the rules of the game in the building sector
To go further: WELL
