Building Design
There are multiple ways the built environment can impact a person’s health. At the smallest scale, built environments are characterized by the buildings in which people spend their time. The average American spends approximately 90 percent of their time indoors.[]
This means that the design of indoor environments in buildings can greatly influence health outcomes and health behaviors. A health-conscious building design includes features like:[]
- High-quality building materials
- Effective ventilation, heating, and cooling systems
- Bright natural and artificial lighting
- Spaces promoting physical activity and well-being
- Accessible spaces for elderly and disabled populations
While this is not a complete list of building features, it begins to show how building design is connected to physical, mental, and social health and wellbeing.
[BE4] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (1989). Report to Congress on Indoor Air Quality: Volume 2. https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=9100LMBU.txt
[BE5] Dodge Data & Anaylitics. (2016). The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings 2016: Tactical Intelligence to Transform Building Design and Constrution. SmartMarket Report. https://worldgbc.org/article/the-drive-toward-healthier-buildings-2016/