Exploring the Impact of Wellbeing Architecture on Health and Happiness
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The ROLE of Wellness in Architecture
According to the World Health Organization, health is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.” Wellbeing in architecture focuses on designing environments that enhance physical and mental health. These spaces are created to foster positive mental states and promote healthy routines.
Architects play a vital role in designing buildings that actively improve the lives of their occupants. This concept is often referred to as “healthy buildings.” Meanwhile, specialists like Biofilico, an interior design firm, focus on creating wellness-centered interior environments.
As we spend a significant amount of time indoors, the built environment has become a key factor in our mental and physical health. Today, architects are tasked with more than just aesthetics and functionality—they must also create spaces that nurture and elevate the human experience.
Designing for Wellbeing
Designing buildings and interiors with health and well-being in mind requires a deep understanding of social and behavioural sciences, psychology, and urban planning.
Thoughtful design choices—such as natural ventilation, green spaces, and easy access to essential services—can enhance human well-being and support positive mental health.
Architects must consider how layout, lighting, materials, and acoustics affect both mental well-being and physical health.
By integrating health-related elements into their designs, architects can positively influence human cognition and create environments that support both health and clinical excellence.
Beyond Aesthetics: The Multisensory Approach
Wellbeing design extends beyond simple aesthetics. It incorporates a multisensory approach, engaging sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, and proprioception. Including psychological factors in design can promote social interaction and foster self-reported altruistic behaviour.
By considering sensory elements, architects can create spaces that foster comfort, safety, and positivity. Outdoor natural environments, strategic lighting, and ergonomic designs can stimulate intellectual development, particularly in children.
Simple Changes for Healthier Spaces
Simple design changes, such as adding natural elements, maximising natural ventilation, and designing open layouts, can subtly influence behaviours and encourage healthier habits.
Research in health studies and clinical psychology confirms that well-designed, walkable spaces with safe pavements and community-driven areas promote physical activity and mental wellness.
Prioritising Urban Health
With rising mental health challenges, prioritising urban health resources and healthy indoor environments is more important than ever.
By leveraging insights from global studies and medical research related to health-focused architecture, we can create spaces that not only improve the well-being of occupants but also benefit the wider community.
The Impact of Physical Spaces and Air Quality on Mental Health
The physical environment has a powerful influence on human behaviour, habits, and daily routines.
Minor changes to a space can lead to significant improvements in mental wellbeing, such as adjusting furniture placement to facilitate movement or interaction.
Architects have the power to create environments that promote both physical and mental health through deliberate design interventions.
The interplay between mental health and spatial configurations requires architects to consider how factors such as layout, lighting, materials, and acoustics affect occupants.
Physical ill health can be exacerbated by poor indoor environmental quality, highlighting the need for architects to prioritise health-supporting design.
Wellbeing in Different Building Types
Hospitals: Healing Environments
Hospitals are places of healing and recovery, and the design of the building plays a critical role in supporting this process.
Hospital wards should prioritise patient well-being, incorporating features such as high-quality daylight, views of the outside, and a strong connection to nature. These elements create a calming and restorative environment that aids in recovery.
Residential Buildings: Promoting Physical and Mental Well-being
Residential buildings can support physical well-being through healthy design features, such as active buildings, changing facilities, and bike storage.
They can also enhance mental well-being by focusing on visual quality, thermal comfort, and acoustic quality. Together, these elements contribute to what are known as healthy homes.
Office Buildings: Creating Healthy Workplaces
Office buildings can be designed to the highest sustainable and wellbeing standards. These spaces aim for Net Zero Carbon emissions and strive to achieve certifications such as BREEAM Excellent and WELL Gold. Such buildings, known as healthy workplaces, promote both physical and mental well-being for employees.
Universities: Restorative Spaces for Learning
Universities can be high-pressure environments, and both students and faculty benefit from calming, restorative spaces in which to work and study. Architects and interior designers with a focus on wellbeing can create these environments, helping to reduce stress and support productivity.
The Benefits of Wellbeing Architecture
Wellbeing architecture improves physical and mental health, boosting productivity, creativity, and overall quality of life. By addressing biological and physiological symptoms, architects can design spaces that enhance human wellbeing and long-term health.
Beyond individual benefits, wellbeing-focused design positively impacts the environment and society. Integrating physical and social constitutes ensures spaces cater to diverse needs, improving human wellbeing on a broader scale.
Architects play a key role in shaping environments that support healthy habits. Applying precise physiological comfort theory and quantitative physical parameters helps create spaces that promote mental clarity and physical comfort.
A more holistic awareness of design’s impact calls for new approaches. Considering factors like income and education level and urban accessibility can lead to improved wellbeing and sustainability.
Even small interventions matter. Thus, the assessment of a poorly maintained space can uncover ways to optimise own life and overall wellness.
As wellbeing architecture evolves, professionals must refine their approach to meet changing health and sustainability standards, ensuring lasting benefits for all.
The Future of Wellbeing Design
The pandemic has underscored the need for spaces that prioritise health and wellbeing. Architects are now adopting a more holistic understanding of how design influences human wellbeing, integrating health-supporting human behaviours into sustainable spaces.
The future of wellbeing design will focus on enhancing health through key physical design characteristics, such as natural ventilation, daylight access, and adaptable layouts. These elements help prevent chronic physiological health problems and create a preferably natural environment that supports mental wellbeing.
The World Health Organisation emphasises that health includes physical, social, and environmental factors. Architects must consider qualitative health considerations, specific or prescribed functions, and health-threatening indicators to ensure accessibility for not all users while maximising health benefits.
Collaboration between health services and urban planners is essential to designing spaces that promote indoor physical activity and foster social interaction. Simple, more immediately attainable treatments, such as biophilic design, can contribute to improved wellbeing without major renovations.
The Architects’ Mental Wellbeing Forum continues to highlight the importance of mental health in design. By encouraging such positive behaviour and supporting casual encounters, architects can create environments that improve overall health performance and quality of life.
Healthy buildings for mental and physical health
Wellness real estate, wellbeing architecture, and healthy buildings each focus on different aspects of design to enhance health. Wellness real estate emphasises overall health with features like air filtration and fitness facilities, natural light and biophilic design.
By incorporating these principles, spaces like Recharge Rooms promote relaxation, mental clarity, and productivity. Prioritising well-being in design helps create healthier, more positive environments for both work and home.