Bamboo in sustainable buildings and interiors
A discussion by Matt Morley of Biofilico sustainable real estate and interiors with Manuel Diaz Cebrian, a Mexican entrepreneur promoting a vibrant new bamboo industry in his home country that comes with social impact and environmental benefits aplenty.
Embodied Carbon in sustainable Real Estate ESG
In the context of sustainable buildings and interiors, embodied carbon is essentially a question of materials, healthy and environmentally friendly building materials, efficiently used, ideally in a redevelopment rather than a new build construction project.
sound wellness biophilic soundscapes with brian d’souza
sound therapy’s mental health benefits, how music can be a window into our soul, urban noise levels and the role of nature sounds in restoring a sense of calm amidst the chaos, deep or active listening vs passive, and how to re-create the sonic experience of forest bathing.
real estate ESG frameworks
ESG standards / tools such as SASB, Task Force on Climate Related Disclosures (TFCD), Climate Disclosure Project (CDP), Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guide real estate developers towards sustainable real estate goals, minimizing environmental impact, maximizing their positive impact on human health and wellbeing
Acoustic performance in WELL buildings
The role of acoustic in creating a comfortable environment for building occupants; how pink noise can cover up unwanted background noise, sound zones and spatial layouts; the all important distinction between sound, silence, the sounds of nature and noise; the role nature sounds can play in promoting wellness; and the main causes of noise in a building that need to be mitigated in a comprehensive healthy building acoustics plan.
mental health & wellbeing in healthy buildings
Strategies such as biophilic design, mental health programs, the encouragement of an active lifestyle and the provision of restorative spaces can all be used to increase mental wellbeing for building occupants. In addition, it is helpful to have a designated mental health champion as part of a healthy building concept.
9 Foundations of a Healthy Building: Thermal Comfort Strategy — Biofilico Wellness Interiors
Thermal Comfort in a Healthy Building strategy
Sustainable real estate in urban regeneration with Jonny Friedman
urban regeneration / south africa / city opportunity fund / jonny friedman / healthy buildings / esg / sustainable real estate / social equity / green & healthy places podcast
Operating Smart, green & Healthy Buildings
Facilities Management teams play a key role in delivering on a building's performance promises in terms of air quality, water efficiency, energy efficiency, thermal comfort and occupant wellbeing. Here we explore this topic from our perspective as Biofilico healthy building consultants.
The role of sleep in healthy buildings & workplaces
We explore the connections between my world of healthy buildings and interiors, and Charlie’s world of healthy sleep. We discuss sleep hygiene, the physiological impact of sleep on our bodies not to mention our brains, pre-industrial age sleeping habits vs todays, the power nap as a productivity tool, how to create restorative spaces or sleep pods in an office or educational environment that people will actually use, and the role of meditation and restorative deep relaxation practices in improving rest.
Smart buildings for improved air quality, energy saving, carbon capture - Sally R
Talking smart buildings for improved air quality, energy saving and carbon capture with innovative software company CEO Sally R and Matt Morley of Biofilico for the Green & Healthy Places podcast on wellbeing and sustainability in real estate.
Energy efficiency in green buildings to reduce energy waste
Buildings and the real estate industry in general contribute around 30% of total global energy consumption, making them a vital consideration in the push for a green energy transition away from fossil fuel dependency. Demand can be reduced through strategies such as passive design and green roofs. Energy source efficiency can involve implementing energy efficient lighting, efficient HVAC (air con ventilation) and elevator systems, as well as renewable energy production on site via solar panels on the roof, for example.
ESG Social Equity in Real Estate Development South Africa
Welcome to episode 44 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we explore the themes of wellbeing and sustainability in real estate. This time around we have more of a social equity focus as we're talking to Rashiq Fataar, the Founding Director of Our Future Cities in South Africa.
sustainable green building water efficiency — biofilico wellness interiors
Green building consultants advise project teams on how to improve water efficiency in a building via water-efficient appliances, low or no irrigation planting, alternative water sources (such as greywater and rainwater collection) and ongoing real-time water sub-meter monitoring.
Acoustic Comfort in Buildings: Healthy Building Interior Acoustics — Wellness Design Consultants
acoustics are an important consideration in healthy buildings, healthy indoor environments and workplace wellness plans. While every space is different, the primary risks of poor acoustics are diminished attention, productivity (due to inability to concentrate for long periods) and memory retention. Those apply most directly to a learning or work environment while in a residential context there is also the risk of negatively impacting sleep quality.
Healthy building design strategies for nutrition & hydration
Just like adequate sleep and regular movement, nutrition and hydration both play a key role in human health. While there are of course any number of socio-cultural as well as psychological factors at play, the building interiors we spend most time in can play an important role in promoting healthy habits and behaviors. Leading healthy building standard WELL even has an entire section devoted to the subject. So how can we as healthy building consultants positively impact nutrition and hydration for residents, office workers and students? The answer lies in a combination of design and operational strategies.
How to use lighting in a healthy building plan
What lighting strategies does a healthy building consultant have at their disposal to positively impact a building interior? In terms of space planning and interior architecture, we start with ensuring enhanced access to daylight not just around the perimeter of a floor plate but right through to its core. This is then combined with consideration for glare reduction to minimize the risk of daylight bouncing off screens and other surfaces, a visual distraction and source of low level anxiety. Thirdly, the implementation of circadian lighting and smart lighting systems in tune with the daily 24hr cycle help fill an interior with suitable tones of light according to the time of day, season and location. Finally, healthy building and wellness real estate certification systems such as WELL, LEED and BREEAM provide guidance via global benchmarks for wellbeing designers to use.