*Uptake Technologies – the Library by Box Studios in Chicago. Image by James John Jetel.*

An average American currently spends about 8.4 hours on the job each day. They also spend about 30-minutes getting to and from the workplace, with super-commuters being the fastest growing contingent. For everyday workers, and the rise of remote careers notwithstanding, there is little time left in that equation to focus on their physical and mental wellbeing.

The design solution one arrives at is for the workplace to become an environment wherein health and wellness are nurtured. The workplace should, at a minimum, maintain an employee’s health but it could also become an environment that actively seeks to prevent unhealthy behaviors and the diseases that arise from them.

New buildings on the tech campuses of Silicon Valley have set commendable standards for the well-being of their staff. But what about everybody else and the already existing built environment? What are the pragmatic and meaningful interventions that facility managers and designers can make to create healthier environments and generate positive improvements for everyday workers?