The grand stair at RTI International, designed by Duda|Paine Architects, connects dining, a café space and an upper level collaboration hub inviting employees to move between the spaces.
The connection between the built environment and wellbeing—overall human health and longevity—is a pressing conversation in workplace design. In part, interest in improving wellness through design has emerged amidst rising costs of health insurance and care along with our awareness of the physical impact of environmental pollutants. Together, these forces amplify interest in disease prevention and health promotion for businesses, institutions and industries. The origins of the connection between space and wellbeing has roots in World Health Organization (WHO) research from 1957. This original intelligence evolved in the late 1990s and beyond to fully embrace broader social, cultural, environmental and spatial influences. Today, an abundance of resources provide insight into understanding these connections and integrating health and wellness into building design. For the design professional, the greater goal is to make wellbeing, productivity and daily human experience a priority in architecture.
Post-occupancy studies on the impact of workplace design for wellbeing, independent of corporate wellness programs, are limited. For example, the WELL Building Standard includes employee initiatives for nutrition, access to health care, and mental health policies and programs. Many WELL measurements for building design extend what we’ve all become familiar with: the USGBC’s LEED standards for indoor air quality, access to natural light, occupant controls, and other environmental factors. However, clients don’t necessarily need a rating system to foster health and wellness in their building projects. Working across different building types, we’ve developed a set of architectural responses that foster better social, mental and physical health for all building users while providing positive benefits for communities.
Celebrate Movement and Access
In a 2019 article, “Architecture for Well-Being and Health,” Koen Steemers notes design features associated with increasing activity include convenient access to public transportation. There is significant interest in clients locating workplaces within walkable access to mass transit. This accomplishes two things: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and an increase in physical movement by the people who use the associated offices, retail and restaurants. Research echoes this trend, with the July 2018 issue of Public Health citing that simply increasing step-count can be effective in improving both wellbeing and psychological health in workplaces. Steemers provides other examples of improved wellbeing by promoting indoor physical activity such as “…encouraging stair use through the distribution (separation) of functions over different floor levels.”