The built environment and human health: resources and strategies
These are challenging times, and we all need support; living in Seattle, we are really feeling the impacts of COVID-19. Our contribution to the conversation will focus on ways that the built environment can support various aspects of human health and wellness, both generally and during this difficult time.
On average, Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. This means there is incredible opportunity to leverage these spaces as a way to support occupant health.
As outlined by Rex Miller and his team in The Healthy Workplace Nudge, buildings can be a relatively low cost delivery system of health and wellness. Buildings can incorporate passive design aspects - such as improved air quality, access to natural daylighting and biophilic design - that have a high impact, because they support the health of everyone who passes through the space. Put another way, just by moving through or spending time in the building, you receive the benefits.
Additionally, as recently noted by Dr. Joseph G. Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “proper ventilation, filtration and humidity reduce the spread of pathogens.” Dr. Allen suggests four strategies for properly managing buildings to help fight the spread of disease:
Bring in additional outdoor air to help dilute airborne contaminants.
Where possible, enhance air filtration / purification.
Consider utilizing humidifiers, as appropriate.
Frequently clean high-touch surfaces.
Building certification standards can also serve as a framework for analyzing and instituting strategies to support human health and wellness. And with our WELL AP credential, we are acutely aware of the many support services buildings can provide. Two resources created by the International Well Building Institute are available here and here, and we continue to support innovation of building materials that can minimize the spread of microbes on high-touch surfaces.
It is also important to keep in mind one aspect of wellness that is often overlooked - the loneliness epidemic. The isolation that can be necessary during this time can also take a significant toll. Reach out to family, friends and colleagues by phone or text to foster community and connectedness, while adhering to appropriate guidelines.
At Sustainable Strategies, we are doing our part by increasing our focus on creation of educational content that can be accessed and delivered remotely. That way, we can share our knowledge with a broader audience while supporting those who need to avoid large groups. History teaches us that times like this can be fertile grounds for innovation, and we are doubling down on our commitment to drive deeply sustainable outcomes though robust risk management and quality educational content.
We will provide more information on our educational products soon, and hope the resources we have shared here provide additional support for the communities we reach. One free resource - our presentation as a part of the Leading Innovation at Work, Wellness at Work series - is currently accessible through the link in our March 10, 2020 blog post, here.
As always, if you have questions, ideas or feedback, please reach out to nicole@sustainablestrategiespllc.com.
Be well,
Sustainable Strategies