BSRIA Briefing looks at wellbeing in buildings
Delivering ‘wellbeing’ in buildings is more than ensuring that buildings ‘do no harm’ but to go beyond that to achieve buildings that ‘do good’ according to BSRIA’s new technical director Lynne Ceeney speaking at last month’s BSRIA Briefing ‘Making buildings better’. However, while wellbeing is a hot topic, she explained that there is no universally accepted definition for it — partly because wellbeing depends on context and task.
She suggested that it is probably easier to understand the opposite — in that people can say what is stopping them from feeling great but find it harder to say what is actually giving them a sense of wellbeing.
Whatever wellbeing is, it is clear that workers are more resilient and productive and cost employers less when they have a sense of wellbeing. She said, ‘In essence, where you work and how you feel is important.’
Lynne Ceeney highlighted two specific factors. One was hygiene factors, which need to be minimised or removed. The other was motivation factors, which need to be added or improved to get the best from workers. She stressed, ‘It is not enough to do one without the other — one must do good.’
She continued, ‘The first of these is measurable, and should be the easiest, yet we still get it wrong.’
Even with as simple a matter as internal temperature, she explained that there is no setting to suit everyone.’
She suggested that Soft Landings can be of benefit, with discussions with the end customer and organisations that will own or lease the buildings being helpful. To encourage them to require Soft Landings as part of the procurement process so they are more involved from the beginning of the design and construction process — ‘not just picking up the pieces at the end.’
In the end, there is no substitute for tuning a building and providing flexibility and user controls. Hotels, for example, often have standard settings.
