Building owners, developers, managers and investors in the US are increasingly interested in creating healthier buildings – with many already starting to see the business benefits of doing so, according to a new report by Dodge Data & Analytics, on which the Word Green Building Council was a research partner.
The report, The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings 2016, produced in partnership with the Canada Green Building Council and Delos, suggests that the US is poised for wider adoption of building practices that prioritise the physical, mental and social well-being of tenants and occupants.
The report states that the top five healthier building features currently in use include better lighting/daylighting exposure, products that enhance thermal comfort, spaces that enhance social interaction, enhanced air quality and products that enhance acoustical comfort.
Other key US findings of the report include:
The report was primarily focused on the US and Canada, with the Canada Green Building Council producing a subset of the report: Healthier Buildings in Canada 2016: Transforming Building Design and Construction. This found that nearly half of Canadian commercial building owners (46 percent) say they are able to lease space more quickly in buildings with healthy features, and of the owners that report they see a positive impact on the value of their buildings with healthier practices, over one third (38 percent) see an increase of seven percent or more.
Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the CaGBC, said:
“Over the last ten years we’ve seen a big shift in emphasis on reducing the environmental impacts of buildings and enhancing occupant health and wellness. I am pleased to see that the Healthier Buildings in Canada report confirms that Canadian owners are noticing how healthier building practices can benefit their bottom line.”
But there was also some analysis and comparison of global trends on health and wellbeing in the main report.
Key findings here include:
In 2013, Delos launched the International WELL Building Institute, which is a sponsor of WorldGBC’s Better Places for People campaign on heath and wellbeing in green buildings. The International WELL Building Institute administers the WELL Building Standard, the building standard which focuses exclusively on human health and wellness.
The U.S. Green Building Council also provided key support on the report.
Download the full study, The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings 2016: Tactical Intelligence to Transform Building Design and Construction SmartMarket Report.
You can also download the Canadian subset report, Healthier Buildings in Canada 2016: Transforming Building Design and Construction, here.