The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings
Explore the market drivers and impact of building design and construction on occupant health, well-being, and productivity in The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings, a research report from AIA and McGraw Hill.
Design impacts & market influences
Architects and designers are increasingly aware of the connection between the design of buildings and the health of those who work or live in them. However medical professionals are much less likely to perceive this relationship. This has consequences because doctors are less likely to help patients understand how better home and office design may reduce symptoms or return visits to the doctor.
Closing this gap should be a major priority for us as we work to improve public understanding of how building design can promote better health, according to a 2014 SmartMarket Report done with the AIA by Dodge Data & Analytics, formerly McGraw-Hill Construction. Medical practitioners can be powerful advocates for healthier building design, according to the report.
In addition to recruiting doctors as allies, the report recommends:
- Increasing demand for healthier building design through greater public awareness of the impact.
- Developing better tools and methodologies to measure the impact.
- Encouraging codes and incentives to emphasize healthier building practices.
The report contains data to help you compare your practice against your peers. It found that firms doing more green work are more likely to report the influence of health on their decisions.
Download this report and use it to inform your work for clients, shape the way you advocate to policymakers, and reinforce the way you talk about architecture to the public.
Download The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings
New in 2024! Access the AIA Materials Pledge By the Numbers report—tracking firm signatory progress on positive material specification.
