magazine
businessinfomag.uk
38
Lighting
Buildings, lighting
and wellbeing
Environmental factors are known to
have an impact on health, well-being
and productivity in the workplace,
from air quality and temperature to
the type of seating provided. Light is
another important consideration – and
it does more than just help you see.
A report by theWorld Green
Building Council,
HealthWellbeing and
Productivity in Offices: The Next Chapter
for Green Building
, references a number
of studies that show a link between
lighting and the health and satisfaction
of office workers.
One, published in the
Journal of
Sleep and Sleep Disorders Research
,
demonstrates a strong relationship
between workplace daylight exposure
and the sleep, activity and quality
of life of office workers. Those with
windows received 173% more white
light exposure and slept an average of
46 minutes longer per night, while those
without windows achieved lower scores
on key quality of life metrics.
Architects and designers are
increasingly taking account of
such research and designing office
buildings in accordance with a variety
of standards developed to promote
sustainability and wellbeing.
One such is the theWELL Building
Standard introduced in 2013 by the
International Well Building Institute
(IWBI), a public benefit corporation that
believes people’s health and wellness
should be central to building design.
As the first professionals accredited
to the programme start to influence
design in their organisations (see
box),
Business Info
spoke to Nathan
Stodola, IWBI’s Vice President of Product
Development, to find out more about
theWELL standard and, more specifically,
about how light affects the performance
and happiness of office workers.
Business Info (BI):
Please could you
tell me more about theWELL Building
Standard and what you hope to
achieve with its development?
Nathan Stodola (NS):
People spend
more than 90% of their time indoors – in
homes and offices, schools, retail stores,
fitness centres, healthcare facilities and
more – which means that buildings, and
everything in them, can have a profound
effect on human health and well-being.
TheWELL Building Standard (WELL)
is the first building standard to focus
exclusively on the health and wellness
of the people in buildings. It marries
best practices in design and construction
with evidence-based medical and
scientific research, harnessing the built
environment as a vehicle to support
human health and wellbeing.WELL sets
performance requirements in seven
categories relevant to occupant health
and wellbeing: air, water, nourishment,
light, fitness, comfort and mind.WELL
Certified spaces can help create a built
environment that improves the nutrition,
fitness, mood, sleep patterns and
performance of its occupants. Through
The effect of light on office workers is a key consideration in a new
building standard that prioritises the health and wellbeing of occupants
In addition to theWELL standard,
IWBI has developed theWELL
Accredited Professional (WELL
AP) program for professionals
who are dedicated to supporting
human health and wellbeing
in the built environment. To
become aWELL AP, candidates
must pass an exam on theWELL
Building Standard.
One of the first people in
the UK to become aWELL
AP is Michael Dariane, Senior
Sustainability Consultant at
multi-disciplinary engineering
consultancy Hilson Moran.
He said: “We spend much
of our day in the office so
it’s important to work in an
environment that is conducive
to our health and wellbeing. It’s
great to have a performance-
based, industry-recognised
system that measures, certifies
and monitors the impact of our
built environment. I’m proud to
be one of the first in the UK to
attain theWELL AP credential and
look forward to applying this into
future projects.”
After studying the principles,
practices and applications of the
WELL Building Standard, Dariane
is in no doubt about the effect
that lighting has on employee
wellbeing and productivity.
“Light influences the body’s
circadian rhythm, as well as
its physiological processes,”
he said. “As it keeps the body
synchronised, it also affects
energy levels and sleep patterns.
An excessive amount of light
in the evenings, for example,
can cause the body’s daily cycle
to shift and delay. Adequate
lighting design can reduce these
effects and disruptions in order
to improve workers’ productivity
and alertness.”
He added: “TheWELL
standard takes into account
design inclusions, such as the
positioning of workstations in
relation to windows for access
to daylight and shading and
dimming controls to reduce
solar glare. Other best practice
lighting designs include low-glare
workstations, walls and ceilings
and ensuring a minimum lux level
is maintained throughout work
areas. These can all contribute
to employee wellbeing and
comfort.”
WELL progressive
Michael Dariane, Senior
Sustainability Consultant,
Hilson Moran
Nathan Stodola,
Vice President,
Product
Development,
IWBI
