Sustainable buildings are not only fancy façades
When we hear the term sustainable buildings we usually think of something environmental-friendly with innovative materials and a lot of plants.
However, green buildings are the result of the combination of three elements which are defined as The Triple Bottom Line and involve environmental, economic, and social factors. This term was first used in the book Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business by John Elkington in 1997. These three dimensions of sustainable construction summarize costs, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, and community involvement.
Buildings keep sprawling despite the lack of space in urban areas. Constructions started increasing its density affecting our perception of the environment. By 2050, over 70% of us will live in cities [1]. But are our buildings ready?
As neighborhoods kept expanding, also more schools, hospitals and offices were needed, compromising indoor space and comfort for its occupants while implicitly decreasing the level of satisfaction and performance of people.
A study from the Vancouver School of Economics found that people living in rural areas and small towns were significantly happier, as they experience shorter commutes, tighter social circles, and less expensive housing [2]. But how could people from megacities achieve the same happiness as people from rural areas, if it is in the cities where all the social hubs happen to be? It is simple, by adapting our built environment and creating sustainable spaces with a holistic approach.
The performance-based system of The WELL Building Standard breaks down the social factor of the triple bottom line by measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of buildings that have an impact on human health and wellbeing, to achieve human sustainability.
The features of the built environment that impact human health and wellbeing are air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.
WELL Building Standard summarizes the concepts needed to create a friendly and healthy environment. For instance, strategies for better illumination not only include window performance but also design, location, and orientation, to have the optimal amount of light. These strategies have a direct impact on our comfort and efficient energy use in the building envelope.
We are facing an urgent need to adapt our indoor spaces to increase human sustainability and enhance our cities as we spend most of our time inside of buildings. Charles Darwin once said “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change”; and our wellbeing is calling for a change.
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*Author’s own images.
[1] United Nations.
[2] How Happy are Your Neighbours? Variation in Life Satisfaction among 1200 Canadian Neighbourhoods and Communities, by John F. Helliwell, Hugh Shiplett, Christopher P. Barrington-Leigh, Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia.
