Green Buildings can improve employee health and bring wellness says a report launched at Greenbuild India conference 2017

Mumbai, India, January30, 2017 –U.S. Green Building Council; GBCI and Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL) unveiled a report, titled ‘Future at work- Wellness in the built environment’ at the Greenbuild India 2017 Conference & Expo. The report highlights the importance of wellness at the workplace and how one can enhance the health and wellbeing of employees.

Future at work- ‘Wellness in the built environment’ details that the physical and social environment play an important role on an individual’s health as most time is spent indoors, either at the workplace or at home. Nearly 90% of time is spent indoors, amongst which 40% would be at workplaces.

According to Ms Mili Majumdar, Managing Director, Green Business Certification Institute and Sr. Vice President – U.S. Green Building Council adds, “In the past few weeks, public concern about the quality of the air we breathe has been growing. With buildings and transportation being the two biggest drivers of emissions on the planet, green building rating systems—such as LEED— emphasize new designs and practices that foster all aspects of a clean, safe environment, including air quality, reduced energy consumption, water preservation and sustainable transportation. To this regard, LEED, has always been rooted in human health and LEED-certified buildings are beneficial to the health and well-being of their occupants as they contribute to reduced sickness and disease, faster healing, and greater productivity. With an increased awareness on green buildings and employee’s health, we hope that the government and corporates give the built environment in which one works utmost importance as it is not difficult for an organization to achieve employee well-being”.

Some of these key elements and takeaways from the report that enhance the health and wellbeing of employees are listed below:

• The use of Circadian Lighting- The changing colour and intensity of the sunlight across the day helps in production levels of melatonin, which helps in increasing alertness
• In an ideal corporate environment, employees sit and work for long and continuous hours which is harmful and may lead to skeletal disorders, heart diseases, obesity and diabetes thus its recommended to stand/walk and sit in the ratio of 15:85 or 30:70 based on individual preferences
• Globally one in eight premature deaths are caused by air pollution thus the design of ventilation system needs to be more intricate and intriguing so that it eliminates the pollutants, microbes and provide fresh and treated air
• A healthy sleeping pattern plays a key role in shaping the productivity of the next day, getting a sufficient amount of sleep not only helps in being productive but also keeps the long-term health risks such as cardiovascular diseases, poor immune response and depression in check
• Humans have a tendency to connect with nature making them psychologically happy. A few steps which help in reducing stress is by providing natural light, quiet working spaces, indoor plants, external views, bright colours, material choice, intricate design & patterns