How Can We Realize the Dream of Healthy Buildings?

Date: 24 November, 2015

Location: Arup Associates,37F, 1045 Huaihai Middle Road,Near Xiangyang Road,Shanghai

Organised by Arup Associates, Shanghai

We've long believed that "our body is a temple," but when do we start to treat our "temples" as bodies?

It's becoming more the case that the spaces we occupy are no longer static containers, but systems that must react with us just as we react to them. Even slight changes in our surroundings, be it temperature or indoor air quality, can have drastic effects on our mental, physical or emotional well-being. And while these effects can be subtle and subconscious, it encourages architects to direct their consciousness to designing buildings that account for their inhabitants.

Pioneering workplaces around the globe have turned to workplace design experts to maximize their employees' well-being and, in turn, their companies' productivity and success. These same healthy design principles can be applied anywhere, from the office and home, to the schoolroom and public spaces of all kinds. Foresighted urban planners are even looking to implement healthy design on large scales in order to build healthier, happier cities. This forum will discuss the personal impact of the spaces we inhabit, and the responsibilities of architects designing buildings that work with our bodies.

How do people react unconsciously to our spaces? How do architects design space to increase well-being? How can we know what materials to use and what materials to avoid? What can individuals do to increase their own well-being in their homes and workplaces? How can the strategies of healthy interior design translate into urban planning?

http://greeninitiatives.cn/event/forum-arup-nov15