Retooling Buildings to Combat Mental Fatigue

Today’s post explores the delicate topic of mental health and the balance that must be struck as we envision a timely return to workplaces, places of leisure & entertainment and cities in general, as people start to come out of hiding.

"The High Line" by Trey Ratcliff is licensed under CC BY 2.0

It’s been a long haul. As every city, region, country determines its own course of action over the coming weeks, and the pandemic moves into what many people hope will be an endemic state, what can be said about the human situation? There has been so much as a society to overcome, from the crisis facing hospitals, to the economy, to civil unrest, to shortfalls in supply, to an existential crisis facing workplaces.

We have been trying to get back to some version of normalcy for so long that it is easy to forget about the trepidation that many will have re-emerging from the pandemic. But this is a very real problem facing many organizations right now, and pretty much every asset class will be affected.

Levels of anxiety and depression have spiked over the course of the past two years. As many as 1 in 5 Canadians report high levels of mental stress (survey by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). About 4 in 10 adults in the US were reporting symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, according to a KFF Health Tracking Poll.

These figures are mind-blowing and will tax an already over-stressed and under-resourced mental health system. A lot of additional pressure is going to be put on workplaces and the environments that people frequently need to visit, as they adjust to new routines. In addition to finding new ways to enhance the experience of these places and entice people to return, operators will have to proactively deal with the growing concerns over mental health.

A 2021 report, “A New Investor Consensus: The Rising Demand for Healthy Buildings,” by BentallGreenOak (BGO), the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), and the Center for Active Design, underscores the need to act quickly. The study found that 92% of the world’s leading real estate investors expect demand for healthy buildings to grow in the next three years and the same number of respondents also said they plan to enhance their company’s health and wellness strategies. This puts the onus squarely on owners and operators to ensure buildings are contributing to positive, long-term health.

Joanna Frank, President and CEO of the Center of Active Design, who operates Fitwel, the leading certification system for healthy buildings, reveals the demand for their flagship offering has staggeringly increased since the start of the pandemic. They saw a 325% increase in certifications in 2021 over the previous year. Fitwel takes a holistic approach to measuring all aspects of health - physical, mental, and social wellbeing. According to Frank:

“COVID turned ‘health’ into a risk for businesses. And because risk management and mitigation are essential to the real estate sector, developers and investors are waking up to the distinct understanding that they must use human health as a baseline for business decisions. The pandemic obviously impacted physical health, but also mental health. Nearly every attribute of a building impacts occupants’ mental health: location, occupants’ access to daylight, indoor air quality, and more. There's a responsibility on the people who create the built environment to protect and promote all physical, mental, and social aspects of health. It’s no longer a portfolio of buildings, but a portfolio of places where people live, work, eat, learn, heal and congregate.”

Much of the recent focus on health and wellness in these environments has been directed towards operational considerations. Many building owners have had to pivot during the pandemic to offer a list of wellness features, such as proper air ventilation and filtration, improving indoor air quality, heightened awareness around hygiene and cleaning procedures as well as prudent management of shared spaces.

While these measures contribute to enhancing safety in the workplace, there are many other factors that come in to play. Many organizations are considering their own versions of remote or hybrid work policies, and with it comes a ton of planning and steps towards effective implementation. There is an immediate priority in bringing people back to work in a safe and organized manner, communicating and implementing all policies and procedural changes effectively.

As people confront various policies and levels of comfort around physical distancing, the feeling of coming back to a collaborative work hub may not be quite the same. How many people will co-locate? How will flexibility and a variety of spaces for people to accomplish their work be achieved?

There are still a lot of questions, which will warrant some level of experimentation and relearning. As this occurs, organizations will want to ensure they go far enough in improving the mental health benefits of the spaces they own and operate.

In a previous article for BOMA, I expanded on a few areas of enhancement that I think landlords should be thinking about to ensure enriching experiences for people. Enhancements that help engage community, provide a sense of purpose, enable vibrant corporate culture and social interaction. Here I will provide some real-world examples that I think are worthy of merit:

Outdoor community life

People have rediscovered their connection to the outdoors by integrating experiences such as being closer to nature or urban walking into their everyday patterns and rituals. Workplaces can embellish this trend through programs or partnerships with local walker collectives and creating provisions for urban walkers and bikers. By integrating outdoor amenity areas, flexible gathering and seating zones or activating underutilized areas through placemaking or programming, will allow properties to distinguish themselves as destinations for these types of enthusiasts.

Many cities boast urban walking collectives and groups promoting physical and social health benefits. Cities like Denver tout several urban trails where you can hike to see mountain views from inside the city (coffee in hand of course), or places like San Francisco with its natural topography. Nashville has a number of art walks throughout the city and partnerships with local business. Calgary has a publicly-accessible, walkable, elevated ‘+15’ system that crosses many of the city’s landmarks, arts and cultural venues and which is directly connected to its office buildings.

Extending the seasons

Consider expanding capacity for diners or office patrons through expanded patio space, laneway or sidewalk reclamation, seasonal shelters and seasonally adjusted programming. The seasonal Al Fresco dining experience at Macallan Manor House or a temporary outdoor lounge under the main canopy of the Savoy hotel in London, UK are great places to sit and revel in the history of these locations. Better yet, establish a locally-sourced, healthy food program or farmer’s market and integrate indoor and outdoor dining spaces as part of a property-wide initiative.

Engaging the senses

Whether taking a break, getting creative or finding something new, experience-centred places should activate the senses. People need common break out areas to chill out and get mindful. Paley Park in NYC is a great place to step away from the bustle. It’s a sound-controlled space, beautifully enhanced through the sound of water falling.

"Paley Park, New York" by Aleksandr Zykov is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Excursions between home and work

Catering to a more flexible work environment is key. Co-located amenities and services will allow for more cross-property programming. Hotel lobbies, such as the Ace in NYC used by the neighboring population as work lounge is just the start. Think about common areas as community spaces that will be used by local people in the neighborhood for meetups, as work lounges or events space.

Small crowds

There is a renewed emphasis on what can be achieved within small groups and through local networks. Designing spaces that accommodate different workstyle settings and preferences is key. The social club concept such as Soho House, has adopted a philosophy for their members of providing different settings for work, dining and socialization, with few boundaries between. It is not about attracting large numbers of people but providing intimacy and a sense of connection among its guests. Each space is characterized a little differently and each location offers varying levels of experience and feel.

Nourishing social capital

Participation in socially-relevant causes and the creation of meaningful platforms for local businesses, artists and grass-roots community will be drivers of future workplaces. Organizations need to be visible supporters of these endeavors. Programming ground-level spaces, or vacant storefronts with community pop-ups or artist in residence spaces can be a great way to deliver social impact and animate empty space at the same time. In some jurisdictions, incentives such as grant funding or property tax rebates are offered for offering rent-reduced space for these kinds of initiatives.

If you want to learn about Fitwel certification, you can find out more here. Fitwel just recently announced its Best in Building Health award winners, which includes the best-of-the-best in the industry who are leading the way to promote occupant health and wellbeing through the built environment.

Will Craig is a Principal and the global chair of the Lifescape team for architecture and design firm Kasian and author of this post.

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