Creating a comprehensive framework for design, construction and management of healthy buildings

Energy and Buildings, vol. 324, pp. 114883

Abstract

• Holistic and comprehensive Healthy Buildings framework. • Five healthy buildings dimensions that are interrelated. • 12 case studies tested on the dimensions and associated indicators of the framework. • National and EU-wide data tracking on indicators. • Future research should explore framework application in various building types. While healthy buildings are investigated in academic research, practice, and policy, they often fail to address the needs and gaps due to insufficient knowledge transfer between them. Moreover, there is no general definition of healthy buildings that could act as a reference for different stakeholders of the building sector. Therefore, this paper presents a novel framework for healthy buildings and a definition for compiling existing knowledge and addressing the needs and gaps. The holistic approach of the framework was developed through an extensive literature review and tested with 12 building case studies in the major European climate zones. The framework outlines five different dimensions (improving mental and physical health, designed for human needs, sustainably built and managed, resilient and adaptive, empowering people), including 24 indicators and sub-indicators. The validation of the framework revealed that it is possible to assess different building projects against different indicators under each dimension. However, challenges remain due to issues such as lack of time, cost of data collection, or lack of documentation. The developed framework provides a balanced approach that promotes both individual well-being and broader sustainability goals. It provides necessary guidance to inform practitioners and policy makers as well as other building sector stakeholders to integrate healthy buildings thinking into their project development, assessment, and decision making.

Authors 7

1. Essam Elnagar corresponding

   Buildings Performance Institute Europe

   Affiliation as printed

   Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), Brussels, Belgium

2. Caroline Düvier

   Buildings Performance Institute Europe

   Affiliation as printed

   Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), Brussels, Belgium

3. Sheikh Zuhaib

   Buildings Performance Institute Europe

   Affiliation as printed

   Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), Brussels, Belgium

4. Jens Christoffersen
   Affiliation as printed

   Knowledge Centre for Daylight, Energy & Indoor Climate, Velux A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark

   Velux Danmark A/S, DK

5. Corinne Mandin

   Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), Fontenay-aux-Roses, France

6. Marcel Schweiker Aachen Healthy Living Spaces Lab Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine Medical Faculty

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Healthy Living Spaces Lab, Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

7. Pawel L. Wargocki corresponding

   Technical University of Denmark

   Affiliation as printed

   International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Department of Environment and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark

   Technical University of Denmark, Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, DK