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Many buildings today are designed to be more than attractive and functional; they’re also designed to improve occupants’ health. When it comes to health, new research indicates that where people spend their time can be as big a factor as sleep, diet or exercise. This is influencing project designs. Buildings with sustainable elements have been shown to improve occupants’ cognitive function and sleep quality.

Architects are using a variety of features to help make buildings healthier places for people. Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington, uses calming gardens and window positions to bring in natural light. Cascades Academy in Bend blurs the difference between outdoor and indoor spaces in an effort to lure students outdoors. The Daimler Trucks North America headquarters in Portland has walking trails to entice employees to move during the day.

鈥淲e’re doing things that were impossible 10 years ago,鈥� said Aly Pierce, interior designer at Hennebery Eddy Architects. 鈥淭en years ago, nobody wanted to do low volatile organic compounds (VOC) paint. Now, people are seeing the benefits.鈥�

Attempts to address health issues in design has led to the development of the Well Building Standard. Similar to Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design ratings, Well Building Standards focus on how design incorporates the health of a building’s users.

鈥淎rchitects are taking a more global view,鈥� said Herb Giffin, a principal at GBJ Architecture. 鈥淲e’re not only thinking about healthier buildings on the inside, but also on the outside.鈥�

A 2016 Harvard University study looked at 10 high-performing buildings in five cities across the United States. The goal was to look at the relationship between a building’s conditions and occupants’ well-being and productivity.

The study found that workers that were in 鈥済reen certified鈥� environments scored 26 percent higher in cognitive tests, had 30 percent fewer symptoms of 鈥渟ick building鈥� syndrome and got 6 percent better quality of sleep.

One of the factors that had the biggest impact on workers’ well-being and productivity, the study found, was lighting. Brighter, blue-enriched lighting, such as daylighting, improved workers’ circadian rhythms that led to better sleep qualities and higher cognitive functions the next day.

鈥淲e have seen a huge incorporation of natural daylight in building designs,鈥� Giffin said.

One of the biggest challenges when designing a new work space can be allowing natural light into artificial structures.

鈥淚n an administrative space, you are still trying to get them natural light,鈥� said Jason Mullavey, a project manager at JRJ Architects. 鈥淲e are always asking how can you get natural lighting in? How do you get lighting levels right?鈥�

Another critical factor, according to the Harvard study, is ventilation. Workers in environmental conditions within the thermal comfort zone defined by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers showed a 5.4 percent higher cognitive function than those in environments outside of that zone.

鈥淎ir filtration has become a big issue,鈥� Mullavey said. 鈥淭here has been a move lately to use natural ventilation. How can we open this up?鈥�

Buildings’ internal environments also are affected by how much off-gassing occurs. Off-gassing creates that 鈥渘ew car鈥� smell that automobile buyers find so intoxicating. Unfortunately, that smell isn’t so innocuous. Whether in cars or buildings, it occurs when newly manufactured items like furnishings, paints or plastics release VOCs and other chemicals into the air. Prolonged exposure can cause headaches, blurry vision, nausea and prompt asthma attacks.

People for decades have searched for ways to mitigate off-gassing. Many of the chemicals used in today’s manufacturing processes have never been tested for their effects on people or animals.

That has led architects to take a closer look at the products they use. Fortunately, the popularity of LEED has prompted manufacturers to be more proactive about what they use in their products.

鈥淭he industry has been moving away from off-gassing,鈥� Giffin said. 鈥淲e use more stringent air filtration. When a product is LEED certified, we can be more confident about what is in it.鈥�

Regulations have also helped. Paint, one of the biggest sources of off-gassing, now has to meet federal rules in regard to how much vapor it can release. Regulations, combined with manufacturers’ desire to appeal to builders of LEED-rated structures, have produced better products.

鈥淚t’s gotten easier,鈥� Giffin said. 鈥淲ith the information manufacturers provide today, you can compare materials like you are at a grocery store.鈥�

Interior design has also begun factoring in a building users’ health and well-being. Desks, once the epitome of the sedentary lifestyle, are changing. New styles promote standing or allowing a combination of both sitting and standing.

A 2016 study by the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Texas A&M University found that workers using a standing desk showed a 45 percent increase in productivity compared to their seated co-workers.

鈥淕etting people off their fannies is big,鈥� said Andrea Bainbridge, owner of Bainbridge. 鈥淭here has been an evolution. About 20 years ago they had a huge push for ergonomics. Now it’s about giving users much more control over their environment.鈥�

It isn’t a new phenomenon. An 1883 article in Popular Science encouraged workers to get on their feet as a way to relieve indigestion.

鈥淪itting all day is bad for your health,鈥� Bainbridge said. 鈥淕etting people moving is a big aspect to having a healthier building.鈥�

Another change is how interiors are now arranged. When Bainbridge began designing interior work spaces 40 years ago, most were small, 8-foot-by-8-foot cubicles designed for people to sit at a desk all day. Today’s office designs are more open with better views.

鈥淪itting is the new smoking,鈥� Pierce said.

Another factor that affects which elements find their way into a design is the type of building that is being constructed. An office building has far different occupants than a health care facility or a school.

鈥淲hat we use really varies dependent upon the population type,鈥� said Thane Eddington, an architect with PKA Architects.

Dealing with those different populations can limit an architect’s options.

鈥淚n health care, everyone wants hard surfaces,鈥� Mullavey said. 鈥淭he question is how to warm those spaces up.鈥�

Usually that means using soothing colors or building a calm space. The key is making sure the design meets the needs of occupants.

In the end, architects know that design has limits as to the effect it can have on building users’ health.

鈥淎rchitecture can only do so much,鈥� Eddington said. 鈥淎t some point it boils down to people in the building.鈥�