The Happy Design Toolkit, page 13
While we may not be able to recreate dense woodland In urban environments, a greater quantity of trees in towns and cities still has an impact, having even been shown to reduce crime in some studies. One such study demonstrated that areas of Chicago with a 10% greater tree canopy were associated with 11.3% lower assault, robbery and narcotics rates - results that were mirrored in Baltimore, New Haven and Vancouver.13 There may, of course, be a connection between increased tree canopies and more affluent communities, but it seems clear that for one reason or another, people are prepared to pay more to live in an area with more trees, which suggests some perceived improvement in quality of life either way.
Trees Carr also be brought into buildings, providing even more direct contact with nature to their users. In such situations, it is important to consider issues' Such as root spread, access to water and exposure to daylight, as a dying tree is certainly pot all that uplifting!
Design tips
1 Not all trees are right for all environments, and in fact the wrong species of tree can sometimes do more harm than good. Use an arborist or horticulturist to help you select the right species for your site.
2 From a mental wellbeing perspective, there are arguments in favour of both deciduous and evergreens: deciduous trees allow us to experience the changing of the seasons, giving a good reference to time, whereas evergreens offer a more permanent green element within a landscape.
3 Ultimately, it should come down to what works best in the context, unless the goal is 'making a statement”, encouraging people to stop and engage with it deliberately or to provoke a specific moment or joy.
4 Be aware of which tree species might be prolific pollinators, and the potential impact this could have on allergies - especially if being used in enclosed spaces.
Internal water features
They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.'
- HERMANN HESSE, AUTHOR AND POET
Figure 4.3: Dám lôc House, Vietnam, by V+studio
Potential mental wellbeing benefits
► Nature interaction
► Improved air quality
► Moments of joy / awe
► Mindfulness opportunity
► Physical comfort
Potential issues and considerations
► Acoustics
► Maintenance
► Hygiene
► Air quality risks
To humans, water is one of the most important substances on earth, being crucial for our survival. While this importance is recognised by its inclusion as one of the ten core Concepts of the WELL Building Standard, sadly an enormous 80% of all illness in poorer countries is still water-related.
Water has a deeper cultural importance for us too. Early humans settled near water for other reasons: to allow them to trade and travel more easily, irrigate their crops and wash themselves and their belongings. It has even been argued that our early ancestors' migratory behaviours may have been driven by changes in rain and weather patterns.14 Water can also create powerful emotions, whether it is the crashing of an ocean, the calmness of a great lake or the awe we feel standing at the foot of an enormous waterfall.
With all these factors considered, it is perhaps no surprise that researchers tend to find that water benefits us psychologically. A 2019 study showed that people who live in close proximity to the coast are less likely to report issues such as depression and anxiety.15 While it could be argued that this is because houses near the sea are generally more expensive, actually the study revealed that water was especially important to low-income households, who were around 40% less likely to exhibit symptoms of mental illness if they lived near the coast.
Experts such as marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols are now talking about the concept of 'blue health' or 'the blue mind phenomenon', as a way of describing the various wellbeing benefits of blue spaces like oceans, lakes and risers.16 Many argue that we enter a mildly meditative state when spending time on or near water, which can lower stress and heart rate, make us more creative and conversational, and even improve our sleep.
However, given that we can't always give people views of oceans or lakes, can we instead bring water into buildings to offer direct 'blue health’ benefits? Despite studies showing that interior water features are perceived as calming by the vast majority of people, they are often dismissed as too costly or challenging by clients or contractors.17
Indoor water features can also offer physical comfort benefits to the environment, as a way to moderate temperature, combat dry air and promote air movement, all of which can be particularly helpful in hot, arid climates. Furthermore, they can be fantastic natural noise attenuators, creating a gentle background 'white noise’ effect, thus improving the acoustic comfort of busy spaces.
Design tips
1 Locate water features in places where they will be visible to larger numbers of occupants, maximising the visual nature benefit.
2 Consider the potential positive (or negative) impacts of sound - a gentle background gurgle can be calming, but excessive noise can be distracting.
3 When including internal water features, be aware of maintenance and monitoring requirements due to issues like calcium deposits, oxidation and algae growth, and create a healthy maintenance strategy, avoiding harsh chemicals like bleach.
4 Be aware of other possible impacts, such as a potential increase in internal humidity. While this may be desirable in some locations, in others strategies may be needed to mitigate this.
External growing areas and allotments
Gardening simply does not allow one to be mentally old, because too many hopes and dreams are yet to be realized
' - ALLAN ARMITAGE, HORTICULTURALIST
Figure 4.4: Hackney School of Food, London, UK, by Surman Weston
Potential mental wellbeing benefits
► Nature interaction
► Identity / self-worth
► Increased autonomy
► Environmental benefits
► Mindfulness opportunity
Potential issues and considerations
► Space requirements
► Maintenance
► Structural issues
Early humans existed in 'hunter-gatherer' societies - that is, they were largely nomadic people, and almost all their food was obtained by foraging for wild plants or catching and killing wild animals. This began to change around 12,000 years ago, during the Neolithic Revolution, when most cultures adapted farming in lieu Of foraging, leading to more settled agricultural populations across the globe.18
The importance of this global change is difficult to overstate. It laid the groundwork for what we know as modern society, allowing populations to rapidly expand and to create fixed homes. In fact, without farming it is fair to say that cities as we know them would not exist, as Carolyn Steel explains in her book Hungry City.19
A fairly major downside of this is our modern-day dependence on agriculture and the global food chain. Today we are largely ignorant of where our food comes from and the processes involved in greeting it, which has made us underestimate the importance of it, while simultaneously becoming overconfident of our ability to access cheap, plentiful sustenance at the tap of a contactless debit card.
A survey in 2017 showed that under a fifth of all adults in the UK now grow their own fruit or vegetables.20 This figure is perhaps surprising when we consider how many wellbeing benefits there are to growing our own food. For a start, when we do so, we know everything that has gone into it, instantly allaying any concerns about modern supply chains. We also know that it has almost the smallest carbon footprint food is possible to have.
The mental health benefits of growing bur own food extend far beyond reducing these anxieties and have been widely researched and documented in recent years.21 This is perhaps unsurprising when we consider the multifarious benefits of gardening: it puts us in close proximity to nature; makes us more active; gives us better control over our diet and lifestyle; and creates opportunities for social interaction. Perhaps, most importantly, it can provide a genuine sense of achievement and something to look forward to next week, next season or next year. As a result, many mental health charities are now offering horticultural therapy, such as 'Thrive', who claim that 80% of people taking part report better mental health, with 93% reporting better confidence and motivation.22
An External growing area doesn't need to be large or costly. It could be as simple as some growing bags or fabric pots on a balcony. It needn't be restricted to residential buildings either. The WELL Building Standard awards points for growing areas in office buildings due to the benefits they can offer staff. Rooftop areas can work Well due to generally Warmer temperatures, although issues such as wind and structural loading will need to be considered. Finally, it's just as important to design-in space for tools and gardening supplies; without these even the most green-fingered gardeners Will struggle!
It would be remiss not to say that we can't address all our food needs by turning our gardens Or terraces into mini farms. One study showed that if every homeowner in Seattle turned their lawn into edible plants, it Would only produce enough food for around 1% of the city’s residents.23 However, while the crop yields may be minimal, the impact on our mental health of growing our own food can be significant.
Design tips
1 Location is key. Roofs can often work well, as they have good exposure to daylight and temperature is generally higher, allowing for growth of more tropical vegetable plants such as aubergines, peppers and tomatoes.
2 A courtyard, garden space or even a small balcony can also work, although be aware that many plants need to be sheltered from the wind, so some form of windbreak may be required.
3 Growing bags or pots can be one possible approach for growing areas on roofs or terraces; they give the ability to reduce loading and can be moved around if needed.
4 In terms of sizing, WELL recommends around 1ft2 per employee or 15ft2 per home.
5 Supplies, tools and space to store them are vital and often overlooked - remember to factor them into your projects.
Internal growing areas
To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.'
- ALFRED AUSTIN, POET
Figure 4.5: Growing Underground urban farm, London, UK
Potential mental wellbeing benefits
► Nature interaction
► Identity / self-worth
► Increased autonomy
► Environmental benefits
► Mindfulness opportunity
Potential issues and considerations
► Space requirements
► Maintenance
► Structural issues
► Specialist input useful
It is all well and good promoting the benefits of gardening for our mental health, but what should we as designers do when outdoor spaces are not available to us?
Throughout the 1900s there was a global boom in residential tower blocks, so much so that they have now become synonymous with urban living. While tower blocks offer some advantages over traditional housing, there are also many issues associated with high-rise living, particularly when no private amenity space such as balconies or terraces are provided. As we have already read in Chapter 3, one in eight people in the United Kingdom have no access to outdoor space, whether private or shared, so this is clearly a very real problem, even in the twenty-first century.
However, if you do find yourself faced with this challenge as either a designer or an occupant, there are still many ways to design-in opportunities for gardening indoors. In fact, partly in response to the climate emergency and partly due to the enjoyment people get from it, over the last half a century there has been an explosion of 'urban farming movements’, seeking to bring agriculture and nature directly into buildings and cities.
To some extent we all understand the mood-boosting benefits of bringing plants into our homes or workplaces - we are aware of it every time we buy someone a bunch of flowers or water one of our succulents. In a now much-quoted study, enriching an office with greenery was even shown to boost human productivity by as much as 15%.24
These internal growing areas don't have to be large to make a difference either. They could Kite the form of a simple window box or hanging external planter on windows or balconies - something which we rarely see included in modern planning applications despite their potential have a significant emotional impact. Even small potted plants can have an effect, with no planning permission required for these, although this does make a good argument for windows with raised sills.
For the more committed indoor gardener, systems such as hydroponics or aeroponics can be incorporated into designs. These address issues of space, as growing shelves can be stacked vertically and can even be placed in 'leftover' spaces of a building, such as unused plant rooms or basements using technologies such as LED grow lights. Of course, there are sustainability issues to consider, with such methods around use of both energy and water. However, urban farms such as Growing Underground are showing that these concerns can be addressed, having utilised the natural insulation of underground tunnels, 100% renewable energy and a recycling hydroponics system to grow up to 60 harvests a year of some vegetables.25
If done correctly, many believe that Internal Urban Farming solutions like these could play a significant role in food production moving forward, addressing a number of ecological issues and supporting a healthier planet.26 And as an added bonus, it can be done almost anywhere, giving people the satisfaction and mental health benefits of growing food within their own home.
Design tips
1 Undertake a review of opportunities for internal planting locations at various project stages and across scales whether this is a whole growing room or the addition of simple window boxes.
2 Ideally, internal growing areas should utilise natural light, but if this is not possible a renewable energy source should be considered for any artificial lighting. In this scenario, they can offer a good use for 'leftover' or 'darker space' in designs, for which it is hard to find other uses.
3 There are a wide range of containers and systems available on the market. Review these thoroughly, as each have their own benefits and drawbacks.
4 It is also important to consider that some foods require specific temperatures and humidity to grow, which may mean they're not suitable to be grown in the home.
Air cleansing plants
Ultimately, the only wealth that can sustain any community, economy or nation is derived from the photosynthetic process - green plants growing on regenerating soil.'
- ALLAN SAVORY, ECOLOGIST
Figure 4.6: Dracaena, or dragon plant
Potential mental wellbeing benefits
► Nature interaction
► Improved air quality
► Moments of joy / awe
► Mindfulness opportunity
► Increased productivity
Potential issues and considerations
► Fitout cost
► Maintenance
► Loss of light
► Allergies
As discussed in Chapter 2, when we looked at the impact of VOCs, the quality of the air around us can have an impact on our brain function, physical health and ultimately our mental wellbeing. indeed, the World Health Organization estimates that around 4 million people die prematurely every year frond illnesses attributable to household air pollution.27
However, VOCs are only a part of the issue. There are many other sources of air pollution in our homes and workplaces, including combustion appliances, such as ovens or wood stoves, mould and fungi, tobacco products, cleaning and maintenance products, and electronic equipment such as printers.28 And even our bodies are machines for producing fairly impressive quantities, of carbon dioxide; in an airtight room of around 30m3 (3m x 4m x 2.5m), it has been claimed that a group of 10 healthy adults would turn oxygen into CO2 fast enough to run out of breathable air in less than a day!29
In our quest for carbon-neutrality, we are creating buildings that are increasingly airtight, which can make it challenging for pollutants to leave buildings without effective ventilation systems in place. Luckily, plants (among their other benefits) can help to address some of these issues, although it's important first to discuss their limitations.
While some studies seem to show that many plants can remove VOCs, even a small office space (3m x 3m x 2.4m} would need nearly 1,000 'typical' plants to match the performance of a standard ventilation system, explains engineering professor Michael Waring. He does, however, note that if you used the most effective type of VOC-filtering plant, this figure comes down by a factor of around 10.30
So, while houseplants certainly aren't going to fix indoor air quality on their own, they can play a role within a wider strategy of ventilation and healthy material selection.
So which plants are most effective at cleaning air? Unfortunately, research in this area is still limited, although some experiments appear to shed light on this question. A 2014 study, for example, investigated 28 plant species from 15 families to explore how effectively they could remove benzene, toluene, octane, trichloroethylene and α-pinene. They discovered that members of the Araliaceae (ginseng) family were particularly efficient at removing these chemicals, white ferns and herbs exhibited the highest removal rates of formaldehyde.31
