The Happy Design Toolkit, page 8
While there are-many reasons that we now spend more time indoors than in any previous age,46 we must address deterrents to being outside, and one of the key factors in this is weather. Wherever we are in the World, people are likely to be: put off going outdoors by either excessive rain of overbearing sunshine. Fortunately, it Is fairly straightforward to protect people from these elements, and while there are even points available for doing just this in the WELL Building Standard, this protection is often overlooked or omitted.
A simple and cost-effective way to shade people from the sun and protect them from precipitation is through the introduction of awnings outside buildings at ground floor level. It is no coincidence that when we picture the stereotypical European cafe on a summer's day, we imagine tables laid out in the street with people Sipping drinks, protected by a generous, retractable awning Overhead. There is evidence that such devices were Used as far back as ancient Egypt and Syria, in the form of woven mats that were used to shade market Stalls and the spaces in front of homes.47
With the technological advancements that came in the late nineteenth century, retractable awnings became commercially available, meaning that these are new an excellent example of an adaptable building element. Being able to deploy or withdraw these as required gives occupants greater control over their outdoor environment, which in itself generates a psychological benefit, while also increasing usability of outdoor spaces in a range of conditions.
Finally,, awnings and canopies can be a powerful way to add visual interest to a streetscape- provided they are well designed and well maintained. They offer opportunities to provide increased colour, variety and detail to the public realm, facilitating better placemaking, activating more building frontages and contributing to more aesthetically pleasing streets,, which as we will discover in Chapter 6 adds its own benefits to our sense Of happiness and Wellbeing. While they may seem like a minor or even frivolous addition to a building, all these factors mean that awnings offer a high level of wellbeing value in relation to their relatively low cost.
Design tips
1 Review which outdoor spaces around a building’s perimeter will add the most value when activated, and shelter these through some form or sun, rain or wind protection, depending on local climate.
2 In drier climates, rain protection will be less important, but some sun exposure may still be desirable. In these instances, semi-shading devices may be more appropriate, such as alternating timber battens or overhead foliage.
3 With full awnings, occupants may not always want to sit in a shaded space, so provide the option to retract the canopy, if possible, to maximise user autonomy.
A protective winter garden
'Who loves a garden loves a greenhouse too.'
- WILLIAM COWPER, POET
Figure 2.12: Risuviita apartments, Seinäjoki, Finland, by OOPEAA
Potential mental wellbeing benefits
► Physical comfort
► Improved sleep
► Sense of privacy
► Nature interaction
► Improved air quality
Potential issues and considerations
► Loss of views
► Loss of light
► Possible social impacts
► Possible loss of nature interaction
► Impact on layouts
To anybody outside the world of residential design, the term 'winter garden' might be unfamiliar. Traditionally, these were conservatories or greenhouses that housed tropical plants and might also serve as additional living space. They are believed to have existed as early as the Seventeenth century, but as so often, they wore popularised by the Victorians, particularly in the wake of Sir Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace. These traditional winter gardens would provide a warm, protective environment for the plants; which also made them pleasant places for their owners to spend time, even in cooler parts of the year.
Today the meaning of the term is somewhat different, instead generally being referred to a recessed balcony that is fully enclosed, often with floor-to-ceiling glazing. They are often provided in: residential apartment buildings as an alternative form of private amenity space, but they can also be used to great effect in workplaces or public buildings. When comparing balconies to modern winter gardens, we cannot simply say that one is better than the other. Both have advantages and drawbacks, but in some situations and climates winter gardens do offer a number of benefits in terms of both physical and mental wellbeing.
In colder locations there are clear comfort benefits, with a winter garden offering protection from the rain, snow or biting Wind while still giving the sensation of being in an outdoor or semi-outdoor space. This allows people to Sit on their balcony in complete comfort, regardless of weather conditions. The same can apply in hotter climates, as the temperature of the internal Winter garden can be regulated through comfort cooling - even if it is 40°C (104°F) outside.
Winter gardens can offer benefits to air quality in a similar way if a building is located in a highly polluted area, as air within the winter garden can be filtered, allowing occupants to use the space with less fear of breathing in harmful air. With studies now linking air pollution to mental health issues in children, this approach could make a significant difference to the wellbeing of inhabitants in such areas, when compared with traditional outdoor balconies.48
Unlike true balconies, winter gardens can also offer significant acoustic benefits to the spaces behind them, as they can provide a second buffer to any noise. This-produces a more comfortable internal acoustic environment, both in the connected space and in the winter garden itself, and is a further reason they are particularly well suited to busy roads. Finally, they offer a greater level of privacy than traditional balconies, which can often feel exposed if they are positioned on the front of buildings. We know that privacy plays an important role in how free people feel to use spaces for many activities, and that it is also a key component in our sense of safety.
There are disadvantages to winter gardens that we should be aware of, however. They can reduce the amount of daylight internal spades receive, as any light has to pass through two layers of glazing, and interior windows will likely be in shade for most of the day. There is also the potential that they can offer a reduced connection to the outside world and the natural elements it often contains, as well as reducing the level of social interaction with neighbours. However, both can be addressed by allowing some of the glazed elements to be openable, provided there is protection from falling, of course!
Design tips
1 Carry out a comparison exercise to understand the benefits that winter gardens, recessed balconies or projecting balconies might offer.
2 The suitability of winter gardens or traditional balconies may vary within the same building depending on the surrounding context. Ideally choose the best type of private amenity space for each facade rather than attempting a 'one size fits all' approach.
3 Provide openable glazing to winter gardens where possible, although on tower buildings or in areas with significant acoustic or air quality issues this may not be appropriate.
Dual aspect spaces
'By dint of building well, you get to be a good architect.'
- ARISTOTLE, PHILOSOPHER
Figure 2.13: Am Chatzebach housing development, Muri, Switzerland, by Baumberger & Stegmeier + Stücheli Pestalozzi Schiratzki Architekten
Potential mental wellbeing benefits
► Physical comfort
► Improved air quality
► Improved sleep
► Increased autonomy
► Greater adaptability
Potential issues and considerations
► Build cost
► Space requirements
► Impact on layouts
The traditional 'house' is, by its very nature, dual aspect, meaning it has windows on two or more (usually opposing) facades. There are some notable examples, such as the traditional cave houses of Tunisia or northern China, but generally most vernacular housing has at least two different 'aspects'.
Simply having openings on two sides of a dwelling - or for that matter any building - offers a raft of benefits to the quality of the indoor environments and, in turn, our wellbeing. An obvious advantage is the ability to place rooms on both facades, and in turn maximise daylight. It also gives designers and occupants greater choice over where to locate different rooms, for example by putting a living space on a facade with the best view, an eating space on the elevation where diners will be able to enjoy the sunsets, or bedrooms on the quieter facade. Single-aspect apartments, in contrast, have none of these luxuries.
Dual-aspect spaces also, offer significant benefits in terms of natural ventilation, as we can harness the power of cross-ventilation, where windows are open on both sides of the building, allowing for the free flow of air through its various spaces. This does of course, rely on internal doers, between rooms being open, and ideally needs outdoor air temperature to be 2°C cooler outside than inside, but generally these conditions are achievable and give occupants an effective Way to improve thermal comfort relatively quickly.49
This begs a simple question: if dual-aspect spaces offer so many advantages, why aren't all new buildings dual aspect? Single-aspect apartments, fat example, are now highly prevalent, and despite some efforts by authorities to address them (in particular, the infamous 'north facing variety which receive the very lowest levels of daylight), many new apartment schemes still include what one journalist referred to as homes of 'the brutal long corridor, single aspect variety'.50
The issue of accusing apartments does indeed play a large role in this problem. The standard model is currently' a central corridor flanked by apartments on either side which of course means all apartments bar those on the corners become single aspect. Fundamentally, this is a model that can easily be improved: by moving access to decks outside or arranging flats in a cluster of six or even eight around a central core, it is possible to create layouts in which all homes are dual, aspect.
The arguments against these approaches: are rolled out time and again: another core will be too expensive', 'we can’t afford the increase in external floor area", or even 'there's a housing crisis, we must build as densely as possible'. While we absolutely do need more homes these must not come at a cost to quality of life. If the problem were simply about providing more dwellings, we could make every home a 20m2 Studio apartment with minimal glazing and be done with it.
Ultimately, dual- or triple-aspect spaces improve physical and mental health, making them better quality and increasing their value. This can help to offset the extra spend on another core or increased external wall area and will likely improve the image and brand of a developer, too, as one who builds high-quality, healthdriven environments. Again, this comes back to the question of how we define 'Value': is it simply calculated in a spreadsheet or can value also be about creating excellent places where people will truly want to live for generations to come?
Design tips
1 Challenge any brief demanding single-aspect buildings: make the case for the added value created by dual-aspect spaces both in terms of their inherent value and the value added to the developer's brand.
2 Explore strategies to eliminate single-aspect spaces from schemes. This could be deck access, spaces clustered around a core or duplex apartments which only feature corridors at every other level.
3 Consider developing a company policy on single-aspect spaces. Some architectural practices outlaw single-aspect north-facing dwellings entirely, for example, or only allow them on other facades in special situations.
High-performance ventilation (when natural is not suitable)
'Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.'
- LAURA INGALLS WILDER, AUTHOR
Figure 2.14: Bloomberg HQ, London, UK, featuring an advanced ventilation system via its large 'fins', by Foster + Partners
Potential mental wellbeing benefits
► Physical health improvements
► Improved sleep
► Improved air quality
► Increased productivity
Potential issues and considerations
► Operational cost
► Fitout cost
► Environmental impacts
► Specialist input useful
Despite our best efforts, there may be situations in which it simply isn't possible to ventilate i space naturally. Perhaps a site is located in a highly polluted or extremely noisy area, or we are trying to ventilate a space at the very top of a tower building where operable windows aren’t possible. Whatever the reasons, thankfully we new have the ability to ventilate such spaces artificially.
Artificial ventilation has existed. in some form since the nineteenth century, when heat- and wind-induced lowpressure Systems, were introduced in 4 number of public buildings and dwellings.51 Today it generally takes the form of systems which bring in cool, fresh air from outside, replacing the warm, stale air indoors.
In the last few decades artificial ventilation and comfort cooling has developed a bad name as a result of its high energy loadings, and with good reason. There are roughly two billion air-conditioning units in operation around the global and space Pooling is now the number one driver of electricity demand in buildings globally.52 Natural ventilation should always be Our first choice if possible.
In spite of these issues, the image of mechanical ventilation received a serious boost during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the world became aware that higher rates of air change in 4 space reduces the risk of the virus spreading, and certain filtration systems -particularly HEPA filters53 - could potentially offer some protection from airborne viruses.54
Artificial ventilation systems can offer further benefits to our health too, not least in terms of addressing indoor air pollutants. Our buildings are often home to a wide range of pollutants that can lead to a range of poor health outcomes from headaches, dry throats or runny noses to more serious respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases or cancers.55
Achieving adequate air circulation, particularly in Combination With high-quality fitters, can have significant impacts on indoor air quality and the health of people using those spaces. In one study, when Ventilation rates in an office were doubled, there was a reduction in shortterm absenteeism of 35%: enough to make any employer think about improving ventilation.56 As buildings have become more airtight and with levels of CO2 or VOCs able to build up very quickly, it is easy to understand why good ventilation is important for human health.
High-performance ventilation has other advantages for our comfort, physical health and contentedness. It gives occupants better control over the temperature and indoor environment, resulting in greater comfort and autonomy. Systems can also address the problem of humid spaces, which can be a significant factor in unhappiness and poor mood, with numerous studies demonstrating that high humidity has an impact on concentration, increases sleepiness and is a predictor for tack of vigour, elation and affection'.57
Unfortunately, artificial ventilation seems to be an area where there is a conflict between sustainability and wellbeing. Despite them often getting lumped into one category, this example demonstrates that there can be differences between the two, and that the healthiest solution is not always the most sustainable. The good news is that in many countries the energy grid is becoming cleaner every year, with the UK achieving a 66% decarbonisation between 2013 and 2020.58 We should also seek to use sustainable systems, such as those that recover heat to minimise energy loss and integrate green energy sources to mitigate the environmental impact of artificial ventilation in our buildings.
Design tips
1 Bring a mechanical engineer on to the project team early in the design process and carry out an initial ventilation strategy review to ascertain whether a natural or artificial approach is more suitable for the project.
2 Refer to CIBSE (Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers), ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers) or similar standards to ensure that ventilation systems are designed to provide adequate ventilation rates, and make sure system are tested and balanced after project occupancy.
3 Avoid construction pollution and dust getting into ventilation systems by sealing ducts during construction or cleaning them thoroughly prior to final installation of components.
4 Consider the use of HEPA, media or UV filters within your system, each of which achieves different things depending on project requirements.
CHAPTER 3
Control and autonomy
DOI: 10.4324/9781003277897-4
The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we're not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.'
- PAUL AUSTER, AUTHOR
Figure 3.0: Arnhem primary school, the Netherlands, by Architectuurstudio HH
The World Happiness-Report ranks 157 countries: by their happiness (sometimes referred to 'subjective wellbeing'). You might not be surprised to hear that the highest ranked countries tend to be Nordic and north European, with one notable outlier of New Zealand frequently appearing in the top 10. One of the things all these countries sharp (as well as being relatively affluent), is a fairly liberal and highly democratic culture, with high levels of individual freedom and choice.
Indeed, one of the key measures of happiness identified by the What Works Centre for Wellbeing is 'Freedom to choose what you do in life'1 - something that is echoed by one of the co-authors of the World Happiness Report, Richard Layard, in his excellent book Happiness: Lessons from a New Science.2 In the book, Layard sets out to examine happiness and its causes,, concluding that there seven key factors, one of which is ’Personal Freedom'. Citing the example of Swiss cantons, he explains that by comparing the cantons with the highest levels of political autonomy against those with the lowest, 'the difference in happiness is as great as if they had double the income'.3
