BRE is reconfiguring a building at its Innovation Park in Watford to create a ealthy research' facility to test the real-world health and wellbeing of occupants.
The organisation is aligning the requirements of BREEAM, its environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings, with the WELL Building Standard, a performance-based approach for measuring, certifying, and monitoring the impact of the built environment on people.
The refurbished building will adhere to BREEAM and WELL certifications and, when completed, staff will be monitored to gauge their health and wellbeing.
Martin Townsend, director of sustainability at BRE Global, said. ‘It has been claimed that we spend over 90% of our time indoors, and in an office environment 90% of the cost is the people inside. It is vital that we better understand the effects that indoor environments are having on their occupants.’