- Season 6
- Episode 1
- Architecture, Culture, Interior Design, Urbanism
In a warming, anxious world, can buildings heal both mind and planet? Unpack how wellbeing is reshaping sustainable architecture from the inside out.
How can we design interiors that not only minimise environmental harm, but also actively promote human well-being? Some architects and designers are sparking fresh ideas about how our built spaces can perform better.
Considering we spend up to 90% of our time indoors, every design choice — from ventilation and building materials to lighting and temperature — greatly affects our well-being. Often unintentionally, these decisions can create unhealthy environments.
Gleaming facades typically get all the attention. However, more consideration is being given to the impact of the spaces behind the facades. This episode highlights projects that integrate interior and exterior elements into a cohesive system with designs that heal both our planet and its people.
| 00:00:00 | Health from the start |
| 00:00:05 | “[…] some interiors do make us unwell.” |
| 00:50:00 | “Every day, designers make choices that directly affect the health of a building’s occupants.” |
| 00:01:46 | “[…] the factors that influence well-being cannot be deferred to a later stage in the design process […] They must be tackled upfront.” |
| 00:02:05 | “The quest for a healthy interior starts with assessing a building as a whole.” |
| 00:02:22 | SDE 4 at NUS |
| 00:03:07 | “SDE 4 opted for operable facades, which can be opened when outdoor conditions are amenable.” |
| 00:03:22 | “[…] elevated temperatures are offset by the use of ceiling fans to increase air movement.” |
| 00:04:04 | Factory in the Forest |
| 00:04:10 | “Factory in the Forest is an evocatively named building […] all wrapped in vegetation, in pockets of green spaces with access to fresh breezes, and a deluge of flora and fauna.” |
| 00:05:02 | “This building’s total energy use is roughly 45% less than the old building it replaced.” |
| 00:05:12 | “90% of the staff working on-site say that they prefer the new factory design.” |
| 00:05:21 | Clif Bar Baking Company |
| 00:05:39 | “The project team borrowed their framework from biophilic design research to imbue, deep into the heart of this project, the experience of nature.” |
| 00:06:06 | “The building uses 21% less energy and 37% less water than conventional bakeries.” |
| 00:06:48 | Deloitte Sydney |
| 00:06:59 | “The project’s green credentials speak for themselves: Green Star Interiors, NABERS energy tenancy, and WELL platinum rating.” |
| 00:07:32 | “Its 14 floors are subdivided into four ‘vertical villages’ along an internal atrium and a flight of interconnecting stairs” |
| 00:07:47 | “The three lower ‘villages’ mimic the natural surroundings of a number of popular Sydney haunts […]” |
| 00:08:32 | Maggie’s, Yorkshire |
| 00:09:24 | “There is a space for every need: for a patient or visitor seeking advice or solace […]” |
| 00:09:27 | “The structure itself is made out of spruce timber. Natural materials and soft lighting create a cosy ambience inside.” |
| 00:09:55 | “97% of patients have said that visiting a Maggie’s centre has helped them cope with stress.” |
Designers are kicking ‘sick building syndrome’ to the curb and inviting natural systems to be your new roommates. Think plenty of sunlight, fresh air flowing through offices, and a generous dash of greenery.
However, simply adding a few plants isn’t enough. True “healthy” design requires a holistic approach that integrates many elements of the built environment.
First up, the SDE 4 building (by Serie + Multiply Architects with Surbana Jurong) at the National University of Singapore and Malaysia’s Factory in the Forest (by Design Unit Architects) show us what’s possible in large academic and industrial buildings. Their secret? Smart passive strategies that create cool, comfortable spaces — even in sweltering climates.
SDE 4 (by Serie + Multiply Architects with Surbana Jurong) at the National University of Singapore was the first new-build net-zero energy building in Singapore.Meanwhile, over in the USA, the Clif Bar Baking Company (by Babcock Design) is showing us how to bake in well-being from the ground up. This isn’t your average factory. It’s a materialisation of biophilic principles, where nature and industry coexist and support human comfort.
The Clif Bar Baking Company (Twin Falls, USA), by Babcock Design, uses 37% less water and 21% less energy than most conventional bakeries.But what about where many of us spend most of our waking hours? Forget stuffy cubicles and fluorescent lights: Deloitte Sydney (by HASSELL), located within Quay Quarter Tower, feels more like a vertical village. It offers a spectrum of areas of respite, healthy material choices, and nods to Sydney’s most beloved outdoor spots.
Deloitte Sydney by HASSELL features four interconnected Lastly, we’ll see architecture that becomes a healing force in its own right. Maggie’s, Yorkshire in the UK (by Heatherwick Studio) shows how spaces can comfort and uplift when we need it most.
Maggie’s, Yorkshire (Leeds, UK), by Heatherwick Studio, was designed to feel more like a hug than a healthcare space. This haven provides free emotional support to de-stress cancer patients.We spend most of our lives indoors, yet the impact of interiors on our health is often relegated to an afterthought. These projects show how well-being can be woven into a project’s DNA from the start.
Keep reading if you want to deep dive into this interview’s content and get more out of it. You can also find out more about this episode’s guest/s and sponsor/s, and the team that put it all together.
This episode is brought to you by:
| The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction The Holcim Foundation helps drive systemic change towards a more sustainable built environment. It was founded in 2003 to define and promote the key principles of sustainability for the construction sector and is committed to accelerating the sector’s transformation so that people and the planet can thrive. The Foundation has investigated various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions to this field with the Holcim Awards which are considered the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design. Committed to a holistic approach that recognises the equal importance and interdependence of four key goals, the Foundation combines the collective knowledge, ideas, and solutions of our global community of experts with a recognised platform of international competitions to democratise thought leadership for the entire sector. |  |
This episode is brought to you by:
The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Foundation helps drive systemic change towards a more sustainable built environment. It was founded in 2003 to define and promote the key principles of sustainability for the construction sector and is committed to accelerating the sector’s transformation so that people and the planet can thrive.
The Foundation has investigated various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions to this field with the Holcim Awards which are considered the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design.
Committed to a holistic approach that recognises the equal importance and interdependence of four key goals, the Foundation combines the collective knowledge, ideas, and solutions of our global community of experts with a recognised platform of international competitions to democratise thought leadership for the entire sector.
If you heard it in this episode, we likely have a link for it right here. Click on any topics, people, buildings, places, products and/or technologies listed below to learn more about each of them.
| 00:00:12 | “…to them: sick building syndrome…” “Sick building syndrome: Symptoms and causes” | Medical News Today |
| 00:05:41 | “…framework from biophilic design research to imbue…” “Biophilia in Architecture: Nature Indoors and Outdoors” | Archdaily |
| 00:05:49 | “…room for biomorphic art, and used…” “Biomorphism” | The Art Story |
| 00:07:01 | “…themselves: Green Star Interiors, NABERS energy…” “Rating system” | Green Building Council Australia |
| 00:07:02 | “…Star Interiors, NABERS energy tenancy…” “What is NABERS?” | NABERS |
| 00:07:04 | “…tenancy and WELL platinum rating.…” “The healthy building difference” | WELL |
| 00:09:34 | “…Porous lime plaster helps regulate…” “How Lime Enhances Contemporary Architecture” | Archdaily |
| 00:02:24 | “…at the National University of Singapore, opened in…” “About” | National University of Singapore |
| 00:08:32 | “…Maggie’s is a charity that…” “Maggie’s” | Maggie’s |
| 00:02:21 | “…First stop: Singapore…” “Singapore” | Britannica |
| 00:02:22 | “…The SDE 4 building at the National University of Singapore…” “Singapore’s SDE4 building” | Dezeen |
| 00:04:09 | “…Factory in the Forest is an evocatively named…” “Factory in the Forest” | Archdaily |
| 00:04:15 | “…in Penang, Malaysia — which, ironically…” “Penang” (Malaysia) | Britannica |
| 00:04:15 | “…in Penang, Malaysia — which, ironically…” “Malaysia” | Britannica |
| 00:05:25 | “…is the Clif Bar Baking Company…” “Clif Bar” | Business Wire |
| 00:05:29 | “…a 28,000-metre square building in Twin Falls, Idaho, USA…” “Twin Falls” (Idaho, United States) | Britannica |
| 00:05:29 | “…a 28,000-metre square building in Twin Falls, Idaho, USA…” “United States” | Britannica |
| 00:06:48 | “…The Deloitte Sydney is an exemplary fitout…” “Deloitte” | Hassell Studio |
| 00:06:52 | “…in Sydney, Australia…” “Sydney” (New South Wales, Australia) | Britannica |
| 00:06:52 | “…in Sydney, Australia…” “Australia” | Britannica |
| 00:07:52 | “…like the Botanic Gardens and Bondi…” “Royal Botanic Garden Sydney” | Botanic Gardens of Sydney |
| 00:07:53 | “…Gardens and Bondi Beach suburb…” “Bondi Beach” (Sydney, Australia) | Wikipedia |
| 00:08:38 | “…as Barcelona, Groningen, Hong Kong, Tokyo…” “Barcelona” (Catalonia, Spain) | Britannica |
| 00:08:38 | “…as Barcelona, Groningen, Hong Kong, Tokyo…” “Groningen” (Groningen, Netherlands) | Britannica |
| 00:08:39 | “…as Barcelona, Groningen, Hong Kong, Tokyo…” “Hong Kong” (China) | Britannica |
| 00:08:40 | “…as Barcelona, Groningen, Hong Kong, Tokyo…” “Tokyo” (Kantō, Japan) | Britannica |
| 00:08:43 | “…, and multiple cities within the UK…” “United Kingdom” | Britannica |
| 00:08:56 | “…the centre in Leeds, England…” “Maggie’s Yorkshire” | Heatherwick |
| 00:08:56 | “…the centre in Leeds, England…” “Leeds” (Yorkshire, United Kingdom) | Britannica |
| 00:09:01 | “…located on the grounds of a hospital campus…” “St James’s University Hospital” | NHS |
| 00:04:38 | “…windows and clerestory glazing flood the…” “clerestory” | Britannica |
| 00:05:56 | “…skylights, and light-directing tubes, the bakery…” “Light tube” | Wikipedia |
There are no products or features discussed in this episode.
Host
Nirmal Kishnani
Producer
Maxime Flores
Editor-at-large
Narelle Yabuka
Senior communications executive
Sana Gupta
Senior editor
Tyler Yeo
Art director (video)
Alexander Melck | Phlogiston
Sound technician and editor
Kelvin Brown | Phlogiston
Video editors
Guellor Muguruka | Phlogiston
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