Health & the Built Environment

The design, performance, and management of buildings has a direct and measurable impact on the health of the people who live and work in them. This category explores the relationship between the built environment and human health — from indoor air quality and thermal comfort to the social determinants of health embedded in housing, neighbourhood design, and urban planning. It covers emerging research, policy developments, and practical implications for developers, landlords, and advisors working at this intersection.

Impact of housing on health - image of the outside of a large block of flats in London

The impact of housing on health (Part 1)

Our homes and neighbourhoods are critical factors in our health and wellbeing. This has very much come to the fore during lockdown. In this two part series, first I touch on the current and emerging evidence of the impact of housing on health. I then put forward suggestions for where action is needed, now and […]

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Looking up at a very modern tall building

Smart Buildings: Getting the balance right

In the previous articles on smart buildings and their risks, we’ve explored what we mean by ‘smart buildings’ and outlined what they have to offer to the commercial built environment. We have also touched on why the issue of data in the context of the built environment and ‘smart buildings’ needs serious consideration as emerging

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City at night. Photo by Jannes Glas on Unsplash

Smart buildings and data risks

This is the second of three articles produced collaboratively by Dr Sophie Taysom, an independent consultant at Keyah Consulting, and Dr Sue Chadwick, a Strategic Planning Advisor at Pinsent Masons LLP, on smart buildings and data. In the previous article, Sophie set out some of the opportunities and challenges in the development and maintenance of smart

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Smart buildings - image of City of London at night

Smart Buildings and the ‘problem’ of data

John Browne’s recent book “Make, Think, Imagine” asserts that “human knowledge is cumulative: as more people contribute to a network, more useful insights emerge”.  The digital revolution is disrupting all aspects of our lives with both its scope and impact likely to expand exponentially. It demands new approaches, and new intellectual coalitions. This is the

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