USGBC has published a new resource, the Research Anthology of Health-Promoting Building Strategies, in support of our commitment to healthy buildings and healthy people.
The new anthology is intended to support project teams in designing and building projects that reflect proven health strategies. Incorporating the best and latest research, the anthology is broken down into eight key strategies, ranging from indoor air quality to acoustic comfort to active design. For each strategy area, the links between specific strategies, design metrics and health outcomes are explained. Readers will find representative research studies summarized, with links and citations.
By intentionally deploying green building strategies, like those available for use within the LEED rating systems, owners and practitioners can simultaneously promote health and well-being at a variety of population scales. The anthology makes accessible the science supporting healthy building strategies. Designers and project managers can use these cited studies with their clients to select and make the case for health-promoting strategies tailored to their goals and needs.
The resource also shows how specific building and site strategies align with health determinants, as well as how the strategies can be applied to beneficially impact occupants and the community. Policymakers and advocates can use the resource to build consensus for green building policies and for their role in improving conditions for health in communities.
Charu Srivastava, a doctoral student at Harvard University, is the principal author of the resource. Alexandra Hopkins, MPH, and Kelly Worden, MPH, both of USGBC, also contributed to the anthology.
