7 February, 2019
It is now recognised that we spend 90 percent of our time inside buildings. And yet often, too little attention is paid to what buildings really have on people. However, says Sustainability Provocateur Martin Brown, we are seeing a real increase in interest and application of biophilia, biophilic design and connecting with nature to create…
27 December, 2018
As one of the most prominent features in our built environment, flooring can play a vital role in impacting our wellbeing. But what is the latest development in commercial flooring that has the A+D world amazed? How a space ‘performs’ is no longer solely just about its aesthetic appeal. Certainly in the workplace, it is…
17 December, 2018
Following our design guide, ‘Creating Positive Spaces using the WELL Building Standard’, we have written an inspirational guide on the topic of Biophilic Design and how to use its principles in creative and cost-effective ways.
25 June, 2018
The Oasia Hotel Downtown, designed by Woha, a Singapore-based architectural firm, is one of the most stunning skyscrapers in Asia. There is, first, the signal-red mesh envelope, a splash of color unlike anything in its neighborhood, and then the surreptitious patches of green that seem to slowly envelop the building. Planted façades are not new…
3 May, 2018
We have long understood the positive impacts of nature on wellbeing and learning capacity, particularly in young children. But how can nature be brought into urban classrooms? In Finland, the ‘forest kindergarten’ is gaining popularity. Four days a week, rain or shine, small groups of 5- and 6-year-old children are led into the forest by…
27 September, 2017
Today’s society is more urban, digital and fast-paced than ever before. The downside of this is the overall loss of our connection to nature and the outdoors. As designers, we have a role and an opportunity to positively affect the fundamental ways people interact with space. We can accomplish this by creating spaces to live,…
18 June, 2017
I had the pleasure to visit ASID’s new HQ, the first space to receive both the WELL Platinum and LEED Platinum certifications. Becoming the first space to receive both the WELL Platinum and LEED Platinum certifications makes it truly one of a kind. ASID and Perkins+Will partnered to create an exceptional space that speaks to…
15 December, 2016
The era of nomadic working is shifting. Recent studies, including Peldon Rose’s Summer 2016 Happy Office survey, have found that working remotely can leave employees feeling increasing disconnected from colleagues and community. 66% of people found that their productivity decreased outside the connectivity of the workplace. With the return of an office-based culture; how can…
29 August, 2016
Having just finished interviewing senior executives from a range of organisations for a Global Leadership study, and I am struck by the consistency in perspectives even though the organisations are quite different. Every CEO I have interviewed ranks their number one challenge today as dealing with the pace and scale of change now upon us.…
8 August, 2016
Vo Trong Nghia Architects (VTNA) has grown up against the backdrop of a relentless tear-down-and-build in Vietnam that many have criticised as hasty and insensitive. The firm offers a perspective on green urbanism does yet not affect the planning of Vietnamese cities where there is instead evidence of a systematic stripping of blue-green cover and…
Martin Brown 
David Congram 
Oliver Heath 
Nirmal Kishnani 
Lorraine Francis 
David Gerson 
Steve Taylor 
Giles Hutchins