Friday 12 March 2010

"Good Foundations" Project - why analysing well being is important in space design and mangement.

Good Foundations Project - how design and management of communities can be enhanced.

This is a project worthy of some air time. A project based on increasing well-being in communities.

So how do we measure happiness and well being? How do we build a sense of real security and enhanced sense of place in new communities within new building projects?

“The Centre for Well-being at nef recently launched the findings of its Building Well-being project at the Building Centre, London.”

How can we determine value added by happiness and a sense of well being?
If we can do this then we can begin to drive well-being and to plan, design and develop it into our neighbourhoods.
This is an interesting challenge to be met by the management, design & construction professionals of the future. To build these aims into future design and management projects at an early stage.

There is also a new report;
“Good Foundations, proposes that our measure of success should be neighbourhoods that promote two key outcomes:
place Happiness: the personal, social and economic well-being of inhabitants
place Sustainability: which arises from minimising the environmental impact throughout both the construction process and lifetime of a building or place.
The aim of Good Foundations is to stimulate the beginnings of a cultural shift in the built environment sector. Recognition in the sector of the interdependence of well-being and sustainability is critical, not least because the built environment influences all of us when it comes to the choices and decisions we make on a day-to-day basis.”

How can we use these findings in our everyday lives? Well, maybe some of you do already, or you live in areas where these aims have been achieved in the past? In which case, those around you may already be feeling the benefit.