Healthy Buildings Increase Productivity – The Dragon Group

On average, Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, emphasizing the importance of human health and wellbeing when constructing the built environment. In life, there are few things we can control to the extent we can control our built environment. With this knowledge, The Dragon Group aims to create buildings that are not only healthier for the environment, but also healthier for human wellbeing. In terms of the bottom line, the largest seeked advantage to healthier buildings is more productive workers. There are three key healthy building areas scientifically proven to directly affect both human health and productivity: Lighting, Ventilation, and Greenery.

Lighting

It has become common practice to change out old light bulbs to more efficient LEDs to save money on electricity. Instead of just saving money, productivity and profit can increase by making easy changes to lighting such as changing light bulb colors to a more sunlike blue-enriched light and maximizing natural sunlight. Window tints can additionally help maximize natural sunlight while minimizing glare, UV radiation, and energy costs

Ventilation

Indoor pollutant concentrations are typically 2-5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations. Especially in cities, where air pollution and airborne pathogens are higher, it is important to update and maintain ventilation in the workspace as there is a direct relationship between ventilation  and our ability to process information, make decisions, respond to crises and stay healthy.

Greenery

Both indoor greenery and outdoor green areas can drastically improve employee wellbeing and productivity. According to a recent report, spending only 29 minutes outdoors can result in a 45% increase in productivity. Likewise, more than 60% of employees reported increases in mood after getting fresh air. If creating a new outdoor area is out of the question, indoor plants can have comparable benefits on productivity and mental wellbeing, all while improving localized indoor air quality.

The most holistic way to insure satisfied, healthy, and productive employees is to update your building to achieve one of the many green building certifications available. Contact The Dragon Group to discuss which sustainable building certification is right for you and how we can work together to get you certified.