Establishing psychological wellbeing metrics for the built environment

Abstract

Abstract:The business case for wellbeing is now an influential agenda in the built environment. Increasing demand for user-centred environments means evidence-based design proven to deliver wellbeing outcomes for end users is essential. The challenge is to effectively capture and disseminate this evidence to a range of expert and non-expert audiences. Further, being able to make the link between increased wellbeing and an increase in the productivity, or performance, of building users requires new definitions and methods. An innovative wellbeing valuation approach is presented, consisting of a multi-item scale to measure and quantify the wellbeing outcomes experienced by building users, and impact reporting techniques using Social Return on Investment (SROI) to produce transferable, monetised evaluation metrics. This combination has the capability to communicate the value of design in a powerful and accessible manner. Wellbeing valuation metrics represent an opportunity to develop new userdriven knowledge and shape the built environment in positive ways.http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/bsert Establishing psychological wellbeing metrics for the built environment Abstract The business case for wellbeing is now an influential agenda in the built environment. Increasing demand for user-centred environments means evidence-based design proven to deliver wellbeing outcomes for end users is essential. The challenge is to effectively capture and disseminate this evidence to a range of expert and non-expert audiences. Further, being able to make the link between increased wellbeing and an increase in the productivity, or performance, of building users requires new definitions and methods. An innovative wellbeing valuation approach is presented, consisting of a multi-item scale to measure and quantify the wellbeing outcomes experienced by building users, and impact reporting techniques using Social Return on Investment (SROI) to produce transferable, monetised evaluation metrics. This combination has the capability to communicate the value of design in a powerful and accessible manner. Wellbeing valuation metrics represent an opportunity to develop new user-driven knowledge and shape the built environment in positive ways.

The social return on investment model: a systematic literature review

“… Strengthening function : This mainly refers to either an organization, association or a project that is financially sustainable. In this case, the SROI aims to highlight to the stakeholders the other dimensions of the blended value created, the environmental and/or social, respectively (Daems et al , 2014; Watson, 2018). Managerial and communicative function : SROI can increase the internal managerial awareness and the external reputation about the relevance of the impact yielded beyond the generic financial terms on which activities, projects and, more generally, organizations are usually assessed (Hervieux and Voltan, 2019).…”

“…Strengthening function : This mainly refers to either an organization, association or a project that is financially sustainable. In this case, the SROI aims to highlight to the stakeholders the other dimensions of the blended value created, the environmental and/or social, respectively (Daems et al , 2014; Watson, 2018).…”

Conceptual approaches to wellbeing in buildings: a scoping review

“…Indeed, this areadevelopment and validation of useful wellbeing-related metrics which can demonstrate the 'value' of designis likely to be a fecund research area. More recent publications include a blend of a psychological wellbeing model, quantitative measurement and financial reporting (Watson, 2018). While the recommendations presented above may serve as a starting point, more research is needed to identify and address other important aspects.…”

Wellbeing in the Workplace: A New Conceptual Model and Implications for Practice

“…At the start of this exploration, it is important to delineate wellbeing experiences that can be short term or immediate and those descriptions that are long term. These two time-dependent notions of wellbeing help to draw the distinctions between perceived quality of life over time or over the several years (eudemonic) from the everyday experiences short-term moments (hedomonic) of living that are more often shaped by our emotions and feelings (Watson 2018). Several scholars view that the combined aspects of eudemonic and hedomonic offer a better understanding of wellbeing.…”

“…Several scholars view that the combined aspects of eudemonic and hedomonic offer a better understanding of wellbeing. Our overall happiness and satisfaction with life in general (eudemonic) and moment-to-moment experience of ups and downs in the everyday flow of life can be assessed based on the presence of positive emotions, or lack of negative feelings (Deci and Ryan 2008;Joshanloo and Ghaedi 2009;Ryan and Deci 2001;Ryff and Singer 2006;Watson 2018). Thus, eudemonic and hedomonic descriptions of wellbeing are helpful in understanding the time-stretch dependent nature of wellbeing.…”