Health and wellbeing are where the big bucks are: 22.5 million Fitbits were sold worldwide in 2016, while software providers such as Apple have developed “health” apps designed to track an individual’s wellness data. The general public is now far more aware of environmental factors that can negatively affect health.

What’s more, people are prepared to make a stand to improve their surroundings – last month a crowdfunding campaign hit the headlines as parents of children in London state schools set out to buy air purifiers for classrooms, following a study showing that air pollution in classrooms close to main roads regularly exceeded World Health Organisation guidelines on air quality.

Occupants across all building types are demanding better working and learning environments, and this demand has shifted the building performance agenda from a relatively narrow focus on energy efficiency to a wider interpretation of sustainability that includes wellbeing. As a consequence, those who commission, design and build workplaces or homes need building performance assessment tools to include wellbeing metrics.

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