How beneficial is a green structure to workers?

Built by more sustainable materials and powered by renewables, green buildings are seen to be a healthy component of cities and communities as they reduce greenhouse gas emissions and maximize the use of resources. But how do these capabilities — or at least the practices of making buildings green — translate into benefits for occupants?

Sazan Rahman, a PhD candidate and teaching assistant at McGill University whose research is mostly about green walls, green roofs, and green buildings with other green technologies, noted that research has proven that green buildings greatly benefit workers in their productivity and well-being.

“Some planners might worry about the added design and construction costs of a green building. But detailed analyses show that the small increase in building costs has noticeable benefits on the health and wellness of those working or living inside the building — or nearby,” Mr. Rahman wrote in an article in The Conversation last February.

“Green workplaces meet all the criteria of the ‘triple bottom line,’ summarized as ‘people, planet and profit.’ These improve the health and well-being of people, improve energy efficiency and boost productivity,” he further stressed.

The engineering academic wrote that interior spaces with green walls, vertical gardens, or potted plants can reduce noise levels, which helps occupants concentrate on their work.

On the other hand, outdoor permeable surfaces like soil, rock wool, and vermiculite, and plants on buildings’ roofs and courtyards reduce echos.

With green roofing, green buildings are also seen to reduce the “urban heat island” effect, which occurs when a city replaces natural land cover with dense concentrations of pavement, buildings, and other surfaces that absorb and retain heat, resulting in a city experiencing much warmer temperatures than nearby rural areas.

Covering the roof of an uninsulated building with plants, Mr. Rahman explained, reduces cooling energy by as much as 33%, particularly in the summer season; and such roofing also reduces daytime indoor temperature fluctuations in the absence of air conditioning.

“Studies show people working or living in areas with high proportions of green roofs have better mental health, heal more quickly after an illness and are more productive at work,” he added.

Green buildings, or at least putting more greens in one, also pave way for occupants to breathe cleaner air. Mr. Rahman cited a study way back in the 1990’s which showed that there were fewer mold spores and microbes in a room where houseplants covered one-third of the floor space compared to a room with no house plants.

“Plants also increase indoor humidity levels in dry climates, reducing the likelihood of dry eyes, itchy or scratchy throat or chapped lips,” he added.

More recently, the engineering academic added, latest research has also shown that plants can help hospitalized patients heal faster.

“A report by the Green Building Council of Australia found that hospitals with green infrastructure, such as an ornamental green wall, plants on every balcony and large trees around the building, reduced average hospital stays by 8.5%, sped up recovery time by 15%, reduced the rate of secondary infections by 11% and lowered the need of pain medication by 22%,” Mr. Rahman shared.

“Not only do buildings with plants help patients heal faster, but they also energize the doctors, nurses and other staff who work there, and provide esthetic, acoustic and air quality benefits.” — Adrian Paul B. Conoza