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architectnews · 3 years

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Acciona Ombú Madrid office building

Acciona Ombú Madrid office design, Spanish Historic industrial building, Foster + Partners Spain News

Acciona Ombú Madrid offices

2 Mar 2021

Acciona Ombú Madrid Office Building

Refurbishment work continues on historic building for Acciona in Madrid

Design: Foster + Partners

Historic industrial building built in 1905 by Luis de Landecho: image © Rubén Pérez Bescos / Foster + Partners

Construction on a new office building for Acciona, the Spanish sustainable infrastructure and energy company, is in full swing. The project seeks to revitalise an abandoned old industrial building built in 1905, creating a sustainable exemplar for building reuse and breathing new life into the surrounding area. With over 10,000 square-metres of new office space, the project will unify a unique mix of private and public land with green landscaping that extends all the way to the adjoining Méndez Álvaro metro station.

View of office interior in existing remodelled power plant building: image © Foster + Partners

Nigel Dancey, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners, said: “This project offers the rare opportunity to give this magnificent building a new lease of life. It is a great example of the Luis de Landecho’s early twentieth century work, and our design aims to retain its original spirit, while creating a workplace that is flexible and adaptable to new and emerging ways of working. Together with Acciona, we have developed a design that is underpinned by our shared vision of sustainability and demonstrates our commitment towards the environment.”

General view of the revitalised industrial building sitting in a landscaped garden: image © Foster + Partners

Originally built as a natural gas plant that supplied energy to the surrounding areas, the building had fallen into disuse until Acciona acquired it in 2017. The new proposals will conserve over 10,000 tonnes of brick, rehabilitating the building envelope and the soaring interior volume. The introduction of a series of stepped floors creates terraces sheltered under the historic roof. Made from timber sustainably sourced from local forests, the lightweight structure allows for spatial flexibility, while also integrating lighting, ventilation and other services within.

Office interior with new timber structure: image © Foster + Partners

The timber structure will save more than 1,000 tonnes of CO2 and is recyclable and demountable. A central skylight brings natural light to the interior, reducing the need for energy consuming artificial light while also incorporating silicon plates that generate electricity. The choice of natural and recycled materials such as timber is not only sustainable but also contributes to a biophilic environment. Recent studies have shown that the use of natural materials in working environments improves wellbeing and productivity.

New ground level building and landscaped courtyard: image © Foster + Partners

The building is located inside Madrid’s Calle 30 (orbital motorway) with direct access to public transport. Taking advantage of Madrid’s temperate climate, where people can comfortably be outdoors for nine months of the year, the project includes a new courtyard within which is a new ground floor space with a garden roof. This leads to a large 10,000 square-metre park with 300 trees with outdoor working spaces and areas for informal meetings sheltered by a green canopy of trees. Local species have been carefully selected to reduce water consumption, which will come from recycled sources.

Campus Park: image © Foster + Partners

Foster + Partners

Acciona Ombú Madrid office building images / information received from Foster + Partners, 020321

Location: Madrid, Spain, south western Europe

Norman Foster Foundation

Norman Foster Foundation in Madrid

Image from the first edition of the Norman Foster Foundation Digital X Workshop (2018) photo © Norman Foster Foundation

Norman Foster Foundation Madrid

Norman Foster Foundation Urban Mobility Workshop

“I believe that cities can change the world for good. They are doing so. Cities are the future now.” — Norman Foster

vimeo

Forum – Future is Now | Norman Foster Foundation from Norman Foster Foundation on Vimeo.

Architecture in Madrid

Madrid Architecture Design – chronological list

Madrid Architecture News

Madrid Architecture Tours by e-architect for groups

Foster + Partners Projects

Featured Foster + Partners designs – selection:

Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong Norman Foster airport

Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank, Hong Kong HSBC Bank Building

Stansted Airport, London area Stansted Airport

Hotel Puerta America, Madrid, Spain Hotel Puerta America

Pritzker Prize Winner 1999

RIBA Gold Medal Winner 1983

Norman Foster Book

RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship

Carré d’Art-Nîmes Architecture Exhibition, France Carré d’Art-Nîmes Exhibition

Foster + Partners – Venice Architecture Biennale : Common Ground, Italy Venice Biennale British Pavilion

Foster + Partners Prize

Foster + Partners Architects

Buildings / photos for the Acciona Ombú Madrid office building page welcome

Website: www.fosterandpartners.com

The post Acciona Ombú Madrid office building appeared first on e-architect.

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csrgood · 4 years

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Mohawk at Greenbuild 2019: Sustainability Is Second Nature

Mohawk Industries’ overarching theme at Greenbuild 2019, “Sustainability is Second Nature,” drives home the manufacturer’s total commitment to creating a believe in better culture across all divisions that will provide consumers and designers with the most advanced and innovative sustainable flooring solutions.

The world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, Greenbuild began yesterday in Atlanta and continues through Nov. 22 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Mohawk’s growing portfolio of residential and commercial flooring solutions designed to minimize environmental footprints will be exhibited in booth space 805.

“We have to reach a point where sustainable solutions for the built environment are not something we think about and talk about—but something we just do. They have to become so ingrained in our thinking that innovation and transparency are the golden standards that create a baseline from which everything else is measured,” said George Bandy Jr., Mohawk Flooring North America chief sustainability officer. “Every day at Mohawk, we approach our design and manufacturing processes with the mindset to create better products for a better world. Sustainability is simply second nature for our company.”

Greenbuild offers Mohawk the opportunity to showcase its sustainable products and share its handprinting strategy with thousands of building professionals. Mohawk Group, Mohawk Flooring and Daltile will be represented at the conference. Products featured at this year’s expo include:

Owls, designed by Jason F. McLennan in collaboration with Mohawk Group, captures the essence of the North American birds of prey through color and patterning. This distinctive, yet versatile biophilic commercial carpet plank offers two 12" x 36" patterns inspired by the mottled shades of black, brown, tan and gray in the plumage of owls as they lift into the air. Owls meets the stringent requirements of Living Product Petal Certification and is produced in Glasgow, Va., at Mohawk Group’s Living Site.

Air.o is a hypoallergenic Unified Soft Flooring (USF), which is completely recyclable at the end of its life. It does not absorb moisture, which helps prevent the growth of allergens and microbes, and is easy to clean and VOC-free. Air.o is engineered with just one material, making it 100% recyclable. Air.o is the smart soft flooring choice for homes and for the environment.

Relaxing Floors is a 12" x 36" carpet plank collection designed by 13&9 in collaboration with Fractals Research and Mohawk Group based on fractal patterning found in nature. These patterns, which scientific research shows have stress-reductive qualities, have been proven to reduce stress by as much as 60%. This flooring system utilizes nature’s “building blocks” to give our eyes a break from the digital world and deliver the essence of nature to commercial spaces. Relaxing Floors is also a Living Product collection.

EverStrand is created through one of the most innovative manufacturing processes in the world: Continuum. Through Continuum, Mohawk recycles reclaimed PET plastic bottles into the polyester fiber used to produce soft and durable residential carpet.

As the largest manufacturer of ceramic tile and natural stone products, Mohawk’s Daltile division utilizes only natural materials in its tiles, and more than 98% of the company’s manufactured products contain some level of pre-consumer recycled material. This level of commitment to sustainable manufacturing and design extends across Mohawk’s family of brands.

This year at Greenbuild, Mohawk is also highlighting its innovative virtual reality technology. The platform gives contract designers the power to envision every facet of a project’s floor plan in a fully immersive virtual experience. A more sustainable customer specification solution, Mohawk’s groundbreaking VR technology helps minimize sample waste by digitizing earlier stages of the flooring specification process.

As part of its ongoing efforts to increase its positive social handprint, Mohawk has become the largest recycler of PET soda and water bottles in North America. In 2017 alone, the flooring manufacturer diverted more than 6.2 billion plastic bottles from landfills to be recycled specifically into EverStrand. Additionally, since 2007, more than 150 million pounds of used carpet have been diverted from landfills through Mohawk’s ReCover recycling program. Mohawk also has reduced its amount of water consumption by more than 450 million gallons since 2010.

“With a strong tradition of doing the right thing, we are working to create a world where all people are valued, where health and well-being are prioritized and where sustainable use of resources drives every action,” added Bandy.

To learn more about Mohawk Industries and its commitment to believe in better sustainability and corporate social responsibility, visit MohawkSustainability.com.

About Mohawk Mohawk Industries is a leading global flooring manufacturer that creates products to enhance residential and commercial spaces around the world. Mohawk’s vertically integrated manufacturing and distribution processes provide competitive advantages in the production of carpet, rugs, ceramic tile, laminate, wood, stone and vinyl flooring. Our industry-leading innovation has yielded products and technologies that differentiate our brands in the marketplace and satisfy all remodeling and new construction requirements. Our brands are among the most recognized in the industry and include Mohawk, American Olean, Daltile, Durkan, Eliane, Feltex, Godfrey Hirst, IVC, Karastan, Marazzi, Pergo, Quick-Step and Unilin. During the past decade, Mohawk has transformed its business from an American carpet manufacturer into the world’s largest flooring company with operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, India, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.

About Greenbuild Greenbuild is the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. It brings together industry leaders, experts and frontline professionals dedicated to sustainable building in their everyday work. Thousands of building professionals from all over the world will attend Greenbuild’s three days of outstanding educational sessions, renowned speakers and special seminars. More than 600 suppliers and top manufacturers of the latest green building equipment, products, services and technology will exhibit at Greenbuild. The green building movement embraces all of humanity by making sustainable buildings and environments accessible to everyone, and in doing so, benefits the natural environment all around us. The future of the human race is interlaced with the future of the planet, and the sustainable practices we celebrate and advance at Greenbuild remind us that our success as sustainability advocates, practitioners and professionals is more than a movement, it is a responsibility.

# # #

Contact: Luke Chaffin 762.204.5607 [email protected]

Press Kit: Click Here

source: https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/43154-Mohawk-at-Greenbuild-2019-Sustainability-Is-Second-Nature?tracking_source=rss

#CSR #corporate social responsibility #social good #philanthropy #employee engagement #workplace givi

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constructionfirm · 5 years

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Armstrong Flooring’s 2019 Design Council Future Trends

Commercial design is poised to advance beyond biophilia, into an exploration of the intersection of human influence on the natural world and nature’s influence on manmade materials.

That’s one vision of future trends discussed during Armstrong Flooring’s most recent Design Council, held in Palm Springs, California, during Modernism Week. Nine interior designers from across North America gathered to share their perspectives with Armstrong Flooring’s Design Team and Commercial Marketing group.

Armstrong Flooring Principal Designer Razieh Council presented commercial design trends and the vision for what’s next in flooring. “The current trend in biophilic design will naturally advance, with designers exploring humans’ footprint on nature, as well as how weather and natural forces influence the materials we’ve manufactured,” Council said. Principal Designer Jeanette McCuaig shared a kaleidoscope of color trends, color influencers and pleasing palettes for a variety of commercial spaces. “As biophilic palettes continue to bloom, and wellness in hospitals, schools and the workplace continues as a key focus, colors influenced by nature will flourish,” she said. “Design is becoming more flexible and curved, and colors will also be influenced by organic environments. Color will mimic nature and flow with more dynamic movement.”

Each of the nine designers presented a collage of material that inspires their work and a palette of their favorite colors, along with their forecast of where design trends are heading. They participated in a collaborative session to review and provide their input on LVT designs that are expected to launch into the market in Fall 2019.

Fashion and textile designer Candice Held also participated in the Design Council event. She selected Armstrong Flooring VCT for use in her Palm Springs boutique and has created new designs for Armstrong Flooring, such as the recently-launched Abstract Geo. Design Council members concluded the event with a tour of local Palm Springs architecture, including the Mid Century Modern design of William Holden’s Deepwell residence.

The 2019 Design Council builds on Armstrong Flooring’s decade-long commitment to collaborating directly with commercial designers.

“It was such an honor to be invited and to be part of this great opportunity,” said Kristin Mayhew, of Paterson Design in Brooklyn, NY. “Discussing the future of flooring, the new design collection, custom programming – I found the whole week a valuable experience!”

In the photo: Members of Armstrong Flooring’s Design Council are Kristin Mayhew, Paterson Design, Brooklyn, NY; Sarah Finis, NAC Architecture, Seattle, WA; Laurence Delgrange, STR Partners LLC, Chicago, IL; Whitney Tong, VLK Architects, Dallas, TX; Beth Hiltonen, Gresham Smith, Jacksonville, FL; Gabrielle Rossit, Montgomery Sisam Architects, Toronto, ON; Ritsuko Shibutani, SmithGroup, Los Angeles, CA; Suzanne Sasaki-Hartstein, Rainforth Grau Architects, Sacramento, CA; and David Kimzey, NK Architects, Morristown, NJ.

Armstrong Flooring, Inc. (NYSE: AFI) is a global leader in the design and manufacture of innovative flooring solutions. Headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Armstrong Flooring is North America’s largest producer of resilient flooring products. The Company safely and responsibly operates 8 manufacturing facilities globally, working to provide the highest levels of service, quality and innovation to ensure it remains as strong and vital as its 150-year heritage. Learn more at www.armstrongflooring.com.

#construction

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priyankaganguly-blog · 5 years

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Automated Compound Storage and Retrieval (ACSR) Market – Insights On Current Opportunities 2025

Global Automated Compound Storage and Retrieval (ACSR) Market: Snapshot

With substantial strides in medical technology alongside the deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT) across the healthcare sector, the infrastructural growth of the developed and developing nations has paved the way for the expansion of the global market for automated compound storage and retrieval. The market is primarily being driven by increasing investment volumes in research and development, government encouragement, and expanding healthcare expenditures across the globe. Academics, researchers, genomics, and pharmaceuticals have been exhibiting escalating demand for automated compound storage and retrieval

Request Sample Copy of the Report @

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=491

Several firms operating in the global market for automated compound storage and retrieval have been establishing partnerships and collaborations with other market participants, with a view to ramp up their revenues. While mergers and acquisitions are also being undertaken by numerous active players, product innovation can be recognized as a key technique for giving themselves a leg up in the global automated compound storage and retrieval market.

For example, in May 2017, Brooks Life Science Systems announced that the world’s first ever - 80°C LN2 automated storage system designed for biological samples, BioStore IIIv, has been launched in the global market for automated compound storage and retrieval. With the proven superior productivity of its Chart® Vario™ LN2 freezers and the new automated storage system, Brooks Life Sciences is likely to emerge as a key market player over the oncoming period. The system is apt at providing high protection to the most sensitive biological samples, apart from its capacity to automatically retrieve biological samples merely with a few taps on the screen.

Request TOC of the Report @

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=491

Global Automated Compound Storage and Retrieval (ACSR) Market: Overview

Major biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and research organizations maintain a library of millions of compounds to facilitate their drug discovery and development processes. However, the delivery of the correct compound in the right concentration at the right place at low cost has been one of the major challenges for most companies. This is because traditional methods of compound management are insufficient to fulfill modern processes.

Automated compound storage and retrieval (ACSR) is an efficient system for storage of compounds, microorganisms, DNA, RNA, and other biological materials in a controlled environment. The system also safeguards compound integrity and optimum retrieval of biological and chemical samples as needed. Typically, samples are stored under liquid nitrogen or dry air in airtight chambers at temperatures ranging from -20ºC to -80ºC depending on the physical and biochemical characteristics of the sample, type of solvent, and stability of the compound. Moreover, the capacity of ACSR system can be easily augmented to cope with research requirement as sample library expands.

Global Automated Compound Storage and Retrieval (ACSR) Market: Drivers and Restraints

The efficient processing of sample compounds, improved coherence of compound library, standardized storage format, reduced time in sample preparation, and a reduced number of storage plates are some of the major factors driving the growth of the ACSR market. The increasing scope of high-throughput screening (HTS), automated screening in drug discovery processes, and high-content screening are also aiding the market’s growth. Moreover, the growing application of ACSR in protein crystallography and DNA storage is also supporting the growth of this market. Top pharmaceutical companies such as Abbot Laboratories, Pfizer, and Bristol-Myers Squibb are extending their R&D capabilities by including ACSR systems, in order to tap the opportunities for the increasing demand for novel pharmaceutical products.

However, factors such as deterioration in the quality of stored compounds after repeated freeze/ defrost cycles in ACSR systems is detrimental to the market’s growth. The need to store and handle compounds in liquid solutions in ACSR systems, which has chances of spillage in sample compounds is also holding back the market’s growth.

Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @

https://www.tmrresearch.com/automated-compound-storage-retrieval-market

Global Automated Compound Storage and Retrieval (ACSR) Market: Regional Outlook

The global automated compound storage and retrieval market is divided into the regional segments of North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World (RoW). Amongst these, North America is the leading market followed by Europe in the global market. The leading positions of these regions are due to the presence of a large number of pharmaceutical companies, rising interest for high-throughput screening and ultra high-throughput screening services by pharmaceutical companies, high expenditure on drug discovery processes, and academic and industrial collaboration for pre-clinical research. Asia Pacific and Rest of the World regions are also expected to display significant growth due to a surging number of research organizations and an increasing number of contract research organizations in these regions.

Major Companies Mentioned in Report

The key players operating in the global automated compound storage and retrieval market are MatriCal Inc., LabCyte Inc., TTP Labtech Ltd., Tecan AG, Beckman Coulter, Corning Life Sciences, Brooks Automation Inc., TAP Biosystems, Hamilton Storage Technologies, BD Biosciences, Biophile Inc., and Jouan Robotics S.A.

About TMR Research

TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in today’s supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients’ conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.

Contact:

TMR Research,

3739 Balboa St # 1097,

San Francisco, CA 94121

United States

Tel: +1-415-520-1050

Email:[email protected]

#Automated Compound Storage and Retrieval (ACSR) Market

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chocolate-brownies · 5 years

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In all likelihood, the office space you occupy doesn’t quite measure up—in any way, shape, or form—to the Washington, DC, headquarters of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). After all, modern buildings routinely expose us to conditions that may compromise our well-being, sabotage our mood, squelch our creativity, and even keep our focus squarely on Friday at 5:00. By contrast, every high- and low-tech detail of ASID’s workplace has been reimagined and retrofitted to promote physical and/or mental health, the goal being to positively affect both the well-being and productivity of everyone working there. And the results of this nearly-three-year-old experiment, which may one day serve as a model for a vast assortment of cubicled wastelands, have been so striking that it’s not hard to imagine the staff of 30 collectively uttering the unthinkable: Thank goodness it’s Monday.

Among the many hallmarks of this 7,500-square-foot office is the attention paid to the quality of light. The space purposefully faces northwest, so it’s bathed in a soft ambient shimmer throughout the entire day. The interior lighting is synced to parallel the human body’s circadian rhythm, so the bright, white bulbs that supplement the morning sun gradually give way to warmer, yellow hues that help prepare for the brain’s nightly surge of melatonin, the hormone that aids in the control of daily sleep–wake cycles. Sensors affixed to window mullions calculate glare and, if necessary, automatically raise or lower the shades to regulate its intensity.

Equally notable is the attention to biophilia—the human affinity for the natural world, which creates a positive, healing atmosphere. For example, the office is filled with desktop terrariums, window-ledge greenery, and architectural patterns that mimic the natural world—everything from curved, cloudlike ceiling details to a conference room’s rich blue carpeting, fashioned from recycled fishing nets, whose randomized purplish swirls create the sensation of gazing across a not-quite-still pond. What’s more, a prominently displayed flat-panel monitor serves as a digital canary-in-the-coal-mine, offering a real-time snapshot of ozone, carbon dioxide, and other air-quality levels aggregated from sensors scattered about the office. When any of those readings exceed acceptable levels, the HVAC system flushes the space with fresh, filtered air.

Similar attention is paid to the social interaction and self-care the space fosters. There is no assigned seating, for instance, leaving the organization’s employees—including its CEO—to decide each day which workstation, office, or conference table best suits their individual whims or collaborative needs. Sit-stand desks are purposefully angled to provide those facing each other with visual privacy (as a bonus, those angles add another biophilic element). The customer-service area, where workers field some 4,000 monthly phone calls, are designed with thicker walls and acoustic dampening to mitigate the distracting din of the classic office. A consultant analyzed the organization’s demographics to calculate the optimal room temperature—a setting that corporate America has historically configured to accommodate men. A café stocked weekly with organic fruits and vegetables awaits those in need of a healthy snack, while a comfortable out-of-the-way break room is reserved for breastfeeding, meditation, or an afternoon snooze.

Just as significant, however, this “living laboratory” at ASID showcases the intersection of mindfulness and the modern building, which offers the promise of dramatically transforming the structures in which we live and play, study, heal, and even spend the waning days of our lives. It’s part of a growing global movement to create spaces that contribute to healthier minds and bodies—an effort spearheaded by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), a New York-based public-benefit corporation founded in 2013. By tapping an exhaustive body of evidence-based scientific and medical research, IWBI devised an elaborate template for measuring, certifying, and then monitoring a wide array of elements that may impact the physical and mental healthfulness of a building’s occupants.

The WELL Building Standard operates much like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (known familiarly by its acronym LEED), the global green-building rating system that awards points for such practices as collecting recyclables and designating parking spaces for the use of electric and hybrid vehicles. Although LEED also rewards projects for addressing the health of a building’s occupants, WELL has made that its sole focus.

Those seeking the WELL stamp of approval are graded on their ability to comply with the requirements spelled out in dozens of features of health and comfort grouped in 10 broad categories, or “concepts.” Among those in the Nourishment concept, for instance, is the creation of spaces to encourage mindful eating; the features that comprise the Mind concept, including designating areas exclusively for meditation or contemplation, are intended to bolster cognitive and emotional health.

“A building can do more than ‘no harm,’ that it can actually enhance the way that we live.”

—Rachel Gutter, president of the International WELL Building Institute

ASID is the first organization anywhere to achieve the highest level (platinum) of both the LEED certification and the newer WELL certification, and a growing number of like-minded businesses and institutions are striving to follow suit. “Increasingly we have the understanding that we can do so much better—that a building can do more than ‘no harm,’ that it can actually enhance the way that we live,” says Rachel Gutter, president of the International WELL Building Institute. “And so this is, I think, the shift to more mindful spaces—being intentional about our design and asking ourselves, How can our buildings be caretakers of the people within?”

A Picture of Health and Happiness

Although we may be genetically predisposed to venture from our caves and connect with the natural world, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, on average, Americans spend about 90% of their time behind closed doors, whether in their homes, offices, and cars, or in theaters, restaurants, and malls.

Certification requires generous policies related to promoting healthy sleep, granting ample time away from the office

For many, that means being cooped up for half of their waking hours in a workplace whose computer screens may cause headaches and eyestrain. Whose cleaning products may give rise to nausea and dizziness. Whose mold-encrusted wall interiors may provoke sleep disorders or cognitive impairment. Whose drinking fountains may dispense water tinged with unhealthy levels of lead, copper, or mercury. Whose carpeting and pressed-wood furniture may leach cancer-causing volatile organic compounds. Whose cramped, windowless cubicles may foster isolation and despair. Whose culture of presumed around-the-clock dedication to the cause may be a recipe for heart disease, divorce, and depression.

The WELL Building Standard, released publicly in October 2014 and updated in early 2018, offers solutions specifically designed to address these and other causes of ill health, particularly in the workplace. From the get-go, this person-oriented rating system was a natural—if late-in-coming—complement to the more environmentally focused LEED, unveiled in 2000 by the US Green Building Council.

“We’ve known for a long time—literally decades—that office environments can impact human health and productivity,” says Joel Makower, chairman and executive editor of GreenBiz, which has been at the forefront of chronicling the intersection of business and sustainability. “And we’ve known about the solutions, from increased air flow and daylighting to increased worker control over her work space and work style. But it’s taken this long for employers to catch on to the business benefits of healthy, or well, buildings.”

When employers finally do undergo that WELL certification process, specially trained third-party experts score their ability to meet dozens of specific, often technical, benchmarks in each of the 10 concepts of building design and performance, as well as occupant health (the maiden version of WELL included fewer such requirements across only seven major categories). These 10 concepts include good indoor air quality; policies that encourage fitness, proper nutrition, and the consumption of clean drinking water; lighting that doesn’t disrupt natural body rhythms; thermal comfort and strategies to cut down on noise; and the use of products and materials that don’t pollute or contaminate a building’s interior.

In addition, WELL Version 2 added a focus on community—a set of features that prioritizes volunteerism and other forms of civic engagement, along with organization-wide access to the likes of generous support for new parents and family caregivers.

But the greatest changes to the revamped WELL standard are found in the Mind concept, which lays out a detailed set of design and policy strategies to positively influence the cognitive and emotional well-being of those occupying a space.

For example, there is a feature that mandates training for stress management and work–life balance as a means of heading off burnout. Other features address mental health support along with affordable treatments for substance abuse and addiction. In addition, certification requires generous policies related to promoting healthy sleep, granting ample time away from the office, and integrating nature and natural elements into the office. Finally, this section of the WELL Building Standard calls for providing free or low-cost programs of mindful movement, such as yoga or tai chi classes, or devising strategies to encourage mindfulness meditation: offering an eight-week course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, for instance, or furnishing access to a quiet, calm space where a building’s occupants might join a guided meditation program.

“There’s great research behind mindfulness training and the impact it can have on stress levels and well-being and sleep,” says Emily Winer, IWBI’s mind concept lead. “It has a spillover effect—you feel a little better after you meditate, you relax and it informs your whole day. Then that continues to inform your whole life and how you interact with people. I felt strongly it should be a part of WELL Version 2. There are ways you can design a space to help people get to that frame of mind. It may help create a sense of calmness, allowing you to be more present with your mindfulness practice.”

Doing Good by Doing WELL

The TD Bank in Bethesda, Maryland, a mile from the District of Columbia line, had its ribbon-cutting in May 2016, and two years later earned the distinction of being the world’s first retail bank location to be granted both LEED and WELL certification. Although the building doesn’t have the bowl-you-over optics of the ASID headquarters, it nevertheless offers a telling look at how structures of any sort may one day be designed to benefit both the surrounding environment and those occupying the space, be it for an eight-hour shift or just a few random minutes.

The exterior, for example, boasts a two-lane drive-through topped with solar panels that, according to the store manager, provide about 90% of the building’s electricity. Atop the bank is a living green roof of maturing sedum plants, which helps oxygenate the neighborhood. Two adjacent metal grids affixed to an exterior wall support a towering web of flowering ivy each spring and summer, which effectively releases stormwater from the roof and, as a bonus, adds an appealing counterpoint to a suburban panorama otherwise dominated by 12 stories of red and tan brick.

The drinking water is purified, the air is free of noxious building materials or cleaning supplies, the tall windows and circadian lighting systems help boost and maintain concentration.

Like the ASID space, the bank’s interior is long on elements tailored for employee well-being: The drinking water is purified, the air is free of noxious building materials or cleaning supplies, the tall windows and circadian lighting systems help boost and maintain concentration throughout the workday. In addition, vivid waist-to-ceiling murals of drooping leaf-covered tree branches splash across two adjoining walls, a welcoming nod to the physical, mental, and behavioral benefits that may be realized by contact simply with images of nature.

Plaques scattered throughout the bank provide customers with tips about optimum thermal comfort and proper hydration (a water-bottle filling station is near the teller counter); an intimate café space includes a Wellness Resources Library with background about the WELL certification process and healthy lifestyle changes. Free coffee is provided, but non-dairy creamers, typically laden with hydrogenated vegetable-based fats, have been banned from the premises. (Highly processed foods are frowned on in a feature of the WELL Nourishment concept.)

Unlike the aging TD location I usually patronize, which was acquired in a late-2007 merger, the design, details, and employee energy of this new WELL-certified operation create a noticeably more positive and welcoming experience. Interestingly, the signage, the literature, and the prominently displayed certification awards in the new bank serve as catalysts for the staff to engage customers about this undertaking to create a healthier environment—in the process raising awareness about how the community may benefit and, if history is any guide, possibly spurring others to follow suit.

Jacquelynn Henke, Vice President of Sustainability & Innovation for TD Bank, says that that’s precisely what happened when one of TD’s locations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, became the nation’s first net-zero energy bank—i.e., the building’s 400 solar panels generated more kilowatt-hours over a year than it used, allowing the company to feed this surplus energy into the local power grid. “Within two or three years, probably four blocks away, another bank opened a net-zero energy store,” Henke says. “So sometimes all it takes is being first in that community, or very close to the first, to help set that leadership path and get others thinking about it and raising the awareness.”

At the moment, TD Bank has just one other store—in Princeton, New Jersey—that also earned its WELL stripes, meaning that some 1,300 of its locations across the eastern United States haven’t scored the certification plaque, and in many cases likely never will. But Henke says the bank is taking lessons learned from the Bethesda and Princeton stores and applying them elsewhere, so the WELL program benefits will nevertheless be spread far and wide as the building-renovations cycle unfolds over the coming years.

The WELL program’s Rachel Gutter says that’s precisely the sort of ripple effect that this certification process can create throughout an entire workforce. “You can’t offer paternity leave and better travel to your employees one building at a time,” she says. “From an equity standpoint, you have to offer them to all your employees. So while an organization might pilot WELL in one building, if they choose to adhere to those commitments over the long haul, they’re going to have to roll them out on an organization-wide scale.”

“We’re not in the business of selling registrations and certifications,” she adds. “We’re in the business of transforming the market. The beautiful thing is that when you do transform the market, everybody comes along.”

There’s No Time Like the Present

Before moving to its current headquarters, ASID partnered with Cornell University and two research firms in hopes of gauging how those WELL-certified digs would affect, among other things, the health, performance, and job satisfaction of its employees. Not surprisingly, the pre- and post-occupancy surveys revealed that the staff appreciated everything from the better air quality and acoustics of the new office (sound levels were cut in half) to the physical comfort of the ergonomically engineered workstations and the emphasis on access to nature. Moreover, the unassigned seating and open-office layout sparked more interactions and collaboration, while one-quarter of the staff attributed the office’s circadian lighting to them getting a better night’s sleep.

For its part, ASID management realized a jump in productivity and collaboration, reduced its energy bills by thousands of dollars, and anticipates dramatic cost savings going forward due to lower employee turnover. Ultimately, the organization expects to recoup its investment in this “office of the future” in the first half of its 10-year lease agreement. And as CEO Randy Fiser notes, this move to create a healthy workspace is also paying the sort of intangible dividends not quantifiable by surveys or bottom-line computations: “My position as CEO requires me to travel 70% of the time, including internationally,” he says. “After a trip, I make a point to be back in the office to reap the benefits of the circadian lighting. It helps regulate my rhythms and gets me back on the proper time zone quickly.”

These many benefits realized by those occupying WELL-certified buildings aren’t surprising, as workplace programs to promote employee health and well-being—whether via mindfulness training, the incorporation of biophilia, or technologies like those that grace ASID headquarters—have been shown to cut absenteeism, sick leave, and the costs associated with health care and disability.

“Healthy buildings finally pencil out: They make sense financially, and in some sectors and markets may be seen as a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining employees,” says Joel Makower, of GreenBiz. (Full disclosure: He has been a friend and colleague since publication of his 1981 book, Office Hazards: How Your Job Can Make You Sick.) “It’s no longer a nice thing to do, or even just a way to lower operating costs. It’s rapidly becoming a de facto standard for landlords and companies.”

It’s not only traditional businesses, however, that are paying attention to this phenomenon. Although the first iteration of the WELL Building Standard was crafted with office buildings in mind, Version 2 is adaptable for pretty much any type of project but a single-family home, and so far interest in pursuing certification has come from warehouses, airports, resorts, restaurants, affordable-housing projects, military installations, and a YMCA. What’s more, there has been a tremendous surge in demand for WELL-inspired elder-care facilities, as aging Baby Boomers scheme to outrun the actuarial tables while simultaneously bolstering their quality of life.

Of course, complying with 112 multi-part features spread across 10 diverse concepts may require budgets beyond the means of some hoping to emulate the WELL pioneers, possibly constraining this movement’s evolution. For example, Traci Rose Rider, PhD, coordinator of North Carolina State University’s Design Initiative for Sustainability & Health, says that, by and large, public school administrators aren’t yet asking for the likes of biophilia and innovative building-related technologies. “You could say, ‘I want circadian lighting for all these kids, and we think it might work. Or we could use those funds to patch the roofs on the four buildings that need patching.’ So there is a huge funding issue, and so far the people adapting it are those that have the money and dedication to do it, often larger corporations.” Similarly, while blue-sky thinkers envision adapting WELL for such structures as prisons—which research clearly demonstrates would contribute to inmates’ psychological well-being—retrofitting a supermax to bathe cells in north-facing light and insure optimum thermal comfort is not likely on any horizon.

But in the meantime, it’s clear that a WELL-certified building can fit seamlessly into a shifting corporate culture that has begun adding to its ranks chief wellness officers and chief mindfulness officers, just as it routinely added chief sustainability officers over the past decade to monitor and improve environmental efforts.

“We believe in the triple bottom line: Shoot for the intersection of people, planet, and prosperity,” says Rachel Gutter. “If your employees are more present, if they’re more satisfied, if they’re more engaged and more productive, then everybody wins.”

Force of Nature

Here’s one WELL-inspired strategy for feeling right at home.

Since the launch of WELL in late 2014, its healthy-building standards have been applied to more than 860 projects around the globe, some 300 of which are spread across the United States. Although most of these American projects encompass office space, others completed or are being prepared for the certification process include a retirement community in Colorado, an environmental charter school in Pennsylvania, and a pricey 15-story condo development in lower Manhattan’s historic Flatiron District.

At last count, WELL projects could be found in only 33 states, with one-third of them located in New York and California. As a result, while this emerging phenomenon shows promise of dynamic expansion, for the moment, at least, few stand to reap the rewards of a building certification process designed to enhance human health and well-being.

It’s still possible, however, to realize the benefits of WELL by applying its standards to your own living space, be it a wide-open manor house or a dinky studio apartment.

The WELL Mind concept, for example, identifies a wide array of features that play significant roles in our cognitive and emotional health, including one in particular that can be readily adapted in any home: biophilia, the human affinity for the natural world.

Interestingly, people benefit from direct contact with foliage, natural light, and other environmental elements, but also from exposure to images of the outdoors, and even to objects inspired by the shapes and patterns found in nature. Research has demonstrated, for instance, that hospital patients not only heal faster by having plants and flowers by their bedside, but also by having a window in their room with a view of trees. Similarly, prisoners confined to maximum-security cells were found to show positive behavioral changes after being allowed to watch nature videos for 40 minutes a day.

But plopping a lone Venus Flytrap on a coffee table is unlikely to tamp down blood pressure or help throttle the heebie-jeebies. “Biophilic design is not intended to be just about a plant here or a water feature there,” says Vermont-based architect and biophilic-design consultant Elizabeth Calabrese, AIA. “It’s actually about tying nature and natural systems and processes into our lives.”

To that end, Calabrese advises that we think about our living space as a little ecosystem, whether that means filling it with a variety of greenery able to thrive in the available light; or incorporating natural materials like pottery, tile, or a wood table; or relying on dappled light filtering through trellises that fill the home with patterns that change throughout the day.

In addition, you can bring nature into your living space via views of a flower-filled window box, bird feeders, or water features, which provide the added benefit of helping to drown out the sound of traffic and other noise. A porch swing or rocking chair will connect you to the outdoors, as will sheer cotton window coverings fluttering in the springtime breeze.

Every little bit helps, Calabrese says, although overloading your home with such elements can actually sabotage the goal of crafting a healthy ecosystem. “Balance is the key,” she adds. “More isn’t necessarily better.”

The post Next-Level Workspaces Are Measured in “Healthfulness” appeared first on Mindful.

#sleep sounds #sleep music #white noise app #nature sounds #relaxing sounds #rain sounds for sleeping

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harleenmcleaninteriors · 8 months

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Opt for biophilic interiors to keep employees in a happy frame of mind

Biophilic interior design is created to satisfy the urge of human to integrate nature with their daily life. If you do not know biophilic design is made up of all things that are natural and have the organic quality to generate happiness among human. Biophilic designs primarily include air, water and plants and natural light engineered by sun.

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Employees thrive under biophilic interiors

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By living among nature and sighting these elements will boost your level of happiness and comfort and enable you to work to your full potential. It is important for employers and industry people to know that by introducing biophilic design elements in their interior or exterior designs they will be able to keep their employees in happy frame of mind.

It has been observed that presence of green leafy plants, creepers and clean outdoor draft wafting through openings and the naturally filtered sunlight through glass walls provide the right indoor atmosphere. If you really want your staff to be productive and reduce absenteeism you should opt for the decision of introducing biophilic design created by a biophilic design service America

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Natural air, sunlight and greenery have the ability to keep people in good humor. It frees tensions from your body and stress from your mind by the natural nutrition it provides through these elements. Breathing clean air, enjoying natural light inside your room and the sight of rich green plants work like health supplements thus help employee experience under your roof.

Employees would like to remain indoors more because of these natural attractions and it will tell on their performance in a big way. Stressful minds won’t work properly but an office that is devoid of tensions, thanks to the biophilic design elements, will work to its maximum capacity.

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harleenmcleaninteriors · 11 months

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Talk to Harleen Mclean for Professional Biophilic Design Service in America

Harleen Mclean Salt Biophilic Design Service Company offers a service that will make you feel like an icon of nature that specializes in promoting peace in the landscape around you. Our company is the co-founder of Natural Biophilic Design Service America and specialize in Biophilic eDesign Service etc.

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architectnews · 3 years

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Bilíngue Pueri Domus School, São Paulo

Bilíngue Pueri Domus School, SP, South American Interior, Modern Brazilian Real Estate, Architecture Images

Bilíngue Pueri Domus School in São Paulo

13 Jan 2021

Bilíngue Pueri Domus School

Architects: Perkins&Will

Location: São Paulo, Brazil

Globally recognized for its multidisciplinary expertise, including educational projects, global architecture and design studio Perkins&Will created the new unit for the traditional Brazilian school Pueri Domus, in the Perdizes neighborhood, in São Paulo. The school was conceived to meet the contemporary teaching and learning needs.

Technological evolution and unlimited access to real time information have changed the way we consume content, especially in the younger generations. The transformation has also created new needs for teaching and learning spaces. “Schools of the future have to stimulate creativity and interaction. Our project reaches this goal through spaces that promote well-being in a welcoming environment, as they also exercise focus”, explains architect Douglas Tolaine, Design Principal in Perkins&Will’s São Paulo studio.

The edifice is formed by two “wings”, connected by a translucent dome that covers bleachers where students, teachers and parents are received. It is the heart of the project, where everything happens. In here people meet, interact, trade experiences and knowledge and even study or play between class breaks”, states Douglas.

The dome also allows natural lighting to infiltrate the building and the view from the street while also securing privacy and protecting the indoors of insulation. “It creates a welcoming, pleasant ambient”, says Tolaine. “By nighttime, it transforms into a illuminated dome, standing out in the region”.

Classrooms in Pueri Domus Perdizes have transparent glass partitions. “The idea is to make the students comfortable with the external circulation during classes. It is a strategy to make them practice focus in a scenario where distraction is everywhere, with electronic devices and social media”, affirms Douglas. The design also counts with niches where students can focus in individual studies during class breaks.

Elementary to stimulate creativity, focus and relationships, well-being is the key in the project, that uses Biophilic Design to provide an even more efficient and interesting learning experience.

The school has a pocket forest, created by landscaping firm Cardim Arquitetura Paisagística”, that counts with native species from the Atlantic Forest, “The greenery aims to improve thermal conditions while also working as an outdoor classroom, promoting direct and real connection with nature”, explains Douglas. The forest also enhances the surroundings, extending the well-being experience to the school’s neighbors.

The school was design and built in record time: 11 months. The mission was accomplished thanks to the use of metallic structure, which not only allowed faster and cleaner construction, but also creating larger spans, favoring natural lighting and ventilation. The wooded brise-soleis also collaborate with this feature while giving the façade a modern visual, making the edifice stand out in the region.

About Perkins&Will Perkins&Will, an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, was founded in 1935 on the belief that design has the power to transform lives. Guided by its core values—design excellence, diversity and inclusion, research, resilience, social purpose, sustainability, and well-being—the firm is committed to designing a better, more beautiful world.

Fast Company named Perkins&Will one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in Architecture, and industry rankings consistently place Perkins&Will among the world’s top design practices.

With an international team of more than 2,000 professionals, the firm has over 20 studios worldwide, providing integrated services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture.

Partners include Danish architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen; retail strategy and design consultancy Portland; sustainable transportation planning consultancy Nelson\Nygaard; and luxury hospitality design firm Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR).

Photos: Rafaela Netto and Renato Navarro

Bilíngue Pueri Domus School in São Paulo, Brazil images / information received 130121

Location: São Paulo, Brazil, South America

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Bar-Pool-Gallery, near Belo Horizonte, Nova Lima, MG Design: BCMF Architects image : Jomar Bragança Bar-Pool-Gallery by Belo Horizonte

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Comments / photos for the Bilíngue Pueri Domus School, São Paulo – Brazilian Architecture page welcome

Website: Brazil

The post Bilíngue Pueri Domus School, São Paulo appeared first on e-architect.

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