Sarah Schwuchow is now a WELL Accredited Professional

Last month, our Principal Interior Designer, Sarah Schwuchow, earned her WELL AP credential. This shows SJI’s commitment to design and create healthier spaces. Read on to find out more about this certification and how this credential impacts lives for the better!

“Those who successfully pass the WELL AP exam and receive the WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) credential are recognized for their expertise in the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and for demonstrating a commitment to advancing human health and wellness in buildings and communities around the world.”

-www.resources.wellcertified.com/faqs/what-is-a-well-ap/

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Sarah has always been interested to understand how the environment can impact health and wellbeing. WELL is a commitment to advancing human health in buildings and communities, using evidence-based medical research by scientists, medical professionals, wellness teachers and architects.

As someone who has a family experience with cancers, auto immune diseases, and mental health disorders, it’s very important to Sarah to learn how SJI can make an impact in what we do as designers and how the spaces we design can impact our clients’ physical and mental wellbeing.

We are committed to doing our research and educating the public on the ways that environmental and biological factors play a role in our health and wellness.

“Becoming a WELL AP gives you the opportunity to become an ambassador for public health and design spaces that empower people to eat, sleep, work out, perform and feel their best.” -www.asid.org/learn/well

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The WELL Building Standard focuses on 7 concepts for healthier buildings & spaces:

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AIR

We spend 90% of our time indoors, therefore indoor air quality is vitally important. We need to consider off-gassing from building materials in our designs, such as VOC’s from paints.

Indoor air quality issues can diminish work productivity and lead to sick building syndrome (no disease or cause is identified but health effects are linked to time spent in the building). Pollution source avoidance, proper ventilation and air filtration are some of the most effective means of achieving higher indoor air quality.

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WATER

Clean drinking water is vital for optimal health. 2/3 of our bodies are composed of water; it helps our bodies transport nutrients and waste, regulates our body temperature and serves as a shock absorber for the brain and spinal cord. Women should consume 2.7L and men should should consume 3.7L of water daily according to the Institute of Medicine.

Water contamination is major health issue. Almost 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water worldwide and 2 million people die annually from access to safe drinking water. The Clean Water Act of 1974 in the US by the EPA provides standards for levels of contaminants allowed in our water such as lead, arsenic, mercury, glyphosate, atrazine and microbes. These limits are set based on the likelihood of causes health effects like cancer.

WELL seeks to help limit the presence of inorganic containments - like Lead and mercury in our drinking water which have been linked to developmental delays, learning disabilities, high blood pressure and kidney problems. Reverse Osmosis and Kinetic Degradation Fluxion filters can remove these dissolved metals. WELL also seeks to limit the presence of organic contaminates like Benzene and PCB’s which are linked to cancer, immune deficiencies and nervous system difficulties. Carbon filters are effective at removing these and other harmful chemical substances.

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NOURISHMENT

Nutrition plays a major role in health maintenance, weight management, and chronic disease prevention. 2.7 Million people die annually worldwide due to insufficient fruit and vegetable intake. It’s a top 10 risk factor of global mortality. Low fruit and vegetable consumption can lead to higher rates of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, as well as breast and gastrointestinal cancers.

WELL incorporates strategies that can help people eat better, by encouraging fruit and vegetable consumption, discouraging artificial ingredients, storing foods properly, labeling foods for allergies and recognizing special diets, providing foods that are Federally Certified Organic, and Certified Human. Spaces are designed to provide employees with break areas and salad bars to encourage healthy eating and taking breaks from the work day.

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LIGHT

Light is vitally important in the design of any space, not just visually but also physically. As humans, our bodies run on a 24 hour cycle called a circadian rhythm. Our bodies respond to external cues (zeitgebers) that align with physiological function in the solar cycle. Light is one of the most important zeitgebers, as it keeps our bodies’ internal clock synchronized. Exposure to light and different types of light affects our sleep and wake cycles. Between 50-70 Million US Adults have chronic sleep or wakefulness disorders. These disorders put us at a higher risk for diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, hypertension, and stroke.

All light, even indoor light, affects our bodies. Since we spend 90% of our time indoors, improper lighting can impact our phase cycles and cause issues for our sleep. We need exposure both to light and darkness to maintain healthy cycles. Glare is a major problem addressed by WELL, designing workstations that minimize glare from nearby windows. Well also address individuals right to light, where 75% of the occupied space must be located within 25 feet of a viewing window.

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FITNESS

Fitness is defined as the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness, without fatigue, and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and respond to emergencies. 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity 5 days a week is encouraged by the American College of Sports Medicine to ensure a healthy lifestyle. Lack of physical activity can increase the odds of having a stroke by 20-30% and shave off 3-5 years of life. Physical inactivity is the 4th leading cause of death worldwide accounting for 3-5 million deaths per year.

WELL seeks to provide opportunities for building occupants by providing spaces and access to fitness equipment, classes, and adjustable furnishings to encourage an active lifestyle. Designing spaces with a common staircases between 2-4 floors encourages people to take the stairs rather than an elevator. Treadmill desks, bicycle desks, and portable stepper machines under the desk are great solutions that WELL encourage. 60% of workstations must be an adjustable height standing desk. Standing burns 50 more calories per hour than sitting.

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COMFORT

The comfort section of WELL covers physical, mental, thermal, acoustic, and olfactory comfort. Acoustic problems are the number one complaint among occupants. WELL uses mitigation strategies such as absorbing and reducing materials, masking systems, and construction techniques that can help create an environment that enables occupants to focus better.

Ergonomics of the space play a major role in our health and wellness. Musculoskeletal Disorders, such as back pain, affects 31 million Americans. WELL seeks to design spaces that can help these issues such as adjustable computer screens, desk height flexibility, and seat adjustability to create ergonomically-friendly workspaces.

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MIND

Mental and Physical health are related. Exercise of the physical body releases serotonin which elevates mood and regulates sleep cycles. Anxiety triggers a physiological response on the body similar to the way a physical injury can. Stress is damning physiologically and psychologically. Global mental health disorders account for 8 million deaths each year. Life expectancy of those living with mental illness is 10 years shorter compared to those without mental illness. In the US, 21% of people are living with a mood disorder, such as depression. This affects 16 Million adults in the US alone.

Depression is linked to a higher risk of heart disease and immunosuppression. Chronic Stress and anxiety are responsible for the stress hormones that can result in metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and skin conditions.

WELL seeks to provide strategies to help individuals mitigate stress and promote relaxation in addition to increasing awareness and education of mental health. This is done by creating access to a health and wellness library for building occupants, incorporating nature and light within spaces, creating policies on work-related travel and late night hours, offering workplace family support, and stress and addiction treatment.

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“We’re not designing places to live. We’re designing how we live. Leading research demonstrates that the way our buildings are designed, constructed and maintained has a profound impact on how we live. When we design our buildings, we define how we sleep, what we eat and how we feel throughout the day. ASID is dedicated to leading the conversation on integrating health and wellness in the built environment.” -https://www.asid.org/learn/well

Interior Design and COVID-19

COVID-19 has impacted us all in different ways. From tragic loss of lives, to lay-offs and business closures, the strain on our emotional, physical and mental health has been incredibly difficult for each of us in our own way. We are learning new ways to cope, connect, and move forward towards a new normal. Through all of these changes and isolation, we have learned just how important it is to have social support from our friends, families, and colleagues. We’re all missing human bonding.

Our lack of in person contact can trigger what Vivek Murthy, a physician and former surgeon general of the US calls a social recession - “social isolation that has a negative impact on physical and mental well-being of people and can even put us at risk for premature death.” There is reach that links social isolation and loneliness to poor health outcomes such as heart disease, dementia, sleep loss, depression and reduced life expectancy. 

To help prevent isolation and a social recession, we need to ensure we are connecting with people outside our home for at least 15 minutes a day. Whether that be a phone call, video chat, or safe distance visit. It’s also important that we take time to help other people, be more conscious of others, and see the bigger picture of how we fit into our community. There are many beneficial health and wellness outcomes associated with acts of generosity, charity, and community bonding. A main one being increasing our sense of belonging and decreasing feelings of isolation and loneliness.

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Office Spaces

One of the big questions we face as interior designers is “How will the architecture and design community be impacted by COVID-19?” This is a loaded question, but ultimately, I believe this situation has given the design community the opportunity to be creative in new ways. 

As we begin to reopen and return to offices at reduced capacity, new protocols are being implemented, as we disinfect our desks, chairs, keyboards, mouses, and phones daily. Our perspective and safety views on the office environment has changed, as we have all adapted a heightened sensitivity to touch and awareness of social distance. Even with new cleaning policies, there are still challenges with our current office layouts, conference room sizes, elevator capacity, distancing capabilities, and privacy that need to be addressed.

This is where designers and architects come in. We design spaces for people, and the way we design these spaces is going to change.“We’re coming to realize that as designers, architects, and building managers, we have a critical role to play in public health.” (Rachel Gutter, President of IWBI). We will be designing safer work spaces, with social distancing protocols, re-imagined office layouts, specifying materials that are easily cleanable and implementing maintenance schedules. The effects of COVID-19 will impact the way we think about and design spaces of the future. 

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Work From Home Life

This world wide social experiment of “Can we all really work remotely?” has sparked conversations among many companies on if they even need to return to a physical office. Companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook have embraced the option of the remote work lifestyle permanently. This opens the opportunity for people anywhere in the world to work for these companies since you don’t need to be present at a physical office everyday. Businesses have learned to adapt to the work from home life, and some are even working more efficiently than they did in the actual office. Benefits of remote work are: 

Less Time Spent Commuting

Improved Employee Retention

More Independent Employees

Reduced Operating Costs 

Diverse Candidates

Efficient Use of Technology

Increased Productivity

Positive Environmental Impacts

Better Work Life Balance

Healthier Employees

Less Stressed Employees

Financial Savings

Customized Home Office 

Healthier Employees

Improved Creativity

More Time with Family

Many businesses are seeing these great benefits and investing more in their work from home employee support. A company's ability to do this depends on it’s type of work, flexibility, culture, access to technology and the ergonomics of the employees home. Even after the pandemic, work from home choices will be more of an option than ever before. Studies show that employees with the highest level of satisfaction are those who have options of where, how and when they work.

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Residential Interior Design and Wellness 

With more people working from home, this will change the way we design residences, specifically by creating a designated office space. Things to consider are layout, placement in the home, acoustical privacy, storage, supplies, sustainable components, ergonomics, clean-ability, healthy building materials, and incorporating strategies to avoid burn out. Creating a new lifestyle where home and work life co-exist in the same space. We’re seeing a major need for these newly developed, creative and healthy spaces in the home.

With a progression towards health and wellness in all facets of our life, and a desire for a cleaner and safer environment due to COVID-19, the Design and Architecture industry is taking great strides to incorporate human health into our environments. WELL Certification is about placing people at the heart of design and enhancing the human health and well being experience. It’s a certification process for buildings, backed by evidence based health and scientific research with leading physicians, scientists and industry professionals.

Over the last few months, I have seen the positive value that the WELL Certification can bring to me as a designer and to my clients. I am working towards earning my WELL AP certification to be able provide health and wellness education and support in our interior design projects. “A WELL AP denotes expertise in the WELL Building Standard and a commitment to advancing human health and wellness in buildings and communities around the world.” (wellcertified.com) 

The WELL certification provides me with a unique understanding of how the human body is impacted by our indoor and outdoor environments, and how to create a healthier home for my clients. From contaminants in our water and air, lighting consideration and temperature controls, to healthy eating and fitness, WELL Certification covers all this and more to ensure buildings and their occupants health and wellness take priority, increasing the quality and longevity of our lives. 

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Stay tuned for more on my journey to becoming a WELL Accredited Professional and follow SJI on Instagram for #WellnessWednesday