Healthy Buildings = Healthy People with Valerio D’Angelantonio
Make’s sustainable design coordinator, Valerio D’Angelantonio, led a workshop centred on the health and wellbeing of building occupants. By retracing the deep bond between humans and nature, and how this connection has weakened over the past two centuries, Valerio explained how the quality of the places we live can impact our health – both positively and negatively.
The WELL Building Standard is an internationally recognised assessment method that measures a building’s performance in terms of occupant health and wellbeing. Valerio illustrated how the WELL Building Standard can be applied, and he explained its philosophy for creating higher quality living spaces. Using various bodily systems as a starting point, Valerio demonstrated how the ten concepts of the WELL Building Standard relate to common architectural design challenges and how they can be resolved. Our role as designers extends beyond merely creating desirable living spaces to ensuring the wellbeing of occupants. Valerio’s insights inspired us to actively embrace our responsibilities and expand our focus beyond aesthetics and function.
Regenerative Materials and Design with Ben Gardner
Ben Gardner, our in-house materials scientist, led an engaging exploration of regenerative materials, spanning the past, present and future of construction. Makers took a hands-on approach by combining the physical sample library with our online Materials database. The journey began with an examination of the steps required to enable regenerative designs and how existing materials and techniques must be replaced and reimagined. Using the materials library, we gained an understanding of the ecological impact of existing materials. Finally, we delved into the exciting world of future regenerative materials, designed to minimise primary resource usage and promote environmental regeneration, and explored how these materials could be integrated into future projects.
The challenge of balancing functionality and aesthetics with environmental responsibility is a crucial step towards achieving a regenerative built environment, and regenerative materials can be a powerful storytelling tool to achieve broader sustainability objectives. Throughout this workshop, we learned how material choices and construction methods impact the natural environment and contribute to decarbonisation. This immersive experience equipped us to make informed choices and actively contribute to a more regenerative and sustainable built environment as designers for our future world.
Make Neutral Day 2023 was a powerful reminder of the role we play in shaping a more sustainable, equitable and resilient future. It was a day of introspection and inspiration, leaving us with a renewed commitment to incorporate sustainability into all aspects of our work. Let’s carry these lessons forward as we design and build the spaces of tomorrow, creating a world where architecture is not just beautiful but also a force for positive change.