Arup and Delos launch building wellbeing tool

Global engineering consultancy Arup has partnered with global wellness pioneer Delos to address the growing issue of health and wellness in buildings.

Arup’s Building Performance and Systems (BPS) team has worked with Delos to create the new BUS Wellbeing survey; an improved methodology for assessment and tracking of occupant wellbeing in buildings. 

The new survey combines the pre-existing standard BUS Methodology Occupant Satisfaction Survey and Delos Building Wellness Survey. It will provide a more comprehensive analysis of building design impact on occupant wellness than ever before, covering a wide range of criteria for assessment, such as air quality, lighting and access to nature. 

Dr Whitney Austin Gray, Senior Vice President, Delos, commented: “The BUS Wellbeing Survey provides a simple way to track how investment in building design and performance is related to human health. Without global benchmarks, these investments cannot be evaluated and compared.”

SEE ALSO:

Arup’s ‘living wall’ scaffolding will reduce noise and air pollution

Arup: Top 10 facts

How to Maximise Employee Wellbeing on the Construction Site

Read the latest issue of Construction Global here

The launch of the new survey is timely. Across the globe, organisations are investing more and more into building design and operational strategies that increase occupant engagement, and health and wellbeing. The BUS Wellbeing Survey is designed for all projects looking to track outcomes related to human experience in buildings.

The survey is already in use with Adventist Health, a leading provider of healthcare in the US. It has been employed on its Consolidated Campus Transition Project, helping test the project’s latest building wellness features with the aim of achieving WELL Certification

The BUS Wellbeing survey meets the precondition survey criteria in the WELL Building Standard (WELL) for both WELL v1 and WELL v2. It is available in multiple languages and offers location-specific benchmark sets.

Darren Wright, Arup’s Director of Building Performance and Systems, commented:

“While the standard BUS Methodology Occupant Satisfaction Survey focuses on occupants’ experience of a building e.g. thermal comfort, air quality, lighting, personal control, the Delos Building Wellness Survey assesses their wellbeing in terms of access to nature, nutrition, physical activity and mental health. By combining the two, the new survey offers clients a more comprehensive analysis of how a building’s design impacts its staff and business.”