Happy by Design: A Guide to Architecture and Mental Wellbeing

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Most building design prioritises cost efficiencies and overheads, rather than paying attention to the nuances of human experience. They really got the feel of what I offer and created a site that fitted my requirements - and a logo too! And as we spend between 80 and 90 percent of our time inside buildings, the spaces we live and work in are going to have a significant impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. Happy By Design are a friendly, experienced and talented team, highly responsive and infinitely patient with those less techy among us!

He coaches mindfulness at the practice and in his free time and in 2017 founded and chairs the Architects’ Mental Wellbeing Forum, which is focused on improving mental health within the industry. Work in Mind columnist Ben Channon has collaborated with RIBA to launch a new evidence-based book that aims to help readers create happier, healthier places. This is not only worse from an energy perspective but will also result in unhappier building occupants. A soft fabric will also pleasingly catch the breeze if the window is open—a good way to bring life and movement to a gloomy space. Ben Channon, Associate and Mental Wellbeing Ambassador, has authored and illustrated his first book, ‘ Happy by Design: A Guide to Architecture and Mental Wellbeing’, out on RIBA Publishing.

After my own battle with mental health issues when studying architecture, I was shocked by how little architects and designers considered the physical and mental wellbeing of the end-user. The lessons and advice inside are applicable to everyone, from big-time property developers to homeowners, interior designers and those interested in wellbeing and happiness. Ben is a passionate author and has used writing to champion better design for wellbeing, as well as to improve mental health within the architectural industry itself. Reduce the amount of excuses you have by making it easy to exercise, whether this is through a bicycle hanger by the front door, or a small workout space, with yoga mat and hand weights in the corner of a room that’s ready to go whenever you are. I chose a design flecked with tiny cutout stars, which allow small slivers of light to glint through and scatter pinpoints of sunshine around the room in the morning.

And when it comes to evoking calm and relaxation, lighter shades of blue and green have been associated with these feelings, meaning they’re often put to best use in bedrooms and quieter spaces. Ben Channon Ben Channon is an architect at Assael Architecture, where he is the Mental Wellbeing Ambassador for the practice, and is also an accredited mindfulness practitioner with the Mindfulness Association.To avoid a climate catastrophe and achieve a regenerative built environment, the use of new materials and any excess waste in resources need to be cut out from the very beginning of the design process. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a professional, approachable company that provides quality service and great results! Drawing on advice from experts far and wide, Victoria Harrison’s Happy Home Program helps everyone transform their living spaces and put personal wellbeing first in their homes and neighborhoods. Traditional and online marketing can be overwhelming, so we support our clients every step of the way – from the initial meeting, through to project completion.

Invite health and happiness into the heart of your home with practical ideas for decor, organization, and mindfulness that will transform your living space—and create an uplifting atmosphere that looks after you from morning to night! If this is not possible, consider larger windows with opaque glazing, which can even be post-applied to existing windows in the form of a film.A more conscious, mindful approach to the design of affordable housing could help those that need it most and those who often have the fewest resources to address the issues surrounding mental health. With everything that’s happened in the last two years, now more than ever it is vital that we all understand the ways in which buildings and cities affect how we feel.

Happy by Design teaches us how we can actively improve our health and wellbeing through the way we design and regard every room in the house.This process continued and after a while, I realised that this subject had far wider implications than I’d previously imagined, with the potential to improve the day-to-day lives of people around the world, so, the process of writing Happy by Design began.