In recent years, health and well-ness has become a top priority in nearly every facet of our lives, from nutrition to sleep and exercise. Yet a growing body of research demonstrates that health and wellness is not just about eating well and staying active; in fact, the environments where we live and work have a direct impact on our well-being, from our sleep/wake cycles and mood to productivity and performance. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly important to place people at the heart of design and construction operations and development decisions. The World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". As such the term "health and wellbeing" can be considered to cover social, psychological and physical factors. An individual's health and wellbeing is determined by a complex combination of genetics, lifestyle, behaviour and environmental factors, including those related to the built environment. With the average person in the developed world spending approximately 90% of their lives indoors, the conditions and facilities that buildings provide and the behaviours that they encourage are therefore a significant influence on everyone's health and wellbeing.
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