Perception of wellbeing in educational spaces

Abstract

Wellbeing and mental health are important pillars of sustainability, as recognised by the WELL Building Standards. With higher education facing a mental health crisis, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic, all potential solutions must be investigated. Applying WELL to educational spaces could help to improve student and staff wellbeing. However, the constant change in occupancy of teaching spaces within higher education alters how design factors influence wellbeing outcomes as compared to standard office or domestic occupancy. This study collects student and staff responses on their experience of wellbeing in educational spaces, together with indoor environment quality data for validation. It found that whilst the perception of the quality of spaces did not necessarily align with the measured quality, it was the perceived quality that impacted wellbeing. Design for wellbeing is a growing market and a costly investment, it is important therefore that this investment is having the impact anticipated. This research demonstrates the importance of designing a space taking into account user perception rather than focusing solely on space performance, and perceived space quality impacts on occupant wellbeing.