From which perspective and ways of thinking do you approach this subject?
I came to this subject from an interest of how buildings affect us psychologically. As an architect, I was surprised how little we were taught about environmental psychology, and all the fascinating research there around the way that buildings can shape how we feel. As I have worked in this sector longer, I have also begun to appreciate that we must consider physical wellbeing in equal measure, as it is impossible to consider one without the other. For me therefore, a healthy, happy and healing environment is one that supports both our mental and physical health. Not simply to the point of preventing harm, but ideally to the level where we are helping people to thrive and live their very best lives.

What (new) trends and developments do you see in your field (and broader) regarding the subject?
I still think the 'healthy building' movement is in its very early stages really (at least here in the UK) - perhaps where the environmental movement was in the late 1990s. More and more people are starting to become aware of it, but it certainly isn't mandatory, and generally is seen as a bit of a luxury. I find this frustrating, as we all deserve health, and by extension we all deserve healthy places. The good news is that we are seeing a shift in consumer demands as their understanding of the topic develops - something which was undoubtedly accelerated by the Covid-19 crisis. As a result, funders and developers are having to respond, and we are now seeing the more forward-thinking of these starting to integrate health and wellbeing into their strategies and buildings.

‘For me therefore, a healthy, happy and healing environment is one that supports both our mental and physical health.’

How can architects and architectural firms make a difference, and can you share opportunities for architectural firms?
A huge part of our role at Ekkist as healthy building consultants still seems to be fighting for quality: making sure that all the best parts of a project that will have the biggest impact on the end users are kept in, and not value engineered out or lost in the design or construction process. I completely believe that this is something architects could be doing more of - although having worked as an architect for the best part of a decade I also appreciate that architects are under many pressures and stresses which can mean these types of issues become a lower priority. We also find ourselves doing a lot of education to architects around which materials are truly healthy, and not just branded as 'sustainable'. A good example of this is something like a carpet which uses recycled plastic instead of virgin plastic. This sounds like it would be healthy because it is good for the planet - however, who wants their children rolling around playing in microplastics every day? This is perhaps another area where architects could look to make a difference, through gaining a deeper understanding of this emerging subject of healthy materials - or at the very least looking to specify materials that have some form of health certification.

Can you give us a brief description of your story?
My story begins around 2014, when I was working as a young and newly qualified architect. I had many traits common to architects when starting out in the industry - perfectionism, a desire to impress those above me, and a belief that the best way to do this was through sheer volume of work and energy. This led to me burning myself out through long hours and eventually having to have therapy for an anxiety problem.

This led me to take a fresh look at both how much of the architecture industry operates (as a result of which I co-founded the Architects’ Mental Wellbeing Forum in 2017), and it also inspired me to learn more about the relationship between our environment and our mental health. I have now written two books on designing for mental wellbeing and have been fortunate enough to be asked to give a TEDx talk on the subject, as well as lecture on it to universities and businesses around the world. In 2020, I took the leap and started working full-time on this passion, joining a consultancy called Ekkist who focuses entirely on helping architects and developers to create healthy buildings. Ekkist provided support to deliver a building focused on physical and mental wellbeing.