The average person spends around 90% of their time indoors. Light, sound, air quality, temperature and the presence of nature all have an impact on our health, placing any building at the forefront of the wellbeing movement.
 
Therme Group partnered with React News, one of the UK’s leading real estate publications, to host a webinar to explore this theme further. ‘Beyond Bricks and Mortar: how real estate can enhance wellbeing’ analysed how buildings impact our lives, and the role real estate can play in improving health and wellbeing, a topic that is gaining increasing traction as we think more about our physical and mental health post-pandemic.

The panel discussion was made up of Adrian Ion, chief financial officer of Therme Group; Professor Sadie Morgan, founding director of dRMM, and chair of the Quality of Life Foundation; Jamie Bunce, chief executive of Legal & General’s retirement living division, Inspired Villages; and Dr Daniel Fujiwara, chief executive of Simetrica-Jacobs and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics & Political Science.

During the session, the panellists explored key aspects relating to wellbeing metrics, the socioeconomic benefit of real estate that delivers on wellbeing, social infrastructure and how buildings or spaces can be designed to support wellbeing.
 
A key insight from the session was that speakers and attendees overwhelmingly agreed that the impact of a building on wellbeing was equally, if not more important, than financial returns. However, when polled 90% of attendees believed that wellbeing metrics were not sufficiently clear or understood. From these revelations the panellists discussed ways in which wellbeing can be measured, a theme that will be explored further in future sessions. 

Below is a summary video of the webinar. Please follow the links to watch the full recording and read the post-event write-up.