What is Wellness Real Estate?
The time has come to treat our home as an investment in our wellness. Since we spend most of our time at home it only makes sense that it also be an investment in our health and wellbeing. Our homes, our community and surrounding environment directly affects our daily behaviors and lifestyle, and these factors determine most of our health outcomes.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, Wellness Real Estate was the fastest growing sector in the global wellness economy (other wellness sectors include Personalized and Conventional Medicine, Physical Activity, Health & Beauty, Tourism, Nutrition/Weight Loss, just to name a few) with over $275 Billion spent worldwide and over 2,300 wellness real estate projects in the design or development phases (as of 11-1-22). According to GWI, Covid-19 has accelerated the growing understanding among consumers and the building industry about the critical role that external environments play in our physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Being part of a group, of like-minded people, is one aspect of a “wellness-community”
What is Wellness Lifestyle Real Estate?
The Global Wellness Institute, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to empower wellness worldwide and educate the public about preventive health and wellness, wrote a report in 2018, titled Build Well to Live Well. GWI defined Wellness Real Estate as the construction of residential and commercial properties (including office, hospitality, mixed-use/multi-family, medical and leisure) that incorporate intentional wellness elements in their design, materials, and building, as well as their amenities, services, and/or programming. At that time, GWI predicted that homes and buildings that are built intentionally to protect and enhance occupants’ health and well-being would become the next real estate frontier, and that forecast is now coming true.
Having views of nature is important for wellbeing
What does all this mean? Numerous academic and scientific studies prove that wellness-focused built environments have tangible ranging benefits for our health and wellbeing, both from an environmental and economic standpoint. Investors, policy makers, local governments, developers, and consumers have a stake in the health and wellbeing of their community. In Addition, homebuyers would pay a premium to live in a community or home that promotes and supports their health and wellbeing.
Holistically designed wellness real estate and communities can have many positive impacts. Besides providing healthy, toxic-free air and water, below are six core attributes I recommend to improve, or enhance, human health and wellbeing in the built environment:
Design and build “healthy homes” without toxic chemicals or materials - for example, no vinyl flooring, plasticizers, or ‘forever chemicals’
Incorporate renewable, eco-friendly materials in all design decisions, as well incorporating energy efficient appliances & systems
Implement smart technology and methods that improve or enhance human health – ex: lighting and better acoustics
Practice healthier habits through proper nutrition, quality sleep and earth-friendly principles
Encourage mind-body health and movement and use nature (Biophilic Design) to improve mental and psychological wellbeing
Using eco-friendly, safe, non-toxic materials in a home is essential for good health
It is my mission to promote more health and wellbeing in our buildings and communities. Wellness should not be a luxury - it is essential for all people. Everyone deserves to live (and work) in a healthy environment. I want to see a world where human health is at the forefront of design and policy decisions; where chemical toxins are avoided in our homes and offices, and we reduce our carbon footprint to save the environment and mitigate climate change, and we all live in peace and harmony together.