scholarly journals Assessing the Implementation of Biophilic Design Strategies in Selected office Buildings in Lagos State, Nigeria

With the ever-increasing rate of urbanization and organisations opting to discard biophilic designs for minimalist designs at the detriment of productivity, the natural environment has been cast-off as a critical feature in determining the quality of human life. It has been discovered that there is an innate desire for human beings to connect with nature, which is being described as biophilia. Thus, organisations are seeking innovative measures of integrating the natural environment into the workplace as it has been proven to enhance well-being and productivity while saving cost. The study area, Lagos state is a densely populated city whose rise in population has been poorly managed with increasing pollution levels that reduce the quality of life, which is why it is imperative for organisations to create a sustainable environment that enhances work activities. To this end, this study seeks to evaluate the implementation of biophilic design strategies in selected office buildings in Lagos, Nigeria. Data is obtained using questionnaires and analysed using both content analysis for qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative data. Purposive sampling was used to select the buildings that were studied while the respondents were selected by means of the stratified sampling technique. The findings reveal that daylight is the most implemented biophilic design strategy. The benefits of biophilic integration have been reviewed, as well as areas for future research. With more attention being placed on conducive workplace environment this research helps to ascertain the most utilized biophilic design strategy and how it can be easily incorporated in buildings.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Downton ◽  
David Jones ◽  
Josh Zeunert ◽  
Phillip Roös

<p>In 1984 E.O. Wilson (1984) introduced and popularized the <em>Biophilia</em> hypothesis defining <em>biophilia</em> as "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life" (Kellert &amp; Wilson 1995: 416).<sup>  </sup>Wilson’s <em>biophilia</em> hypothesis suggests that there is an instinctivebond between human beings and other living systems.  More recently, in the USA, Browning <em>et al</em> (2014) have proposed ‘14 Patterns of Biophilic Design’ within a framework for linking the human biological sciences and nature to built environment design offering a series of tools for enriching design opportunities, and avenues for design applications as a way to effectively enhance the health and well-being of individuals and society.  While <em>biophilia</em> is the theory, <em>biophilic design</em> as advocated by Kellert <em>et al</em> (2008) and Beatley (2010) internationally offers a sustainable design strategy that seeks to reconnect people with the ‘natural environment’.  Overall, from what little research has been undertaken internationally in the last 10 years, there is a solid understanding as to the applied application of this theory, its principles and processes to built environment design and no research about to how to retrofit the existing urban fabric using this approach.  This paper reviews the application of <em>biophilic design</em> in Australia, including the scope of design, health and wellbeing literature, the ‘14 Patterns of Biophilic Design’ and performative measures now unfolding, brings forward a new <em>Biophilic Design</em> Pattern, and considers the value the approach offers to built environment practice as well as to human and non-human occupants.</p>


Author(s):  
Shabboo Valipoor ◽  
Sheila J. Bosch

While healthcare design research has primarily focused on patient outcomes, there is a growing recognition that environmental interventions could do more by promoting the overall quality of care, and this requires expanding the focus to the health and well-being of those who deliver care to patients. Healthcare professionals are under high levels of stress, leading to burnout, job dissatisfaction, and poor patient care. Among other tools, mindfulness is recommended as a way of decreasing stress and helping workers function at higher levels. This article aims to identify potential environmental strategies for reducing work-related stressors and facilitating mindfulness in healthcare settings. By examining existing evidence on workplace mindfulness and stress-reducing design strategies, we highlight the power of the physical environment in not only alleviating stressful conditions but intentionally encouraging a mindful perspective. Strategies like minimizing distractions or avoiding overstimulation in the healthcare environment can be more effective if implemented along with the provision of designated spaces for mindfulness-based programs. Future research may explore optimal methods and hospital workers’ preferences for environments that support mindfulness and stress management. The long-term goal of all these efforts is to enhance healthcare professionals’ well-being, reignite their professional enthusiasm, and help them be resilient in times of stress.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-50
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Glenn ◽  
Lisa Allen Scott ◽  
Teree Hokanson ◽  
Karla Gustafson ◽  
Melissa A. Stoops ◽  
...  

Financial well-being describes when people feel able to meet their financial obligations, feel financially secure and are able to make choices that benefit their quality of life. Financial strain occurs when people are unable to pay their bills, feel stressed about money and experience negative impacts on their quality of life and health. In the face of the global economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, community-led approaches are required to address the setting-specific needs of residents and reduce the adverse impacts of widespread financial strain. To encourage evidence-informed best practices, a provincial health authority and community-engaged research centre collaborated to conduct a rapid review. We augmented the rapid review with an environmental scan and interviews. Our data focused on Western Canada and was collected prior to the pandemic (May–September 2019). We identified eight categories of community-led strategies to promote financial well-being: systems navigation and access; financial literacy and skills; emergency financial assistance; asset building; events and attractions; employment and educational support; transportation; and housing. We noted significant gaps in the evidence, including methodological limitations of the included studies (e.g. generalisability, small sample size), a lack of reporting on the mechanisms leading to the outcomes and evaluation of long-term impacts, sparse practice-based data on evaluation methods and outcomes, and limited intervention details in the published literature. Critically, few of the included interventions specifically targeted financial strain and/or well-being. We discuss the implications of these gaps in addition to possibilities and priorities for future research and practice. We also consider the results in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences.


Author(s):  
Anna Lee ◽  
Kathleen Knafl ◽  
Marcia Van Riper

The purpose of this scoping review was to identify the family and child quality of life variables that have been studied in relation to one another in children with Down syndrome, the frequency with which different relationships have been studied, and the extent to which family variables were the focus of the research aims. A literature search was conducted to find studies published between January 2007 and June 2018. The initial search yielded 2314 studies; of these, 43 were selected for a final review. Researchers most often addressed family resources and family problem-solving and coping concerning child personal development and physical well-being. Little attention to child emotional well-being was observed, with none considering family appraisal of child emotional well-being. The relationship between family variables and child QoL rarely was the primary focus of the study. Methodologically, most reviewed studies used cross-sectional designs, were conducted in North America and based on maternal report. From future research considering the issues found in this review, healthcare providers can obtain an in-depth understanding of relationships between children and family variables.


Author(s):  
Nanyi Nicole Yu ◽  
Judith Mair ◽  
Andy Lee ◽  
Faith Ong

The economic and social-cultural impacts of events are well documented in the existing events literature. The emergence of quality of life (QOL), well-being and happiness in the positive psychology literature has accelerated research on events and individuals’ subjective well-being (SWB). Taking a narrative synthesis approach, this study identifies a total of 46 peer reviewed journal articles on SWB and events and reviews how SWB has been discussed and investigated in the events context. The results of this study reveal three key approaches to SWB and events. The first approach takes SWB as synonymous with the benefits and impacts of events. The second approach examines SWB in terms of its relationship with the motivations and satisfaction of event participants and local residents. The final approach to SWB examines the relationship between SWB and the event (including festivalscape) experience. The review findings also identify areas of potential weakness in the existing literature. The existing event studies relating to SWB primarily focus on sporting events, with only a few festivals, are often undertaken from a Western perspective, and generally rely on quantitative approaches. More importantly, the extant event literature appears to use the SWB concept loosely without agreement on its structure or key components. Suggestions for future research lie in further conceptualisation of SWB in the events context with validated measurement tools and conceptual models, and closer examination of the causal relationship between event (experience) and levels of SWB.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merel Visse ◽  
Tineke Abma ◽  
Hetty Van den Oever ◽  
Yvonne Prins ◽  
Vincent Gulmans

Aims and objectives: This paper is a report of a study of experiences of people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) with their hospital admission. It evaluates how they perceive their treatment and care and the impact on their social life (school or work). Background: In The Netherlands, people with CF are hospitalized in seven CF centers. In general, hospitalization may raise several challenges concerning the patient’s psychosocial well-being, before, during and after the admission. The admission of people with CF is complicated, because of segregated treatment and care that aims to prevent hospital-based cross-infection. Design: This article reports on a qualitative study. Methods: Data were collected during 2009 and 2010. Nineteen people with CF admitted for more than 5 days in one of the seven Dutch CF-centres participated. Results and conclusions: The findings are organized into five contexts with subthemes: Before admission & Arrival (1); Treatment & Care (2); Room & Stay (3); Discharge (4); Social & Societal context (5). The findings show that patients express a need for enhancing the quality of some treatments, like intravenous injections and patients express normative expectations of professionals that directly relate to their psychosocial well-being, e.g. they want to be ‘seen’ and treated as human beings and not solely as patients. They desire segregation policies to be consistent, whilst simultaneously they prefer flexible segregation guidelines. In general, respondents are satisfied with hospital facilities. The study reports on challenges concerning continuation of school and work during the admission. The paper is relevant to every hospital where people are being nursed in isolation.


Dementia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1858-1895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine A Hebert ◽  
Kezia Scales

Background Dementia friendly initiatives share similarities with the age-friendly movement in a focus on active engagement and creating a good quality of life for older adults. Dementia friendly initiatives offer a welcoming optimistic narrative in dementia studies by embracing dignity, empowerment, and autonomy to enable well-being throughout the dementia trajectory. Purpose The purpose of this review is to explore the current science of dementia friendly initiatives, identify gaps, and inform future research. Method Quantitative, qualitative, and conceptual/theoretical peer-reviewed dementia friendly research literature were evaluated for their current evidence base and theoretical underpinnings. Results The dementia friendly initiatives research base is primarily qualitative and descriptive focused on environmental design, dementia awareness and education, and the development of dementia friendly communities. Person-centered care principles appear in dementia friendly initiatives centered in care settings. Strong interdisciplinary collaboration is present. Research is needed to determine the effect of dementia friendly initiatives on stakeholder-driven and community-based outcomes. Due to the contextual nature of dementia, the perspective of persons with dementia should be included as dementia friendly initiatives are implemented. Theory-based studies are needed to confirm dementia friendly initiative components and support rigorous evaluation. Dementia friendly initiatives broaden the lens from which dementia is viewed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 999-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asli D.A. Tasci ◽  
Abraham Pizam

Purpose Bitner’s (1992) concept of servicescape has received widespread academic attention, resulting in many conceptual and empirical studies. By scanning the servicescape literature and other relevant concepts, Pizam and Tasci (2019) provided experienscape, an expanded version of servicescape, to be measured from different stakeholders’ perspectives with a multidisciplinary approach. This paper aims to build on Pizam and Tasci’s conceptualization of experienscape and expand its nomological network with other pertinent concepts related to different stakeholders with an interdisciplinary approach. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual study analyzing diverse literature related to servicescape, experienscape and other related concepts and theories to provide an integrated and holistic picture of experienscape for more robust theory development. Several new relationships are synthesized for hypothesis development and testing in future research. Findings The review of past research reveals that servicescape literature has mostly focused on outcomes for the benefit of brands and firms and missed outcomes for consumers and other stakeholders. In addition, servicescape literature lacks several critical concepts in the affective, cognitive and behavioral reaction domains, as well as moderator factors. The relevance of some theories such as branding (e.g. brand identity, personality, image, perceived quality, consumer value, brand value and self-congruity), cocreation/coproduction/codestruction, transformation, subjective happiness, subjective well-being and quality of life is completely overlooked. Research limitations/implications Experienscape is a container of complex systems where needs, wants and expectations of multiple stakeholders are entertained, often at the same time through dynamic interactions among multiple stakeholders. Thus, a holistic understanding of experienscape requires dynamic integration of theories explaining the behavior of different stakeholders by cross-fertilizing theories through interdisciplinary research rather than unidisciplinary or multidisciplinary research conducted in separate silos. Originality/value By adopting Pizam and Tasci’s (2019) experienscape concept, this study expanded the relational network of service environment components (i.e. sensory, functional, social, natural and cultural components of experienscape) by incorporating diverse theories and concepts that explain cognitive, affective and conative reactions of different stakeholders to an experience environment. Additionally, the current study recommends attention to human-centric outcomes such as transformation, subjective well-being, subjective happiness and quality of life, which were completely overlooked in previous servicescape research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Pasca ◽  
David Paniagua ◽  
Juan Ignacio Aragonés

Abstract Several instruments have been developed to measure the human beings-nature relationship, one of which is the Love and Care for Nature Scale. Three studies were conducted with the aim of analyzing to what extent the construct of love and care for nature, responds to two empirically different dimensions, as well as conducting a psychometric study of the scale. The analysis of construct components showed a large cluster formed by two others (connectedness and well-being), considered “love for nature”, and one two-items cluster referring to “care” (Study 1, n = 51). Considering the “love” items, it was found that ten of the items present adequate psychometric properties (Study 2, n = 1071), and adequate levels of reliability and validity (Study 3, n = 151). Consequently, an appropriate measure of love of nature is established, while an interesting future research line would be to separately study the scale’s two components.


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