What a year it’s been. In March, when we were under strict instructions to ‘stay home’, little did we know that, come Christmas, normality still would not be restored. That said – and in a more positive light – what the past year has taught us is that the construction and architectural industries are undoubtedly resilient to substantial change, and design is more critical than non-creatives thought. As the world slowed its pace and we all had time to contemplate, there was a widespread consensus that today’s buildings are simply ‘unhealthy’, and homeowners far and wide became highly critical of their previous disregard for their wellbeing in their own properties. Of course, within the modern-day architectural sector, many are switched on to the importance of healthy buildings, towns and cities as we strive to build ‘greener’ and more ‘sustainably’, and we’re more than aware of the proven benefits offered. However, with the layman now acutely conscious of wellbeing deficiencies, there’s an even greater pressure for us to come together as a sector and get the healthy building movement right.
In this month’s issue, we’ve placed a focus on going green – a hue that goes beyond the festivities and traditions of December and has a much more profound, long-lasting connotation of a more environmentally-friendly and considerate industry. Mark Brown from TG Escapes explains how biophilic design, using natural building elements, is helping to improve the education of pupils within classrooms across the nation. In this article, Mark describes how cleverly-designed spaces that make full use of nature’s offerings – something we’ve all come to appreciate of late – such as air quality and daylight, can improve our moods and, therefore, enhance our productivity. Finally, on behalf of FC&A’s publishing house, Cross Platform Media, I’d like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous and happy New Year! ON THE COVER:
To bring regenerative collective habitation to all scales of development, Amsterdam architecture practice GG-loop is developing Mitosis.
Rebecca Kemp
Editor
rebecca@crossplatformmedia.co.uk
