Not Only Are Green Buildings Healthy, But They Also Make You Smarter

By Alexander Landa

Researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and SUNY Upstate Medical University had a simple question they wanted to answer: Can better thinking and better health be found in green-certified buildings? Their findings may (or may not) surprise you. Spoilers: Green buildings are even more awesome, and science proves it yet again. All info is taken from the COGfx Study.

The researchers studied 109 workers at ten buildings in five different cities in the U.S. to find out that in addition to being generally healthier, working in green-certified buildings can lead to higher cognitive functioning, fewer sick building symptoms, and higher sleep quality scores.

Green-certified buildings can lead to…

• 26% higher cognitive function test scores
• 31% increased strategy skills
• 38% increased focus
• 44% higher applied activity level
• 73% higher crisis response.
• 30% fewer sick building symptoms.
  • Workers in these buildings had fewer complaints about temperature, air movement, air dryness/humidity, and chemical, tobacco, or other odors.

At ABX 2016, one of the sessions we're sponsoring will cover this in greater detail. Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health will be presenting.

ABX C21: How Green Building Make Your Clients Smarter – Harvard Study
Thursday, 11/17
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Room 107A

See what other sessions we're sponsoring at ABX 2016.