Putting people first: why healthy buildings matter

(EurActiv, 24 Apr 2024) As member states prepare to ramp up the building renovation rate, there is an unprecedented opportunity to hardwire health aspects into the built environment. The brand-new edition of the Healthy Buildings Barometer maps why and how health, energy and climate policies go hand-in-hand.

Oliver Rapf is Executive Director at BPIE (Buildings Performance Institute Europe). Fleming Voetmann is Vice President, External Relations & Sustainability at VELUX.

After more than two years of intense negotiations, the cornerstone of EU buildings policy, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), is final. The next step is implementation. This is an opportunity we must use to maximise the benefits for not just planet but also people, by putting people – citizens – at the heart of the energy transition.

Why? Because, as the new Healthy Buildings Barometer shows, our buildings have an enormous influence on our health and well-being, which in turn translates into significant financial impacts.

To take just one example, healthier workplaces lead to better performance and every 1% improvement in employee performance could lead to an additional €40 billion a year of gross added value to the European economy.

That’s why we must seize the opportunity of the EPBD and take a systems-thinking approach to integrate occupant health into buildings policy. By doing this, we can maximise the benefits from our building stock for the climate; for the economy in terms of the public purse, jobs and growth; and also, crucially, for a better everyday life for Europeans.

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EurActiv, 24 Apr 2024: Putting people first: why healthy buildings matter