Published in partnership with Danish think-tank The Happiness Research Institute, Ramboll’s Happy Home report builds on the Institute’s own research which found that 15% of happiness is influenced by a person’s home environment.
The Happy Home project identified the five factors within the home and wider neighbourhood that have the most positive impact on residents’ wellbeing. These are:
- Balancing private and communal spaces
- Personalising the physical layout
- Sensing nature from the home
- Experiencing local identity
- Engaging in process and decision making
The report is based on detailed interviews with residents of terraced housing in Birmingham, UK, and the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Based on these, the authors have compiled a ‘toolbox’ of spatial and policy recommendations for promoting positive emotions among residents.
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Key suggestions include the creation of ‘semi-private’ spaces, such as front gardens, to create a bridge between private and communal areas, the use of ‘green views’ to bring nature inside the home, and accessibility to local amenities via well-designed pedestrian or bicycle routes.
Commenting on the report, Gorana Shepherd, director for cities and regeneration at Ramboll, said: “The study has reinforced the need for engineers, planners and designers to think of homes as more than just a house. True sustainability allows both people and nature to flourish and embedding wellbeing in the built form will be key in achieving this. To drive this concept of sustainability we will need multi-faceted collaboration across the built environment sector and bring in knowledge complementary professions.”
Meik Wiking, CEO of The Happiness Research Institute added: "I think the built environment has been an overlooked tool in improving people’s wellbeing and mental health - so I am really excited about our new report. During the pandemic I think more of us understood the importance of our homes to our wellbeing and now with the world seeming so turbulent it makes good sense to focus on a place we can influence: our homes."
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