Our mammalian brains are intricately in tune with natural light rhythms, so it is little surprise that exposure to light is an essential ingredient for us to thrive. The sun has a substantial impact on our moods, productivity, stress levels, and our circadian rhythms. In the home, this can be tended to by embracing lighting environments that promote visual, mental and biological health. Intelligent lighting design, together with techniques for understanding visual balance, user needs and promoting lighting control can reduce circadian phase disruption, improve sleep quality and positively impact mood and productivity. During the daytime hours, it is good to provide as much daylight as possible, without introducing glare.

The pandemic kept many of us separated from our loved ones, but as social creatures, we are hard-wired to want human connection. Social connection to others is a major determinant of health outcomes and morbidity rates, with studies showing loneliness can be as harmful to us as smoking or obesity. Homes and communities can be designed to facilitate the sort of effortless social interaction we crave and combat occupant loneliness and isolation. Embrace a dining room, informal seating areas, or a fire pit with some chairs, perhaps. Socialising, it’s good for us.

In the modern home, it's surprising how many toxins can exist, brought in from outdoors or swirling in the ether from household activities, furnishings and appliances, or condensation and mold, with nowhere to go but to build-up and pollute the air you breathe. As such, ensuring that a house has a healthy airflow and is as toxin-free as possible is paramount. Proper ventilation is key, with a mix of mechanical ventilation systems with high quality particle filters and natural ventilation both playing important roles dependent on the environmental factors inside and outside the home. Air purifiers, air cleaners and certain plants can also help.

Spending time in nature has been shown unequivocally to improve our mental and emotional wellbeing. It reduces stress, improves our memories, and makes us more creative. Nature can be brought into the home in multiple ways. From incorporating plants into our internal and external areas, and providing views of green spaces, water (or at very least a tree), through to enacting a construction strategy that improves ecology and biodiversity. While investing in biomorphic architectural solutions is not an option available to everyone, green roofs and rooftop gardens are continuing to gain in popularity. Aside from their aesthetic and mental health benefits, they can improve the insulation of a building, clean the surrounding air and reduce the need for heating or cooling. Access to parks or gardens are also important, particularly in urban environments, as is the incorporation of biophilic design indoors, via loose and fitted furniture.

Personal comfort includes a range of factors, from thermal comfort and acoustics, through to privacy and our sense of control over our environment. These factors can affect how we feel within a space and can have long term health impacts. Achieving a home environment in which all the occupants are thermally comfortable can be tricky – what suits one person may not suit another. Nevertheless, steps can be taken, from ensuring a well-insulated building envelope and keeping humidity and thermal conditions at consistent optimal levels throughout the day, to the use of soft furnishings or solid drapes to reduce thermal runaway. Sound also impacts health and productivity. Creating an inviting and peaceful auditory environment in the home could involve segmenting rooms for specific acoustic needs (for instance, you might play the piano in the living room but keep the study more protected for focused work). In each of these rooms, there would be something to act as an acoustic barrier to ensure that noise overflow is controlled.