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After the outbreak of the disease of “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)” in Asia in 2003, a healthy living environment is a major concern. The purpose of this paper is to study the value of healthy building parameters by the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), which gives a direct appraisal of the occupants' value.

Healthy building parameters were identified in previous studies. Questionnaires are distributed to residents of a large‐scale high‐rise private housing estate in Hong Kong to find out their willingness to pay (WTP) for individual healthy building parameters.

The results suggest that most residents are willing to pay for healthy building parameters, each with a different value.

The paper is limited to studying the eight identified building parameters for healthy buildings. The sample of the study is confined in a private housing estate only and all the occupants are middle class citizens of Hong Kong. The results of the study can be further validated by carrying out similar research with the support of the government or quasi‐government bodies to cover a larger sample size for a better return rate.

The findings have practical implications on cost‐and‐benefit analysis of housing design.

Housing price is commonly regarded as the total value of a bundle of housing quality and environmental characteristics. The implicit price of individual quality and characteristic is often identified by the hedonic pricing model. However, its validity depends on a lot of econometric assumptions. The study is the first to be conducted after the outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong to gauge the opinions of residents on health/economy issues

The design of the built environment is a determinant of health. Accordingly, there is an increasing need for greater harmonization of the architectural profession and public health. However, there is a lack of knowledge on whether designers of the built environment are changing their practices to deliver healthier urban habitats. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The research uses a multi-method approach to data analysis, including: systematic mapping study, structured review and thematic analysis.

The research finds that there are almost no requirements for the compulsory inclusion of health across institutions and agencies that have the power to execute and mandate the scope of architectural profession, training, education, practice or knowledge. Despite the urgent need for action and the myriad entreatments for greater integration between architecture and health, there is very little evidence progress.

The research has implications for the architectural profession and architectural education. Health and well-being is not currently an integral part of the educational or professional training requirements for architects. University educational curriculum and Continuing Professional Development criteria need to better integrate health and well-being into their knowledge-base.

The design of the built environment is currently undertaken by an architectural profession that lacks specialized knowledge of health and well-being. There is a risk to society of environments that fail to adequately protect and promote the health and well-being of its inhabitants.

The research evidences, for the first time, the lack of integration of “health and wellbeing” within the architecture profession training or education systems.

There have been speculations as to whether environmental friendly buildings are always healthy. Using lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodology, the purpose of this paper is to investigate lifecycle relationship between building sustainability and its environmental health impacts

In order to achieve this, a block of classroom was modelled with the aid of Revit software, and its lifecycle global warming potential (GWP) and human health impacts were analysed using green building studio and ATHENA impact estimator tools. Sensitivity analyses of the block of classrooms were then carried out by varying the building materials and energy use pattern of the original typology. The LCA was performed for seven alternative typologies that were achieved through variation in the building materials and energy use patterns.

For all the eight building typologies, the study shows a direct relationship between GWPs and human health impacts. This confirms that the more sustainable a building, the less its tendency for having negative health effects on building operatives, occupants and the wider environment. Again, the more green a building in terms of its materials and energy use pattern, the healthier the building becomes.

The human health impacts was evaluated by measuring amount of particulate matter (PM2.5) produced by the buildings while environmental impact was evaluated by measuring global warming (KgCO₂) potentials of the buildings throughout its lifecycle. The study has been based on the impacts of building materials and energy use patterns over the entire lifecycle of the buildings and materials used for construction.

The study established a positive relationship between GWP of building and its human health impacts. Thus, all arguments relating to the relationship between building sustainability and health are laid to rest by the paper.

This paper aims to examine the role of sustainable buildings in providing healthy workplaces in physical and perceptual terms.

The paper takes the form of a literature review, considering the history of sustainable development in the built environment and its rationale, then widening the scope to consider sustainable, healthy and productive workplaces.

Sustainable construction has focused on environmental sustainability but this may have contributed to improved health, satisfaction and wellbeing amongst building users. Sick building syndrome and poor indoor air are contributory factors to ill health and reduced productivity but this paper suggests that sustainable building practices will reduce these effects, improving the quality of buildings for their occupants.

This paper argues that building performance measures need to take account of people factors such as employee perceptions and also that the design of workplaces should be regarded as a strategy for productivity enhancement. Management issues should be considered in the design of workplaces. The paper concludes that further research is required into the role of sustainable construction in providing healthy buildings.

The paper makes practical suggestions for corporate real estate and facilities management teams as well as those involved in the design of the buildings. Additionally, it opens suggested avenues for further academic research.

This paper aims to explore the added value of healthy workplaces for employees and organizations, in particular regarding employee satisfaction, labour productivity and facility cost.

The paper is based on a narrative review of journal papers and other sources covering the fields of building research, corporate real estate management, facilities management, environmental psychology and ergonomics.

The review supports the assumption of positive impacts of appropriate building characteristics on health, satisfaction and productivity. Correlations between these impacts are still underexposed. Data on cost and economic benefits of healthy workplace characteristics is limited, and mainly regard reduced sickness absence. The discussed papers indicate that investing in healthy work environments is cost-effective.

The findings contribute to a better understanding of the complex relationships between physical characteristics of the environment and health, satisfaction, productivity and costs. These insights can be used to assess work environments on these topics, and to identify appropriate interventions in value-adding management of buildings and facilities.

The recent global outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has aroused public concern on environmental health and hygiene. Develops a practical assessment scheme for assessing the health and hygiene performance of apartment buildings in Hong Kong. The scheme involves assessing a hierarchy of building factors that have a bearing on environmental qualities, and thus occupants’ health. Proposes an index method to integrate the assessment outcomes into a simple and user‐ friendly performance indicator for public consumption. The index can inform the public of the health and hygiene risk of different buildings and facilitate building owners, developers, and government bodies to make more informed and socially responsible decisions on environmental health and hygiene improvement. Although the assessment scheme is tailored for the institutional and cultural settings of Hong Kong, the assessment framework for the development of the scheme is also applicable to other cities.

Board members and real estate managers (decision makers) play an important role in the decision-making process in nursing home organisations. This study aims to provide an understanding of underlying attributes and benefits sought by decision makers when making nursing home real estate decisions.

Decision makers from seven different nursing home organisations in The Netherlands were interviewed using the laddering technique to determine the individual requirements, the considerations of the decision alternatives, the relevant attributes and benefits and their mutual relationships.

This study details the motivations behind real estate management decisions in nursing home organisations. The findings show that apart from financial considerations, decision makers strive to enhance the quality of life and satisfaction of users with their real estate decisions and seek to include residents and employees in the process. These benefits are connected to the goals of well-being and innovation in health care. Furthermore, functionality, physical and functional flexibility and technology are key considerations when undertaking corporate real estate (CRE) decisions, to ensure that real estate management aligns with the strategic goals of the nursing home organisation.

The insights of this study can support decision makers in healthcare facilities to create strategic value with their real estate. Understanding how to obtain certain benefits from nursing home real estate may result in a better realisation of organisational objectives and user needs.

This study reveals the decision-making process in a nursing home context. Moreover, the laddering technique is used as a new method to explore and gain a deep understanding of CRE decision-making processes.

With a segment of consumers growing more health conscious, food manufacturers are feeding consumers' desire for more healthy products by “reformulating” their products to create healthier versions as well as positioning complete product lines as “healthier alternatives.” The present research aims to examine variables crucial in the brand‐building process for brands that are perceived as “healthy.”

A conceptual model with a theoretical basis in the branding literature is developed and tested on consumers using structural equation modeling.

Results indicate that brand credibility, commitment and connection are essential in developing branding strategies for “healthy brands.” A credible brand minimizes risk and increases consumer confidence. When consumers believe that a brand is credible and repeatedly purchase it, a commitment to the brand can develop. Finally, the brand can imbue such meaning that the consumer uses the brand to help construct and cultivate a desired self‐image or self‐concept.

This research provides important implications for developing effective brand management systems for healthy brands.

The most fundamental requirement of a habitable building is that its occupants can live in it healthily and safely. However, given the proliferation of building‐related accidents recently in Hong Kong, the extent to which our buildings have fulfilled this basic requirement is doubtful. For the benefit of the entire society, more public information on building quality is needed. Aims to address this issue.

This paper extends the Ho et al. assessment model to evaluate the combined health and safety performance of residential buildings in Hong Kong. The model consists of a set of performance‐based objectives and can be translated into a hierarchy of parameters concerning the quality of building design, building management, and the surrounding environment. A total of 99 residential buildings in two urban areas, namely Mongkok and Tsimshatsui, were assessed with the help of a simple and user‐friendly performance indicator called the Building Quality Index (BQI).

The comparative analysis showed that the overall health and safety performance varied significantly with building age and development scale. Building location did not matter in overall performance, but became relevant in disaggregate performances regarding the external environment and building management approaches.

In theory, building management and building location are not related. Further research is needed to disentangle the management effect from the location effect.

The assessment method is a simple and cost‐effective screening tool for mass building assessment at the city level. It can also be used for classifying buildings into different grades in respect of health and safety, providing incentives to building owners, developers, and government bodies to improve the living environment.

The study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between building performance and its physical characteristics, including location, age, and development scale, in a densely populated high‐rise urban area.

This study aims to highlight the value of economics, social relations and culture in building a healthy community by interpreting qualitative data.

A qualitative descriptive approach was used between June 2016 and May 2017 and interviews were analysed inductively. Twenty residents of a shopping street in Tohoku, a rural town in north-eastern Japan, participated in this survey. This study focused on the residents’ value of economics, social relations and culture in building a healthy community.

People acquired economic benefits in the hope of gaining irreplaceable relationships with customers and residents, including memorable stories and heart-to-heart satisfaction. The narratives reflected not only the ideal aspects of social relations but also realistic and complex aspects, such as feelings of being uncomfortable with strangers, whether they were long-term residents or newcomers. The daily life of the town is a story, which is built based on customs fostered and strengthened through capital bonds.

To build a healthy community, people residing on shopping streets have unique care systems in which multiple glass shop windows make it easier to tell narrative stories, communicate or request assistance, which is very different from knocking on doors in suburban neighbourhoods.