Rachel Neller
← All projects

Behavioural design · Deerns · 2025

Optimising WELLness

A roadmap to healthy workspaces

Summary

We spend nearly a third of our lives at work. When workplaces are designed with human wellbeing in mind, they can support mental health, make healthy habits feel effortless and significantly improve quality of life. I worked with Deerns on their presentation for the Amsterdam Workplace Design Conference, bringing a behavioural science perspective to the WELL Building Standard. I structured the talk in three steps, working with nature, materials and people – turning behavioural evidence into design decisions that architects, engineers and clients can act on.

The framework

The WELL Building Standard, developed by the International WELL Building Institute, certifies buildings by their impact on health and wellbeing. It groups wellbeing into ten concepts, which gave the presentation a shared language for linking design, operations and policy.

AirWaterNourishmentLightMovementThermal comfortSoundMaterialsMindCommunity

The roadmap

Step 1

Work with nature

Use local climate data, such as sun paths, wind and seasonal temperatures, to shape a building's form and orientation before relying on mechanical systems.

Step 2

Work with materials

Choose low-VOC paints and adhesives for cleaner indoor air, and components that can be taken apart and reused. A materials passport records what a building is made of, so future refurbishment avoids locking in high-carbon or toxic materials.

Step 3

Work with people

Link each WELL concept to a behavioural mechanism, so early design choices support how people actually behave once the building is in use.

My section

Designing for people

  • Promoting natural movement

    Insight: people take the most visible, convenient route.

    • Put stairs at the centre and make them inviting, with daylight, art and planting
    • Move lifts out of direct sightlines and add prompts where routes meet
    • Spread out printers, water and coffee to encourage short walks

  • Zones for sensory and cognitive diversity

    Insight: different tasks and people need different environments, and choice improves comfort, performance and inclusion.

    • Calm zones with muted light and little sound
    • Stimulating zones with brighter light and bold colour
    • Personal control over lighting, temperature or acoustics where possible

  • Lighting that supports circadian rhythms

    Insight: light regulates alertness, mood and sleep.

    • Lighting that changes intensity and colour temperature through the day
    • As much daylight and outdoor view as possible
    • Screen filters that cut blue light later in the day

  • Co-creation and local identity

    Insight: people value spaces they help shape, and taking part builds belonging.

    • Involve users through workshops, surveys and feedback
    • Reflect local culture, art or history
    • Movable furniture, displays and writable walls

  • Nudging healthy choices

    Insight: visibility, convenience and social norms shape decisions, often without people noticing.

    • Fruit, water and plant-based options at eye level in busy areas
    • Floor patterns and lighting that guide routes
    • Shared metrics that make healthy habits visible, and light prompts for breaks

What it added

Sustainability and wellbeing frameworks tend to focus on the building. This section showed how behavioural science adds the people who use it, and how choices made early in design shape everyday behaviour long after the building opens.