Ann Marie Aguilar, associate director at international architecture firm Arup, addressed an audience at the Spa Life UK conference this week about wellness in the built environment and what spas can do to ensure their building is designed with wellness in mind.

Aguilar, who also works in international relations for the International WELL Building Institute, said there is real concern from the public today that the promises of great design are not delivering sustainability. Architects need to look at the occupants inside the building, and ask how they can design spaces that inspire people to be happier and healthier, she explained.

With declining health and an ageing population, Aguilar said architects and designers are becoming agents of public health, as things like indoor air quality become more of a health issue.

“We need to start designing better for informed occupants,” said Aguilar. “People today are more aware of how they feel inside the built environment than ever before – and they can disclose that through social media.”

Aguilar looked at apps that let you track pollution locally, planning the least polluted route to work, or looking at which buildings show the most polluted indoor air – all tracked through social media.

“This is a trend that’s really growing,” she said.

Off-gassing from chemicals in paint, furniture and building materials are often the culprit of indoor air pollution, and architects and designers need to start asking how they can change that trend, said Aguilar.

And with increasing rates of mental stress, depression and loneliness, along with a growing pressure for employers to take more responsibility for employees’ mental health, how we design buildings for wellness becomes even more important.

Aguilar pointed to things like light quality, a connection to nature, temperature and humidity, exposure to toxins and allergens and the impact of acoustics as elements that architects can adjust to have a favourable impact on people’s mental state.

“Ask the questions about materials and ventilation and water quality,” Aguilar urged.

Using lighting that mimics outdoor light or ventilation strategies that check outdoor air quality and ensure contaminated air isn’t being recycled inside a spa are simple things spas can do in their designs, and using biophilic design principles – those that connect people to nature – have been shown to improve stress recovery rates, lower blood pressure and improve cognitive performance, said Aguilar.

Using active design principles to get people moving is also increasingly important in a world where we are constantly sitting. Aguilar pointed to the Narita Airport in Japan, which has removed all its moving walkways and encourages passengers to walk in a fun, interactive way.

Multi-functional spaces that can be used for more than one thing, such as a room that can be transformed into a yoga studio, are also important – but equally important is ensuring that spa staff have access to these programmes and spaces.

Bringing social value into architecture, where people are engaged and learning, is key for employees to thrive.

“It’s not always just about productivity,” said Aguilar.