BOSTON, Nov. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- How do green
buildings impact your thinking, sleep quality and health? You can
soon find out for yourself. Researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School
of Public Health and SUNY Upstate Medical
University are recruiting 100 office buildings from around
the world to be part of a new, first-of-its-kind study to examine
the effects of global indoor environments on employee productivity
and health.
For the next three years, the research team will assess employee
cognitive function performance – a key indicator of productivity –
using a proven, standardized app-based process. Participants will
get the 'ForHealth' kit from the Healthy Buildings team at
Harvard that includes an environmental
sensor for their desk and a wrist monitor to easily capture
feedback on sleep and physical activity. The sensors connect
seamlessly to a custom-built 'ForHealth' app that integrates data
from the sensors and is used to administer the tests.
"Much of what we know about things like exercise and nutrition
comes from the great human epidemiological cohort studies, like the
famous Nurses' Health Study. We haven't had a similar study done
for buildings - until now. This is a powerful study design that
will allow us to quickly expand our knowledge of how buildings
influence health across all 9 Foundations of a Healthy Building,"
said Dr. Joseph Allen, Assistant
Professor of Exposure Assessment Science at the Harvard T.H. Chan
School of Public Health, Director of the Healthy Buildings Program
at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Chan
School, and Principal Investigator for the study.
The launch of the new study builds on the acclaimed COGfx
studies, which revolutionized the concept of green building by
unveiling its impact on human performance. The COGfx research shows
significantly improved cognitive function scores among employees in
green building environments, and this new, global study aims to
better understand specific building-level factors that deliver
improved thinking, productivity and health in building occupants
around the world. The first COGfx study set the methodology and
found a doubling of cognitive test scores when participants worked
in a setting optimized for indoor environmental quality, like those
found in green buildings. The second study took the research out of
the lab, connecting green building with occupants' health and
productivity in ten U.S. office buildings across geographic
regions, finding a 26% improvement in cognitive test scores for
those working in certified green buildings. Now, this third study
will scale the research to further explore the connection between
green buildings and human performance around the world.
"United Technologies is working to accelerate the green building
movement around the world. We are engaged in an entirely new
conversation on the value of green building because of this
groundbreaking research," says John
Mandyck, Chief Sustainability Officer, United Technologies.
"With an expanded value proposition that now includes productivity
along with energy and water savings, we hope more building
investors, owners and tenants will choose green building. The
research demonstrates that green building is not only good for the
environment but also for people – that is a powerful
combination."
"We know that green office buildings improve health, wellbeing
and productivity thanks to groundbreaking academic research and
data from leading businesses which are measuring the way buildings
positively affect their staff," said Terri
Wills, CEO of the World Green Building Council. "This new
global study will build upon existing research by demonstrating
that relationship on a global scale, further strengthening the case
for action. We're eager to see the results."
To kick off the global study, Harvard has engaged with JLL, a leading
professional services firm to sign up the first cohort of
buildings. JLL specializes in real estate and investment management
and with operations in more than 80 countries, they have the ideal
geographic reach for the COGfx Global study.
"The 'human experience' is becoming the driving force in how
workplaces are designed, built and managed," said Bob Best, Executive Vice President, JLL. "At JLL
we are turning our approach to building management
inside-out. It's not how people fit into the buildings we
manage; it's how we manage the buildings to fit the needs of the
people inside. The future of work is here and this research
is key to our new strategy."
Initial findings from the first set of buildings are expected in
2018. An overview video of the COGfx research and COGfx Study 3:
Global Buildings can be found on YouTube. Building owners
interested in participating can apply online via
TheCOGfxStudy.com.
Primary support for the study came from United Technologies
(NYSE: UTX) and its UTC Climate, Controls & Security
business.
About UTC Climate, Controls & Security
UTC
Climate, Controls & Security is a leading provider of heating,
ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems, building
controls and automation, and fire and security systems leading to
safer, smarter, sustainable and high-performance buildings. UTC
Climate, Controls & Security is a unit of United Technologies
Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems
industries worldwide. For more information, follow @UTC_CCS on
Twitter and like UTC Climate, Controls & Security on
Facebook.
About United Technologies
United Technologies Corp.,
based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides
high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace
industries worldwide. By combining a passion for science with
precision engineering, the company is creating smart, sustainable
solutions the world needs. To learn more about UTC and its
sustainability initiatives, visit www.utc.com or
follow @UTC and @JohnMandyck on Twitter.
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