Salute Pubblica

Digitalization and sustainability in public building heritage

The technical seminar of INAIL, the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work, the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservationists of Rome and the Province and the Order of Engineers of the Province of Rome was held on November 30, 2022: Digitalization and sustainability in public building heritage. Sustainability criteria in the activities of contracting authorities, design and procurement.

In the challenge of the transition towards sustainability of contracting authorities, the seminar focuses on four aspects dedicated to sustainability criteria, from design to procurement:

The first, on the ecological transition and the paradigm shift for a green building, addressing the Life Cycle Assessment approach for design as a tool for evaluating sustainability and healthiness, to support decisions towards informed choices on quantitative data relating to the environmental impacts generated throughout the entire life cycle.

The second, relating to sustainability and environmental provisions in the procurement and purchasing phase, with a focus on Green Public Procurement (GPP) and Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM), with particular reference to the PNRR and the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principle.

The third, held by Richard Hopps dedicated to the Certification protocols, addressed as a tool to assist the designer in controlling quality, energy efficiency, sustainability in the design, construction and ex-post monitoring phases.

The fourth and last one is dedicated to the Best Practice of the SINFONIA project, funded by the European Union under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.

Read also:

HERE https://www.architettiroma.it/notizie/sostenibilita/sostenibilita-del-patrimonio-edilizio-criteri-di-realizzazione-e-gestione/

HERE  https://www.instagram.com/inail_gov/

Nature is good for work environments. This is according to a new report conducted by researchers at WELL that highlights the real benefits of greater access to green spaces when going to work. In practical terms: greater concentration, faster recovery from moments of stress, reduced burnout, improved mood and health, and greater socialization.

The most common and well-tested theories about why nature benefits human health come from two key theories that argue that nature, through its ability to engage our attention in a “soft charm,” helps restore our ability to concentrate and recover more quickly from stress, reduce burnout, and improve our mood.

More recently, some research has further evaluated the benefits of the role that nature plays in increasing socialization, self-esteem, reducing stress, increasing learning and concentration skills as well as increasing physical activity.

In short, some points that you can find in the WELL report.

Stress, mood, concentration and socialization

The research found that access is open to green spaces,  such as woods, gardens, urban parks, and the presence of indoor nature, such as plants and images of nature, can lead to a reduction in stress.

The effects of nature on mental fatigue and recovery are well documented in the literature.

Studies have shown that exposure to nature can lead to improved mood, including reduction of noise annoyance, a major problem in urban areas.

Task performance

Short-term memory was found to be better after watching some nature videos, or if there are “bucolic” settings in the workplace, or after a walk in the urban greenery. An improvement in task performance was observed after seeing the plants, after a nature retreat, with 72% of employees indicating that they felt more alert and productive in a building with numerous “bucolic” elements and gardens.

Socialization

The research results highlighted how common spaces, parks, rooftops  in neighborhoods, increase social interaction. Not only do green spaces in general increase the sense of belonging to the neighborhood.

Creativity

After a 4-day nature retreat, students improved by performing above the 50% on a creative task.

In the WELL report below you can find further details on this study.

HERE https://naturesacred.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/E-WELL-update-1.pdf