Module Summary: This module introduces the notions of health, wellbeing and comfort within the context of the built environment, with a particular focus on buildings. It provides an introduction to the topic, and an overview of the main factors affecting health, wellbeing, human performance and comfort in building design/operation. Basic principles of epidemiology and public health will also be introduced. The module builds the foundations for key issues associated with health and wellbeing in the built environment, and provides students with an opportunity to develop their learning further via a literature review of relevant topics.

Module Learning Outcomes:

At this end of this module, the student should be able to:

1. Define the meaning of the terms: ‘health’, ‘wellbeing’, ‘comfort’ and ‘human performance’ (HWCP) within the context of the built environment, with a particular focus on buildings, and provide examples relevant to current approaches in public health and built environment research & practice.

2. List the main factors affecting the health and wellbeing of individuals and populations, group them in appropriate categories (with reference to relevant frameworks), and discuss which categories are relevant to buildings and/or built environment.

3. List the main building-related and selected urban-scale factors which affect HWCP, outlining their main impact on people/residents/populations, discussing their relevance to different building types.

4. Discuss, for selected factors (i.e. thermal, moisture, light, sound, inclusive design, etc), the main HWCP impacts, and the approaches/standards to identifying safe/risk levels.

5. Discuss how HWCP factors in the built environment are related to the sustainability agenda and other societal challenges, including climate change, demographic changes, and the role of ethics.

6. Produce a briefing document on health and wellbeing dimensions in buildings, for a selected client

7. Describe approaches for prioritising/ranking factors which affect HWHP in buildings.

Additional Cross-Cutting Learning Outcomes (i.e. outcomes which are relevant but not exclusive to this module):

8. Find and select relevant high quality published information about HWCP in the built environment.

9. Critically evaluate the evidence from published and other sources

10. Synthesise evidence from published sources