A Happy Space For A Healthy Brain

In recent years, perhaps amplified by the restrictive nature of COVID-19, mental health has become a major cause for concern around the world. While many an HR leader has tried to get their head around the issue, HKS has conducted many surveys and studies on the topic.
The HKS Singapore office adopts a lot of the ‘living lab’ learnings from the HKS Atlanta office to study how environment factors impact cognitive function and well-being.
Detroit-based Dr Upali Nanda is a Partner and Executive Vice President at HKS, and is responsible for research projects in design practice, focusing on the impact of design on human health and perception.
Angela Lee is the Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East, and is the founding director of HKS Singapore.
Nanda and Lee are eager to share their findings about the relationship between mental health and design.
They talk to @STORMMagazine about the easy steps that could make your space healthier, by providing the 5 affordances: places for focus; places for collaboration; places for ideation; places for socialisation; and then places for rest.
They talk about the importance of pausing between tasks, the need for more playgrounds, culture and the arts, and how the number 3 plays a significant role in establishing a good working environment.