Each health claim below carries an evidence label, from Tier 1 (established) to Tier 4 (not supported by blinded trials), so you can see how strong the research is behind it. Traditional knowledge is shown separately.
Use colour thoughtfully to support the wellbeing of the occupants
Colour shapes how a room feels, and natural colours can strengthen a sense of connection with the surrounding landscape.
Research shows colour can influence mood and behaviour, but the effects depend on context, culture and personal association, and the field is still young (Elliot and Maier, Annual Review of Psychology, 2014). Tier 3
Colours that clash with a room's purpose, or with the occupants' own tastes, can feel uncomfortable or tiring.
2
Design using natural patterns and proportions, and to a human scale
Natural forms are shaped by natural forces, so the same patterns appear again and again, in tree canopies, clouds, coastlines and rivers.
People tend to prefer patterns with this moderate, nature-like complexity, and early studies suggest viewing them can reduce stress (Taylor et al., 2005 to 2011; Street et al., Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2016). Tier 3
“The human mind is drawn to complex simplicity: places like the forest or a rambling coastline, full of unpredictable organic detail, yet with a strong underlying order. Wind ripples on a pond, or sun shadows moving through the day, hold a soft fascination for us. We can build our homes to work the way these places do.”
Alexander Greig, BBE Chairman BBE value
The golden section (about 1 to 1.618) appears in the spiral counts of sunflower heads and pine cones, as neighbouring Fibonacci numbers. Architects from the classical tradition to Le Corbusier's Modulor have scaled buildings from the proportions of the human body. Setting key dimensions from the golden section and the occupants' own body proportions aims to create a space that feels more connected and comfortable to the people who live in it. Whether people consistently prefer golden-section proportions is still debated in aesthetics research. Tier 2
Rooms, doorways and street frontages sized to the human body help people feel at ease in the spaces they use. BBE value
Awkward proportions can feel unsettling, and buildings far larger than human scale can feel intimidating.
3
Design buildings that reflect the cultural, ancestral, spiritual or philosophical background of their occupants
Many cultures plan and detail their buildings according to long-held knowledge of how to live well with the land.
In Aotearoa, the Te Aranga Māori Design Principles, developed by Māori design professionals and adopted in the Auckland Design Manual, show how cultural values can shape design. Buildings that reflect the heritage, culture or beliefs of the people who use them help those people connect with where they live. BBE value
Buildings with no connection to place or culture can feel anonymous and isolating.
Traditional and experiential knowledgeTraditions such as Feng Shui and Vastu hold that buildings should align with the rhythms of the earth. These practices are valued by many but are not supported by controlled studies to date.
4
Include personal and creative elements that let occupants make a place their own
The more people can shape the places where they live and work, the more connected they feel to them.
In office studies, people allowed to arrange their own workspace were happier and up to 32% more productive than those in bare, standardised spaces (Knight and Haslam, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 2010). Tier 3Office study, not yet tested in homes.
A home that reflects its occupants also gives visitors a sense of its character.
Spaces that occupants cannot change or personalise rarely feel like home.
5
Design buildings to support healthy family and community relationships
Homes and neighbourhoods need both private spaces and shared ones: boundaries and places to withdraw, as well as places to gather. BBE value
Too little privacy, or too few places to come together, can create tension.
6
Design buildings to complement the local character of the community
Regional differences in materials, climate and culture give places their own character.
Responding to these helps a new building fit its neighbourhood and perform well in the local climate. This comes from a real understanding of the place and its people. BBE value
“When every house on a street looks the same, and every living room handles light in the same way, we stop noticing our surroundings. Variety in form and light keeps us engaged with the place we live.”
Alexander Greig, BBE Chairman BBE value
Traditional and experiential knowledgeMany traditions speak of the spirit of a place, a character that design should honour. This idea is valued by many but is not something controlled studies can measure.
Copying building styles from elsewhere, regardless of their origin, can look out of place, and the buildings may perform poorly in a different climate.
7
Plan housing away from major traffic routes, with easy access to them, and encourage walking and cycling within the neighbourhood
A mix of homes, workplaces and shops lets people carry out much of daily life locally, on foot or by bicycle.
Major roads bring noise and air pollution. Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution is linked to several adverse health outcomes (Health Effects Institute, Special Report 23, 2022) Tier 1, and long-term traffic noise is linked to sleep disturbance and cardiovascular effects (WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region, 2018). Tier 1
8
Plan housing away from heavy industry, and encourage a mix of homes, small shops and businesses within the neighbourhood
Light industry and small businesses add life to a neighbourhood and let people walk or cycle to shops and work. Heavy industry is better grouped together, well away from homes. BBE value
Housing-only suburbs can be isolating for people at home during the day, and often need a car to reach everyday facilities.
9
Act in socially responsible and fair ways, whether creating a single home, a housing development or a commercial project
Developments should put the people who will live and work there first, providing places that are healthy and satisfying to live in.
During construction, that means fair wages, fair prices for materials, and not trading away open space, design quality or good materials for profit. BBE value
Cutting corners on pay and conditions puts the quality of design and workmanship at risk, and the occupants live with the result.
10
Create small-scale neighbourhoods with their own identity and resilience, whether stand-alone or as distinct parts of a larger city
Neighbourhoods that meet more of their own needs can reduce commuting, imported goods and reliance on large-scale infrastructure.
Strong local ties also matter in a crisis: communities with stronger social networks recover better after disasters (Aldrich, Building Resilience, 2012). Tier 1 A clear local identity builds residents' attachment to where they live and draws visitors.
Disconnected neighbourhoods can leave people isolated, with little support in an emergency.
How to Read the Evidence Labels
Each claim carries a label showing how strong the evidence is. This lets you weigh each recommendation for yourself.
Tier 1
Established. Backed by consistent research and accepted by health agencies such as the WHO.
Tier 2
Contested signals. Some studies show a link, others do not, and scientists still disagree. We apply a precautionary approach: reduce exposure where it is easy and affordable to do so.
Tier 3
Plausible, still being studied. A reasonable explanation exists, but there have been few good-quality studies so far.
Tier 4
Not yet confirmed in trials. Many people report real effects, and their experience matters. So far, controlled trials have not confirmed the cause that is claimed. Research continues, and BBE will update this guidance as new evidence emerges.
BBE value
A principle drawn from BBE’s research and decades of practice, held by BBE as central to more comfortable, caring design.
Traditional and experiential knowledgeTraditional and experiential knowledge, such as earth energies or Feng Shui, is shown separately. These practices are valued by many but are not supported by controlled studies to date, so they are not given an evidence tier.
References
Aldrich D.P. (2012). Building Resilience: Social Capital in Post-Disaster Recovery. University of Chicago Press.
Auckland Council. Te Aranga Māori Design Principles. Auckland Design Manual.
Elliot A.J. and Maier M.A. (2014). Color psychology: Effects of perceiving color on psychological functioning in humans. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 95-120.
Health Effects Institute (2022). Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Selected Health Effects of Long-term Exposure to Traffic-related Air Pollution. Special Report 23.
Knight C. and Haslam S.A. (2010). The relative merits of lean, enriched, and empowered offices. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 16(2), 158-172.
Le Corbusier (1948). The Modulor.
Street N. et al. (2016). A complex story: universal preference vs. individual differences shaping aesthetic response to fractals patterns. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10, 213.
Taylor R.P. et al. (2005). Perceptual and physiological responses to the visual complexity of Pollock's dripped fractal patterns. Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences, 9(1), 89-114.
WHO Regional Office for Europe (2018). Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region.
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