Building Health - Episode 24 | Becky Valentine

Construction Disrupted

When it comes to our own physical and mental health it’s always a good idea to engage and talk to others about what should we be doing, who can help us and what steps need to be taken to achieve our goals.

Buildings don’t have this luxury (well that was a step change I didn’t see coming), they rely on us to build them and keep them upright, in shape, and healthy. But these buildings and our surrounding environments have a huge impact on us, both mentally and physically, regardless of age or ability.

We hear a lot about how we build, maintain and demolish our buildings but not a lot about how these structures and the way they are built and maintained can help or hinder us. This is crazy when you think about the amount of time we spend in them, be it working, eating, sleeping or relaxing.

From the air quality, lighting, noise, moisture, heating, ventilation and safety there is much to be considered in the makeup of a healthy building. So let’s chat with someone that knows about this kinda stuff.

Becky Valentine is one of East Midland’s leading Sustainability and Building Health consultants, supporting and advising businesses, schools and charities in improving their sustainability, wellbeing and performance.

Becky is the co-owner of Spenbeck, with over 10 years of experience in sustainability and building health, helping a range of clients embed sustainability and climate change mitigation across their operations, with particular expertise on governance, culture and policy to optimise engagement and achieve ESG targets.

Complemented by her former teaching career and current role as Associate Lecturer in Sustainability at Nottingham Trent University, Becky’s expertise is repeatedly sought after for high-profile expert panels, keynote speeches, podcasts and feature articles, including with the UN Global Compact UK Network and UK Construction Week.

Topics Covered

- The importance of building health for the industry, workers and those that inhabit them

- The process of changing a physical working environment

- Consideration for building age, style and type

- What can we learn from older buildings to help us in the future

- Technology that is facilitating your work

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Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Further Links

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught-degrees/health-wellbeing-and-sustainable-buildings-msc

https://standard.wellcertified.com/well

https://commercial.velux.com/blog/daylight/six-building-schemes-you-can-follow-to-design-healthy-buildings

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-sustainable-office-design-key-improving/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_in_the_United_Kingdom#:~:text=Supply%20and%20construction,-See%20also%3A%20Slum&text=According%20to%20the%20Centre%20for,than%20any%20European%20Union%20countries.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/ageofthepropertyisthebiggestsinglefactorinenergyefficiencyofhomes/2021-11-01

Mentioned in this episode:

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