💡 Why \"Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast\" is true for Healthy Buildings

💡 Why "Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast" is true for Healthy Buildings

This week, I visited an event called "Decarbonisation: a joint responsibility for landlord and tenant". Organised by Urban Land Institute and CoreNet Global Benelux Chapter, occupiers and landlords were reflecting on Green Leases to collaborate on sustainable and healthy buildings.

📌 Building & Organisation: A Deep Connection
This reminded me of an idea I've been reflecting on for some time – the link between a building and the organisation ‘inhabiting’ it.

As a start, just think about the much talked-about energy efficiency. And no, I'm not talking about the EPC where the user is normalised into a standard which is often distant from the real-world. The tenant's behaviour can play a significant role in the performance gap – highlighting how real user behaviour deviates from standardized expectations.

📌 Design & Culture: A Dual Dance
Let’s dive deeper. You might be familiar with Peter Drucker's "culture eats strategy for breakfast". I believe that this is extremely relevant for healthy buildings. The most well-intended strategy for a healthy building design can fail if the organisational culture is not aligned with it.

Let me give an example. Take, for instance, a concept of a restorative space with a nap pod, in line with the WELL Building Standard credit M06, part 2. I can imagine that in certain company cultures, stepping out of such a space might just lead to raised eyebrows.

While the WELL Building standard acknowledges this by requiring an organizational nap time policy in the same credit, real acceptance comes from much deeper-rooted beliefs and habits and not just policies.

📌 The takeaway?
While I admit that the example might be overly simplified, it underscores the essence: A healthy building is as much about design as it is about the culture of its inhabitants. To truly make a healthy building a success, both must be aligned: innovative design and organisational beliefs and values.

⚡ In fact, let’s turn this around. You could think of your new building as a catalyst for cultural change. A big change like moving into a new or renovated building can be a great moment and opportunity to reassess and refine "how things are done around here", fostering a positive impact for all employees’ physical and mental health.


(On a personal side note, for those curious about my decision to pursue an MBA after nearly two decades in architecture and more recently, in sustainability: the study offered invaluable insights into the organisational intricacies that are fundamental in our journey towards a sustainable built environment. I truly believe that there is a lot of value in working at this intersection)

🍎 Final Food for Thought:
How can building designs take yet another step to not only creating healthy spaces and change the way of working but also inspire organisations to align their philosophy on employee well-being? Share your thoughts below! 👇