Products and materials drive health and wellness in new ways.
Twenty years ago, the top trends in healthy housing were focused on removing lead-based paints and tracking indoor carbon monoxide levels. At that time, discussions were starting around indoor air quality and proper ventilation and popularity for sustainable construction was on the rise.
Since then, there has been a big shift in consumer consciousness and awareness and homes are now contributingto and responsible for lower carbon, more sustainable and healthier lifestyles.
“The progress has been extraordinary, I’m happy to share,” said wellness design consultant Jamie Gold. “As one example, when I began my design career 21 years ago, I could not get most clients interested in induction cooking; they saw pro-style gas as their north star. Now, induction is surging and predicted to overtake gas in the next few years. The fact that it’s healthier, safer, faster, and lower maintenance has finally broken through.”
The progress is motivated by better education along with other cultural phenomenon.
“As we have seen over the last 20 years, people take more responsibility for their health and are getting more engaged,” said Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, health economist at THINK-Health LLC. “Now, we are starting to see areas of the home purposed for health and we have started to think about how to repurpose the home for health.”
Exploring the Data
In the U.S., 83% of consumers practice self-care and are seeking healthier lives according to research group Circana, driving the market value up to $1.3T. Improved physical health ranks top, but consumers look for many benefits, including reduced stress, weight management, increased energy, better sleep, disease prevention, and improved mood.
Green Builder’s COGNITION data shows that consumers want to have these trends incorporated into the design features of their home.
For instance, homeowners want intimate sanctuary spaces where they can engage in calming activities like yoga and meditation for stress relief. They also are prioritizing floorplans that offer work/life balance, and communities that offer access to trails and outdoor activities. Plus, home flex spaces often lean into health and wellness, offering space for home gyms or home healthcare.
Several years ago, the pandemic pushed many into wellness, and consumers changed their lifestyle choices to keep their families psychically and emotionally healthy. Homeowners started cleaning more to create safe spaces, stay healthy, and minimize the risk of spread. This translated to the physical environment as well—consumers started asking for antimicrobial, healthy surfaces, and options for a touchless environment.
A survey anomaly, 100% of Gen Zs are interested in purchasing an all-electric home, while 93% of consumers are interested in a healthy home, and 72% of homeowners support eliminating gas in homes.
The America at Home Study also revealed the importance of wellness in the home. The survey results show that some of the most sought-after features are those that promote health and wellness. Demand for whole-home water filtration rose to 70% (up from 43% in 2023), and indoor air purification jumped to 69% (up from 48%). These features have gone from niche amenities to purchase-driving essentials.
Mental health is becoming a more important theme, and Sarasohn-Kahn sees it now as a focus for housing design that can eliminate social isolation, which translates to neighborhoods with social spaces, golf course communities, pickleball courts, agrihoods, and pets for their social support and also their contribution to physical activity.
Certifying Healthy Building
Builders can deliver these in-demand features by following Passive House certification requirements.
“We have noticed that the industry has prompted us to have an answer to health and wellbeing,” said Kevin Deabler, principal and co-founder of Massachusetts-basedRODE Architects. “The way we did our first Passive House was in conjunction with a developer who understood that he was looking for something that the buyers would appreciate—a home that reduced energy costs and that was data driven to show health benefits. Consumers want something for the higher prices they are paying.”
By using Passive House standards, RODE delivers airtight envelopes with advanced filtration to ensure fresh, filtered air. Passive House design also delivers consistent indoor temperatures to eliminate drafts and cold spots, which means more comfort year-round. The quiet, sealed interiors also mean minimal noise for better sleep and a sense of calm, particularly in busy urban areas where outside noise can be stressful.
The design also adds more natural daylight to support mood and mental health.
“We are trying to find ways to build windows into the system and placing them to capture the most sunlight because daylight is a mood stabilizer,” Deabler said. “The presence of larger windows allows for more access to the rhythms of daylight and helps with mood and anxiety.”
RODE chatted with homeowners that lived in its Passive House designed homes for three or four years to find out what they felt by living in these homes, and the owners reported that it helped boost their mental state, with positive impacts from better air quality and from more stable comfort without swings.
Prioritizing IAQ
Green Builder COGNITION data shows that homeowners request indoor air quality (IAQ) features above other health features, including better ventilation, air filtration and IAQ monitoring.
For years, consumers wanted solutions, but weren’t ready to pay for them. Now, it’s no longer just lip service. Two-thirds of homebuilders say that their customers purchase devices to improve IAQ. And since healthy homes are a top priority, consumers will pay an average of $2,750 for healthy home upgrades, higher than any other sustainability feature.
Younger generations are prioritizing it more than older generations. For instance, nearly a third of Millennials will spend up to $1,000 for products such as filters and purifiers. Another 34% will spend between $1,000 and $5,000 on whole home air filtration, ventilation upgrades or smart IAQ monitoring, and 23% will spend up to $10,000 on items like HVAC replacement or integrated indoor air quality systems.
Making IAQ a priority in new construction was driven through energy code, explained Joseph Hillenmeyer, the product manager of ventilation at Aprilaire. This was a long evolution that started in office buildings and evolved to the home during the last 10 years, with the health element starting with an approach to better energy efficiency.
“Ventilation doesn’t improve energy efficiency,” he said. “Tightness means less load on the home, but comes at the expense of IAQ because there isn’t the passive air exchange. Ventilation is the only thing that has been mandated, which is surprising. During the pandemic, there was a new awareness of the air you cannot see and the danger it can be to people who started to understand that when you can trap particles with a high efficiency filter, you are creating a healthier environment.”
These struggles in the balance of the right building code for energy efficiency and the health impacts continue.
“Tighter envelopes lead to mold, which can have a huge negative health impact,” he said. “People spend 90% of their time indoors, so treating the air is essential. Indoor air is 10 times more polluted, and now people are more aware that it can lead to respiratory health.”
And, while the education is there, the technology has a long way to go. Homeowners can purchase dozens of different types of IAQ monitors to look at its values and identify issues, but the monitors can’t yet do anything about it. It’s just an opportunity for an HVAC contractor. Solutions need to be reactive or sense an IAQ issue as it is forming, and then be able to do something to mitigate it, such as a range hood that can flip on when an issue is sensed by a monitor.
So, while IAQ is a top consideration for homebuyers, there are opportunities for the code and the technology to evolve.
RODE's Brucewood Homes project has been honored with the prestigious Planet Positive Award for Single-Family Home by Metropolis magazine to recognize excellence in sustainable, healthy design in the built environment. Image: Brucewood Homes
Health Is the Future
Now, builders are experts in the building envelope, which translates to the health of the home.
“Consumers typically look at cabinets and countertops, but now when you talk about health, they are interested,” Hillenmeyer said. “It’s important stuff, but the biggest struggle is to get the industry comfortable talking about health when they’re talking to the consumer.”
Some builders are leaning into that. Colorado-based Thrive Home Builders uses models to show what is in the walls and in the guts of the house as part of the front-end message.
“We are noticing that the focus is starting to build on how should we be building versus how fast we can build,” said Deabler.
As cost is more and more of a factor in consumers’ housing choices, he adds that he’s building Passive House certified homes at a 10% premium, but the house not only offers the mental health of lower operating costs, but also can offer the ability to generate income off the solar, which he has seen be credited at up to $800 per month.
“It’s great to see the healthy peace of mind of living in a home where variable costs are contained and manageable,” Deabler said.
Plus, with costs increasing in every aspect of our lives, homeowners are looking at ways to save money for financial well-being, a main source of stress, anxiety and depression.
Technology also is delivering on new ideas around health at home. For instance, Sarasohn-Kahn has seen heart rate monitors getting smarter and more integrated with the home.
“We can link a Samsung smart refrigerator to a dietary plan that can generate recipes to the resident,” she said. “Someone driving home from work and managing diabetes, can remotely look inside the refrigerator, generate a recipe based on the ingredients in the fridge, send whatever is missing to the app which sends to the grocery, which can create an Instacart order to be delivered or to pick up on the way home.”
Health-focused solutions are very important for the aging population.
“With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day this year, we need more homes that can accommodate older adults who may have physical challenges impacting mobility, vision, hearing, and independence,” Gold said. “Right now, roughly 90% of our housing stock does not.”
Other aftermarket innovations include light bulbs that can tell you if the donut you ate for breakfast is spiking your blood sugar. Another startup, Ultrahuman, is building wellness devices, like smart rings and glucose monitors, that will work with its home hub that measures air quality, temperature, and light. Eventually, the hub could link to the glucose monitor or smart ring, to build a home environment tuned around a person’s health biomarkers.
From the building envelope to stocking the refrigerator, the products and materials in the home are driving health and wellness in new and creative ways.
Jennifer Castenson currently serves as the vice president at online construction project management platform Buildxact. Previously, she served as the vice president of programming at national media and data group Zonda. Castenson also serves as contributing writer to Forbes, reporting on innovative solutions in the built environment.
Healthy Homes: An Ongoing Journey for Wellness
Products and materials drive health and wellness in new ways.
Twenty years ago, the top trends in healthy housing were focused on removing lead-based paints and tracking indoor carbon monoxide levels. At that time, discussions were starting around indoor air quality and proper ventilation and popularity for sustainable construction was on the rise.
Since then, there has been a big shift in consumer consciousness and awareness and homes are now contributing to and responsible for lower carbon, more sustainable and healthier lifestyles.
“The progress has been extraordinary, I’m happy to share,” said wellness design consultant Jamie Gold. “As one example, when I began my design career 21 years ago, I could not get most clients interested in induction cooking; they saw pro-style gas as their north star. Now, induction is surging and predicted to overtake gas in the next few years. The fact that it’s healthier, safer, faster, and lower maintenance has finally broken through.”
The progress is motivated by better education along with other cultural phenomenon.
“As we have seen over the last 20 years, people take more responsibility for their health and are getting more engaged,” said Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, health economist at THINK-Health LLC. “Now, we are starting to see areas of the home purposed for health and we have started to think about how to repurpose the home for health.”
Exploring the Data
In the U.S., 83% of consumers practice self-care and are seeking healthier lives according to research group Circana, driving the market value up to $1.3T. Improved physical health ranks top, but consumers look for many benefits, including reduced stress, weight management, increased energy, better sleep, disease prevention, and improved mood.
Green Builder’s COGNITION data shows that consumers want to have these trends incorporated into the design features of their home.
For instance, homeowners want intimate sanctuary spaces where they can engage in calming activities like yoga and meditation for stress relief. They also are prioritizing floorplans that offer work/life balance, and communities that offer access to trails and outdoor activities. Plus, home flex spaces often lean into health and wellness, offering space for home gyms or home healthcare.
Several years ago, the pandemic pushed many into wellness, and consumers changed their lifestyle choices to keep their families psychically and emotionally healthy. Homeowners started cleaning more to create safe spaces, stay healthy, and minimize the risk of spread. This translated to the physical environment as well—consumers started asking for antimicrobial, healthy surfaces, and options for a touchless environment.
A survey anomaly, 100% of Gen Zs are interested in purchasing an all-electric home, while 93% of consumers are interested in a healthy home, and 72% of homeowners support eliminating gas in homes.
The America at Home Study also revealed the importance of wellness in the home. The survey results show that some of the most sought-after features are those that promote health and wellness. Demand for whole-home water filtration rose to 70% (up from 43% in 2023), and indoor air purification jumped to 69% (up from 48%). These features have gone from niche amenities to purchase-driving essentials.
Mental health is becoming a more important theme, and Sarasohn-Kahn sees it now as a focus for housing design that can eliminate social isolation, which translates to neighborhoods with social spaces, golf course communities, pickleball courts, agrihoods, and pets for their social support and also their contribution to physical activity.
Certifying Healthy Building
Builders can deliver these in-demand features by following Passive House certification requirements.
“We have noticed that the industry has prompted us to have an answer to health and wellbeing,” said Kevin Deabler, principal and co-founder of Massachusetts-based RODE Architects. “The way we did our first Passive House was in conjunction with a developer who understood that he was looking for something that the buyers would appreciate—a home that reduced energy costs and that was data driven to show health benefits. Consumers want something for the higher prices they are paying.”
By using Passive House standards, RODE delivers airtight envelopes with advanced filtration to ensure fresh, filtered air. Passive House design also delivers consistent indoor temperatures to eliminate drafts and cold spots, which means more comfort year-round. The quiet, sealed interiors also mean minimal noise for better sleep and a sense of calm, particularly in busy urban areas where outside noise can be stressful.
The design also adds more natural daylight to support mood and mental health.
“We are trying to find ways to build windows into the system and placing them to capture the most sunlight because daylight is a mood stabilizer,” Deabler said. “The presence of larger windows allows for more access to the rhythms of daylight and helps with mood and anxiety.”
RODE chatted with homeowners that lived in its Passive House designed homes for three or four years to find out what they felt by living in these homes, and the owners reported that it helped boost their mental state, with positive impacts from better air quality and from more stable comfort without swings.
Prioritizing IAQ
Green Builder COGNITION data shows that homeowners request indoor air quality (IAQ) features above other health features, including better ventilation, air filtration and IAQ monitoring.
For years, consumers wanted solutions, but weren’t ready to pay for them. Now, it’s no longer just lip service. Two-thirds of homebuilders say that their customers purchase devices to improve IAQ. And since healthy homes are a top priority, consumers will pay an average of $2,750 for healthy home upgrades, higher than any other sustainability feature.
Younger generations are prioritizing it more than older generations. For instance, nearly a third of Millennials will spend up to $1,000 for products such as filters and purifiers. Another 34% will spend between $1,000 and $5,000 on whole home air filtration, ventilation upgrades or smart IAQ monitoring, and 23% will spend up to $10,000 on items like HVAC replacement or integrated indoor air quality systems.
Making IAQ a priority in new construction was driven through energy code, explained Joseph Hillenmeyer, the product manager of ventilation at Aprilaire. This was a long evolution that started in office buildings and evolved to the home during the last 10 years, with the health element starting with an approach to better energy efficiency.
“Ventilation doesn’t improve energy efficiency,” he said. “Tightness means less load on the home, but comes at the expense of IAQ because there isn’t the passive air exchange. Ventilation is the only thing that has been mandated, which is surprising. During the pandemic, there was a new awareness of the air you cannot see and the danger it can be to people who started to understand that when you can trap particles with a high efficiency filter, you are creating a healthier environment.”
These struggles in the balance of the right building code for energy efficiency and the health impacts continue.
“Tighter envelopes lead to mold, which can have a huge negative health impact,” he said. “People spend 90% of their time indoors, so treating the air is essential. Indoor air is 10 times more polluted, and now people are more aware that it can lead to respiratory health.”
And, while the education is there, the technology has a long way to go. Homeowners can purchase dozens of different types of IAQ monitors to look at its values and identify issues, but the monitors can’t yet do anything about it. It’s just an opportunity for an HVAC contractor. Solutions need to be reactive or sense an IAQ issue as it is forming, and then be able to do something to mitigate it, such as a range hood that can flip on when an issue is sensed by a monitor.
So, while IAQ is a top consideration for homebuyers, there are opportunities for the code and the technology to evolve.
RODE's Brucewood Homes project has been honored with the prestigious Planet Positive Award for Single-Family Home by Metropolis magazine to recognize excellence in sustainable, healthy design in the built environment. Image: Brucewood Homes
Health Is the Future
Now, builders are experts in the building envelope, which translates to the health of the home.
“Consumers typically look at cabinets and countertops, but now when you talk about health, they are interested,” Hillenmeyer said. “It’s important stuff, but the biggest struggle is to get the industry comfortable talking about health when they’re talking to the consumer.”
Some builders are leaning into that. Colorado-based Thrive Home Builders uses models to show what is in the walls and in the guts of the house as part of the front-end message.
“We are noticing that the focus is starting to build on how should we be building versus how fast we can build,” said Deabler.
As cost is more and more of a factor in consumers’ housing choices, he adds that he’s building Passive House certified homes at a 10% premium, but the house not only offers the mental health of lower operating costs, but also can offer the ability to generate income off the solar, which he has seen be credited at up to $800 per month.
“It’s great to see the healthy peace of mind of living in a home where variable costs are contained and manageable,” Deabler said.
Plus, with costs increasing in every aspect of our lives, homeowners are looking at ways to save money for financial well-being, a main source of stress, anxiety and depression.
Technology also is delivering on new ideas around health at home. For instance, Sarasohn-Kahn has seen heart rate monitors getting smarter and more integrated with the home.
“We can link a Samsung smart refrigerator to a dietary plan that can generate recipes to the resident,” she said. “Someone driving home from work and managing diabetes, can remotely look inside the refrigerator, generate a recipe based on the ingredients in the fridge, send whatever is missing to the app which sends to the grocery, which can create an Instacart order to be delivered or to pick up on the way home.”
Health-focused solutions are very important for the aging population.
“With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day this year, we need more homes that can accommodate older adults who may have physical challenges impacting mobility, vision, hearing, and independence,” Gold said. “Right now, roughly 90% of our housing stock does not.”
Other aftermarket innovations include light bulbs that can tell you if the donut you ate for breakfast is spiking your blood sugar. Another startup, Ultrahuman, is building wellness devices, like smart rings and glucose monitors, that will work with its home hub that measures air quality, temperature, and light. Eventually, the hub could link to the glucose monitor or smart ring, to build a home environment tuned around a person’s health biomarkers.
From the building envelope to stocking the refrigerator, the products and materials in the home are driving health and wellness in new and creative ways.
Publisher’s Note: Green Builder's 20th Anniversary celebration is sponsored by: Carrier, Trex, and Mohawk.
By Jennifer Castenson, Guest Columnist
Jennifer Castenson currently serves as the vice president at online construction project management platform Buildxact. Previously, she served as the vice president of programming at national media and data group Zonda. Castenson also serves as contributing writer to Forbes, reporting on innovative solutions in the built environment.Also Read