unsplash.com; Patricia Valerio
The gym is my church?
Houston’s First Baptist Church was one of the first mega churches to break ground on a fitness and recreational facility. Thirty years later, over 1600 members, not all of whom are churchgoers, get in shape and maintain healthier lifestyles in a variety of fitness-based experiences. Believing that their facility is more than a gym, the church is an advocate for connecting healthy living to spiritual awareness. Yet, Godspeed Spin is not the only way to ensure well-being through architecture and design.
Can places of worship be buildings that promote healthy, active living?
What if the church is my gym?
This is a more equitable question. Can places of worship be buildings that promote healthy, active living? To learn more, I checked in with a certified Fitwel Ambassador, Kelsey Kauffman, Assoc. AIA. Observing those close to her make poor lifestyle choices, this young architect wondered how she might ensure healthier environments through architecture and design. Turning personal motivation into architectural pursuit, Kelsey is now a leader and participant in the healthy building movement.
Kelsey Kauffman, Assoc. AIA, Fitwel Ambassador
Kelsey stressed that evidence-based strategies to optimize health are easily applied to varying types of buildings during planning and design. She shared the following ideas of how to integrate wellness through creative analysis and design, whether certifying or not:
Get moving
“One of the key aspects is to understand and focus on the flow of users and the functionality of spaces. When the flow is vertical, placing a high priority on stair design and location is critical. According to research-based design principles provided by the International WELL Building Institute and The Center for Active Design, the design of the stairs encourages everyday use, especially if the main stair is treated in the same beautiful finishing standards as other main elements in the building. If the stair is placed within twenty-five feet of an entrance, before views to elevators, then users are more likely to take the stairs.”
Daylight as the rhythm of worship
“Create spaces with welcoming daylight. Natural daylight has been proven to wake up your internal circadian rhythms, making people feel lively. Views to the outdoors and natural daylight have been a proven positive factor of Biophilic Design, which demonstrates the human need to connect to nature. When people feel focused and awake, they engage with their surroundings, moving and interacting with others. Within religious facilities, wouldn’t it in the best interest of all to have a focused and energized group of followers?”
Views to the outdoors and natural daylight have been a proven positive factor of Biophilic Design, which demonstrates the human need to connect to nature.
Kelsey reminds us that as architects and designers, “we have the ability to positively affect people’s health and well-being and to make them want to interact with the buildings we design and with each other.”
As for the Fitwel program itself, Kelsey points to the program’s attributes as motivators for recommending certification of our projects:
Fitwel provides a standard for the building industry; one that supports not only active design but widespread adoption of healthy promoting strategies.
Science-Based Strategies: Fitwel was developed by experts crossing disciplines in public health, facility management and design, producing optimum health-promoting strategies based on 3000 studies and over 5 years of research.
Respond to Demand: 49% of building owners are willing to pay more for buildings demonstrated to have a positive impact on health.
Positive Impact on Community Health: Fitwel has a vision of impacting health within all buildings, regardless of budget, size, year built or location.
We believe, like Kelsey, that the Fitwel program will grow. Its research demonstrates measurable positive results for building owners and their users.
For in Him, we live and move and exist (Acts 17:28).
For more information on Fitwel and the certification process:
Learn more about Fitwell Ambassador Kelsey Kauffman here:
