Scientific organizations now consider the evidence on the association between the built environment and key health behaviors, such as physical activity, to be both sufficient and strong. Both building scale and neighborhood scale factors, from stair promotion to the availability of active recreation spaces to the walkability of neighborhoods, appear to play an important role in promoting or inhibiting regular physical activity.

Report assesses the physical activity-promoting potential of LEED projects.

In response to this evidence, an Active Design Index (ADI) for LEED projects is under development at the USGBC with assistance from a physical activity expert panel, which includes representatives from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Public Health Association, and academic institutions. The ADI will allow the physical activity-promoting potential of any given LEED project to be readily identified. To develop the ADI, the panel reviewed all LEED certification systems and their credits and identified those relevant to supporting physical activity.  These credits, primarily Sustainable Site credits, were then weighted by their likely impact on physical activity and the weighted scores were collated into the ADI. There was consensus among the panel that the existing LEED credits thought to impact physical activity, if fully achieved, could likely assist building occupants to achieve approximately 65% of their total physical activity in daily life. Missing strategies in existing LEED credits were identified to be those related to stair and ramp use promotion in buildings, and those that would more comprehensively support active recreation. These strategies are captured in the LEED Pilot Credit, “Design for Active Occupants”, developed in partnership between USGBC and the New York City (NYC) Health Department, working with other NYC city agencies and partners. Since its posting in the LEED Pilot Credit Library, the pilot credit has been used in over 30 LEED projects across the US.

In the paper entitled “Preliminary Study: Active Design Index Scores Across LEED Certification Levels for New Construction and Commercial Interiors Projects,” the co-authors, including staff at USGBC, utilize the proposed weighted scale to score projects that have achieved LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations (NC) and LEED for Commercial Interiors (CI) certification with the 2009 rating system. The paper compares the ADI for each project across different LEED certification levels. There are two key findings:  1. ADI scores increase with higher certification levels in both NC and CI projects, and 2. ADI scores are higher in CI than NC projects. Based on these results, projects with higher levels of LEED certification appear to include more physical activity- promoting design features. We hypothesize that NC developments might be occurring in less walkable neighborhoods compared with CI buildings in existing neighborhoods with higher walkability and/or other physical activity-promoting features. Further studies are needed to test this hypothesis and to integrate the LEED Pilot Credit “Design for Active Occupants” into a comprehensive ADI.

Note: Differences in the mean (average) Active Design Index (ADI) scores shown are statistically significant across all LEED certification levels.

The study also looked at the overall energy use associated with transportation to and from each school, stating that the high energy consumption related to driving kids back and forth could lead to a rethinking of the transportation options to and even the location of educational facilities. The author points out that a 2006 survey of 424 school districts found that only 7.6% had policies or programs in place encouraging active transportation (walking or biking) to school.  It’s not surprising that automobile is the current transportation method of choice, but it doesn’t have to be.

The study found that “changes in the built environment strongly influence student travel patterns.” While transportation patterns were similar across all schools studied – LEED or non-LEED – levels of active travel were greater in areas associated with specific LEED Sustainable Sites credits.  The study notes that the following site and neighborhood characteristics were correlated with higher rates of active transportation:

• Street widths between 20 and 28 feet
• Medians, roundabouts, islands, pinch-points and curb extensions
• Marked crosswalks
• Bike and pedestrian signals
• Bike racks
• Bus shelters and bus stops
• Planters
• Attractive architecture and art

Predictably, low density residential and light industrial neighborhoods were found to have lower levels of active transportation.  Another study, from researchers in Denmark, points to the importance of reversing this trend and encouraging active transportation to schools. Results of the study concluded that exercising before class, such as walking or biking to school, led to higher levels of concentration among students.

Both studies are careful to note that walking or riding a bike to school isn’t always possible, especially when distances are long or when walking/biking might present a safety hazard.

The benefits of active design are myriad: Studies have shown that simply using stairs reduces the risk of stroke, improves cardiovascular health, and reduces levels of cholesterol. Walking, rather than driving, to work or school has also been shown to have significant health impacts, including lower incidence of childhood obesity.  Active design can have positive implications for energy use in buildings as well, with increased stair use leading to decreased use of elevators and escalators, which are a significant source of energy usage in commercial buildings (especially high-rises) and are costly to repair and maintain. Reducing reliance on fossil fuel transport – and instead utilizing human-powered transport such as walking and cycling – has obvious environmental and health benefits.

Since 2008 a team of health and design professionals from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the NYC Department of Design and Construction, 1100 Architects, and Atelier Ten have worked to develop and promote a LEED Innovation in Design credit founded in the principles of Active Design. A paper, presented as part of the Greenbuild Thought Leadership & Research Track, indicates that the credit was designed to “enhance the existing LEED building rating systems by incorporating active design strategies for both occupant health and environmental benefits.”

The credit is divided into two main components. The first “aims to promote opportunities for routine stair use, while still keeping in mind the principles of universal accessibility,” and includes strategies like providing accessibility to all floors via unlocked stairways and posting stair prompt signage at elevator call areas. The second “aims at connecting projects to nearby or on-site facilities that provide opportunities for intentional physical activity,” and includes strategies like locating the project within a ¼ mile of a walking trail or recreational space.

NYC’s Active Design Guidelines is a great resource for promoting physical activity in buildings

Active Design and LEED: Early Use and Analysis of the Innovation Credit for Health describes the frequency of strategies employed in seven examples of diverse building types – including residential, office, academic, and healthcare facilities – that have implemented the Innovation Credit strategies as part of a LEED project. It also discusses the health and environmental benefits expected from their implementation.  The study found that stair related strategies dominated, which the authors state suggests a “strong willingness among architects to consider stair use as an important factor in building design and feasibility of incorporating the stair design strategies found within the credit.” The use of slowed down or skip-stop elevators was rarely pursued.

To learn more about Active Design check out the Center for Active Design where you can download the Active Design Guidelines and view case studies of projects implementing these strategies.