Bo Miljø and Psychological Health & Wellbeing: Designing for Social Sustainability

Abstract

Abstract for Presentation
In this short presentation I will look at the concept of Bo Miljø or ‘Living Environment’ as developed by environmental psychologist Ingrid Gehl in her 1971 design guide that advocates for psychologically healthy living environments (Gehl 1971). Bo Miljø is analyzed and contextualized in a discussion of architecturally relevant concepts and themes in social sustainability, which is an understudied, yet vitally important, aspect of the current sustainability discourse. The book offers a set of prescribed principles and cross-disciplinary references largely in environmental psychology and also to a lesser extent psychology, sociology, geography, relating to aspects of what we now call ‘social sustainability’.

The first portion of this presentation will be a short history of architecturally relevant concepts of Danish Welfare State Modernism as embodied in 1970s social housing estates in Denmark which Gehl references as the main examples in her book. I will briefly describe how these were useful in the author’s PhD research into renovating these buildings.

The second portion of this presentation will connect principles of Bo miljø with current architectural definitions and understandings of social sustainability using relevant theory, including practice-based approaches such as Bjarke Ingles’s ‘Hedonistic Sustainability’ (2010, 2012); Stig L Anderssen’s ‘Complementary’ approaches (2013); and current research aiming to better articulate social sustainability for architects by Tom Dixon (2011) and Meg Holden (2012).

I will argue that Bo Miljø emerged from the specific cultural tradition and context in Danish Welfare State Modernism but is relevant in other Modern contexts, in particular to the renovation of this housing; and that generally the linking of environmental psychology concepts should be better integrated into social sustainability and architectural practice. The presentation will conclude by briefly situating Bo Miljø within broader discussion of qualitative discussions of architectural quality and quality of life; and quantitative discussions of sustainability metrics including LEED, the new WELL standard, and concepts of regenerative architecture. Finally, this EDRA Short identifies specific principles of environmental psychology and human wellbeing and comfort that should be studied in more depth in the sustainable architecture discourse.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Learn more about the Danish Welfare State social housing from the 1970s and the current program of sustainable renovation; Consider current theories and practice-based considerations relating to social sustainability and wellbeing; Explore new links between housing design links to psychological wellbeing; Develop an understanding of how social sustainability and health are being integrated in to various sustainable design metrics.