Topic 3 Health Benefits
- Visual and physical contact with natural greenery provides a range of direct and indirect benefits to people.
- These include both physical health benefits (including air quality improvement) and mental health benefits, such as reduction of stress.
Physical health benefits
Green roofs vitally contribute to air cleaning in 3 ways:
lowering temperatures
removing pollutants from the air directly
preventing additional air pollution
Access to green space can bring about direct improvements in a person’s heart rate, blood-pressure or in respiratory health problems, and can aid general well-being.
Mental health benefits
The addition of a good quality natural landscape to urban areas can positively impact how people feel or work. By reducing stress levels and sadness, additional greenery can lift moods, make people generally feel better and boost their productivity.
- The thermal benefits that green roofs provide may have indirect benefits for people living or working within the building. The staff working in a green building usually demonstrates lower absences than in others, as it offers relaxation.
