Student and staff wellbeing is shaped by university surroundings

How do university spaces affect those who use them? A team of researchers present what they have discovered so far, and why it matters. Historically, health interventions in education have frequently targeted the individual to motivate and change their behaviour, however, increasing acknowledgement is given to the social determinants of health, including living and working conditions. The importance of the workplace environment on our health and wellbeing is well documented, for example, there is a growing interest in environmental psychology, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) notes the importance of temperature, building safety, and noise. Applying this to the university built environment, we can see multiple ways in which our productivity as well our wellbeing is influenced by our surroundings. However, while the HSE may focus on understanding and managing risks, we can go beyond this to ask how optimal wellbeing could be encouraged by creating health promoting universities. An important recognition of the interaction between the built environment of higher education and wellbeing took place in the University Mental Health Charter. This emphasises the need for a “whole university” approach to wellbeing, looking at the ways in which all aspects of university experience interact with both staff and student wellbeing. Building on the research which took place to inform the drafting of the charter, we have been conducting surveys and focus groups to investigate both staff and student perceptions of how the university’s built environment impacts upon their wellbeing. Our initial findings are discussed within the article.