Practical considerations for implementing research on the indoor built environment

Abstract

It is increasingly evident that design needs to play a role in reducing sedentary behaviour through macro- and micro-environmental changes to the built environment. Recent research explores how various environments shape health and well-being of different populations, as the findings reported in the Building Research & Information special issue (volume 43/5) entitled Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and the Indoor Built Environment exhibit. How can this research reach a wide audience, especially those in charge of making decisions around the design of indoor environments? Research and practice in the field of the built environment and health demands cross-disciplinary and cross-sector collaborations and research results need to be appropriately communicated, translated and adapted for practical use. Practitioners can extrapolate from available research and consult best practices. Forging ahead with implementation also lends new opportunities to collaborate with researchers on evaluation.