In our modern society our real estate industry is focused on number of bedrooms, bathrooms and garages and reinforcing lifestyles that make us sick, lonely, stressed and unhappy. As urbanisation has continued society has focused on places where people can sleep not places where people can live and this has led to significant unforeseen health issues.
The Global Wellness Institute outlines that “our homes, communities and surrounding environment directly affect our daily behaviours and lifestyles, and together these determine up to 80-90% of our health outcomes.”
Further food for thought:
- Trillions of dollars are spent every year on health care and research trying to fix problems enabled by our living environments.
- There are thousands of people sleeping meters away from each in apartment buildings across our cities and they don’t even know each other’s name.
- 51% of Australians feel lonely at least one day per week. While 28% feel lonely for three or more days. Australian Loneliness Report, Swinburne University
- The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children found that by 12-13 years old Australian children spend approximately 30% of their waking time in front of a screen, which is double the amount they spend playing outside.
- According to the Black Dog Institute One in five Australians aged 16-85 experience a mental illness in any year and this study was taken before Covid.
- 67% of Australian adults are overweight or obese with Severe obesity rising from 4.9% to 9.4% over the past 20 years. Obseity Evidence Hub
- The Australian Health Survey outlines that chronic disease now accounts for over 90% of all deaths in Australia. The greatest health risks are a sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity, poor diet, loneliness and pollution.
The Solution
We cannot address the global crisis of rising chronic illness, social isolation, stress and environmental degradation without a dramatic transformation in how we live. Brightlands Living put’s people’s wellness at the centre of the entire process. Our communities are designed and managed to optimize residents and guests health and wellbeing across multiple dimensions.
Edward Fernon the owner of Brightlands Living explains:
“One of the great passions of my life has been riding and working with horses. The key foundation principle of natural horsemanship is to make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult. The same applies to our properties and developments where we want wellness to become effortless because it is the community norm and ingrained daily life.”
Each project provides different opportunities to include a unique wellness offering.
1. Improved physical health
We promotes a healthy body through exercise, nutrition and sleep by including the following where possible:
- On-site commercial kitchen and dining room serving only nutritious meals
- On site multi-purpose providing daily classes in yoga, personal training, fitness classes etc
- Swimming pool
- Treatment rooms for massage, facials, medical appointments
- Hot and cold baths for improved immunity and decreased inflammation
- Float tank for improved sleep and relaxation
- Walking and Cycle paths incorporated into the design
- Close proximity to a range of public transport to discourage car use
- Car sharing
- Convenient and free bike storage and bike sharing
- Circadian lighting throughout the building
- Sound and light proofing including complete block out curtains in all rooms to improve sleep
2. Community Engagement
“People who are more socially connected to family, friends, or their community are happier, physically healthier and live longer, with fewer mental health problems than people who are less well connected” Dr Waldinger, Harvard University.
We encourage interaction and social connectivity within the community through both design and management and include the following features:
- Significant offering of in-door and outdoor communal areas
- Communal kitchens and dining area
- Café and restaurant – a place to meet and socialise with friends
- Diversity of housing types allowing for ageing in place and different demographics.
- Community focused events facilitated through the Brighltands Living App including dinners, gardening days, fundraising, music nights and learning events
- The Brightlands Living App provides a chat feature so residents can speak with each other as well as the property management.
- Daily wellness classes including Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi.
- Beautiful communal gardens for rest and relaxation
- Wellness services including pool and fitness centre to encourage health and interaction
- Community car share and bike share
- Community gardens & animals – allows people to grow sustainable food and interact with nature.
- Communal wifi and intranet.
The importance of community to overall well-being cannot be underestimated. The Italian Roseto community in Pennsylvania between 1954 to 1961 is a perfect example of the benefits of community. The men in this community had high smoking and drinking rates, poor diets and worked in slate mines, where they were exposed gases and dust, however there were nearly no heart attacks compared to neighbouring towns. Stewart Wolf, then head of Medicine of the University of Oklahoma in 1961 attributed the lower heart disease rate to lower stress. “The community was very cohesive. There was no keeping up with the Joneses. Houses were very close together, and everyone lived more or less alike. Elders were revered and incorporated into community life.” As the Roseto community shed their Italian social structure and became more Americanised in the years following, heart disease rates increased, becoming similar to those of neighboring towns.
3. Mental and Emotional Wellness
We improve the residents or guests mental and emotional health and help them discover meaning and purpose by providing the following:
- spaces for rest and solace including outdoor gardens
- Daily on-site meditation or sound healing classes
- Float tank to reduce stress
- Hot/cold pools plus main swimming pool for relaxation
- Belong Technology App provides regular surveys to track residents mental health
- Encourage residents to pursue personal hobbies and interests
- Uplifting and motivation art throughout the building
- Regular classes providing an environment for learning
- Helping residents connect with others and a purpose larger than themselves
4. Environmental Sustainability
We foster the positive interrelationships between planetary health and human actions through the following:
- Biophilic design
- Land care and community gardens
- Electric car sharing
- Encouraging walking and cycling
- Vegetable and herb garden
- Rainwater collection
- Encouraging recycling
- Native pre-settlement landscaping
- Integrated wind turbines and/or solar
- Compost and greywater management
