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Section 9: Conclusions
9.1 The Literature Review clearly suggests that good architecture and design can impact significantly on individual end-users and contribute to improved quality of life.
9.2 Socially, architecture and design can helps us feel good about who we are and where we live; it can foster or inhibit social interaction and contribute to or mitigate against social cohesion. The design and fabric of buildings and places can contribute to our cultural identity and pride in our local community.
9.3 Health benefits include less illness, faster patient recovery, reduced stress and greater overall health and well-being.
9.4 Economically, well-designed, well-connected buildings and places clearly attract investment and create jobs. Working in buildings and places that offer a variety of spaces, which provide inspiring, comfortable and controllable environments, enhances the recruitment, retention, satisfaction, motivation, productivity and performance of staff. Key to creating these environments are external and natural views, fresh air and daylight.
9.5 In residential contexts, proximity to green spaces, street trees, parks, playgrounds and water features can increase residential property prices. This too can generate increased revenue through property taxation but lead to exclusion of local communities.
9.6 Capital investment in schools has a positive influence on pupil motivation and performance.
9.7 Environmentally, sustainable design, mixed-use development, green space and trees and well-connected public realm with effective public transport have significant environmental benefits.
9.8 Management policies and practice are equally important in delivering and sustaining these impacts. The provision of well-designed buildings and spaces alone is not enough.
9.9 While extensive evidence is available on the impact of architecture and design, the overall body of research has not been undertaken in any systematic or coherent way. It is therefore difficult to provide any meta-analysis so the evidence is essentially a synthesis of case-study and quantitative evidence. The sector would benefit from guidance on undertaking this type of impact evaluation in a consistent way. Similarly, much of the evaluation is undertaken in the early stages of the existence of a building or place. Medium or longer-term evaluation would be beneficial.
9.10 This review provides a substantial evidence base on which to build. Adding future research will ensure that the sector continues to have access to the most recent impact evidence.
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