Trends We Got Right: Wellness Communites

In anticipation of the Global Wellness Summit Trends for being released this month, I felt it fitting to look back at previous predictions made by our team – with an emphasis on those we got right…and named before anyone else.

Wellness Communities, a trend that we originally (as far back as 2007) dubbed “spa real estate,” has grown exponentially and now means much more than having a “spa” onsite or spa-like features within living spaces. The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) recently reported that there are over 600 global Wellness Community projects that have been built, are partially built, or currently in the pipeline – each one with a unique “wellness proposition.”

The increased impact of wellness on architecture has been part of several of our trend predictions throughout the past decade, with each forecast further illustrating that while aesthetics are always important, building design and entire communities and cities are being conceived from the ground up with a focus on improving our health and happiness.

The first prediction of the importance wellness has on our living spaces came in the 2007 trend entitled “Move into a Spa Lifestyle Community,” noting a rise of luxury spa residences from the likes of Canyon Ranch Living and Miraval Living. That year, Spafinder.com reported over 250 global spa real estate listings. And, while the economic recession that immediately followed affected many of these properties, a seed was planted for living in an environment that supports our health.

Eight years later, in the 2015 Spafinder Trends Report, the trend continued with “Wellness Homes, Communities, and Cities,” in which we noted: “Now, with both the economy and stress levels on therise, we’re seeing the wellness living market roar back,but

longevity

By Susie Ellis , Chair & CEO Global Wellness Institute

with more comprehensive concepts of what amasterplanned healthy home, community or citycould be. Spa and fitness amenities are still very muchpart of the picture, as is eco-minded building. Butthe new wellness residences are thinking far beyondamenities, and tackling not just planetary but humanhealth in design and construction.

The most ambitious–at times even mindblowing–aspect of the trend is entire towns and cities builtaround the most complete concept of wellnessimaginable: from nature and fitness to master planningsocial, cultural, medical and educational“health” for every age. With growth happening fastestin Asia and the U.S., and with these communitiesoften built through public-private partnerships,the new wellness towns and cities aim to provide adramatically healthier living alternative to the drive everywhere,disconnected suburb or the stress — andpollution-crushed city, where people are increasinglypriced out.”

This trend towards living in well environments is not only good for the residents, but also for owners and investors! At Global Wellness Summit Top Future Shifts in Wellness Report, a panel of real estate developers shared that, “preliminary numbers indicate that wellness drives impressive returns. The results: between a 5-35 percent premium for wellness-branded, single-family homes (with more consensus on the higher number), a 7-10 percent premium for wellness rentals and a 15-30 percent average daily rate premium for wellnessbranded hotels. Developers also reported that “wellhomes” sell far faster than their traditional equivalents” (with GWI Research now putting the premium at 1025% higher).

Inthe Global Wellness Summit’s report, we forecasted the evolution from architecture focused primarily on surface aesthetics to “Wellness Architecture” that prioritizes human health. Within the trend we predicted: “Everything in buildings will be rethought in the future: air, ventilation, water, light, sleep, and sound/acoustics – even designing “in” more human movement. As (2016) Global Wellness Summit presenter, Whitney Gray, PhD, of Delos Living put it: “I’ve never met an architect or real estate developer with any formal training in human health.” Architecture has been far too preoccupied with surface aesthetics: with architectgod-heroes conceiving designs to wow, shock, or lay claim to the cutting-edge. Much ego, much beauty on the covers of the Architectural Digests, but with oddly little attention paid to creating designs and using materials that improve the health and happiness of the humans who actually live and work in them –which, last time we checked, was the point of buildings.

But now, through new standards and technologies, building for human health – and a new “wellness architecture” – will be one of the biggest (and most impactful) future wellness trends. The strategies will span the simple, like deploying plants that excel at removing deadly air toxins to the highest-tech, like “living” buildings with walls made of algae biofuel cells that grow their own energy or new phone apps that alert you when you’re entering a “sick” building. From air quality to indoor acoustics, everything in the built environment will be reevaluated and reengineered.”

Technologies, standards, and interest for Wellness

Communities are increasing year-over-year and I only expect this trend to become more meaningful in the years ahead. The future isn’t just about buildings that don’t make us sick, it is about buildings (and complete environments) that improve our well-being and maybe one day even respond to our changing health and happiness in real time…I’m excited to see what the future “living well” looks like!