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Realizing the full potential of green-certified government office buildings in promoting employee’s mental health

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DOIResolve DOI: https://doi.org/10.4224/40004048
AuthorSearch for: 1; Search for: 1; Search for: 1; Search for: 1; Search for: 1, 2; Search for: 1; Search for: 1; Search for: 1; Search for: 3ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2078-9358; Search for: 1
Affiliation
  1. Wilfrid Laurier University
  2. York University
  3. National Research Council Canada. Construction
FunderSearch for: Government of Alberta. OHS Futures Research Funding Program; Search for: Wilfrid Laurier University. Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability
FormatText, Report
Subjectgreen buildings; employee wellbeing; productivity; indoor air quality; organizational sustainability; organizational culture
Abstract
Poor employee mental health has become one of Canada’s most widespread and costly occupational health issues. It is well established that better indoor environments in office buildings are correlated with more satisfied occupants and higher levels of wellbeing. Among different building types it is commonly assumed that green office buildings, such as LEED-certified buildings that are intended to reduce environmental impacts, provide better working environments with beneficial outcomes on wellbeing and productivity, because of the state-of-the-art infrastructure of these buildings. The findings of existing research on the impacts of green buildings are inconsistent: some studies suggest that there are mental health benefits of green buildings while others did not find such positive effects. This study addresses several of the shortcomings that may explain the variability in previous findings. We use a strengthened theoretical framework in which the wellbeing of green building employees is a) defined as physical, mental and social health, b) conceptualized as being impacted a variety of psycho-environmental needs (e.g., shelter and security, social contact, pleasure), and c) interconnected with organizations’ and employees’ engagement with environmental sustainability. Our research explores three key research questions: 1) What are the key differences in wellbeing/health and work outcomes of employees in green-certified buildings compared to those of conventional buildings? 2) What are the key factors contributing to the wellbeing/health and work outcomes of green-certified buildings for employees? 3) How does a newly developed green-certified building contribute to a positive culture of sustainability within the building, and what is the role of a positive culture of sustainability in employees’ wellbeing/health and work outcomes?
Date published
PublisherWilfrid Laurier University. Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability
York University
National Research Council Canada
LanguageEnglish
Peer reviewedNo
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Record identifier4ded736e-4489-4151-af19-9a12553089e0
Record created2026-04-09
Record modified2026-05-22

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