Green Healthy Places

Welcome to episode 55 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we discuss the themes of wellbeing and sustainability in real estate and hospitality.

I’m your host, Matt Morley, founder of Biofilico healthy buildings, and in this episode I’m in the UK talking to David Chenery of Object Space Place, a sustainable interiors company specialising in hospitality environments.

Our conversation covers the Restorative Design Framework that David has developed with his business partner over the past five years, the role of circular economy principles in restaurant design, designing out waste and lowering embodied carbon while still delivering memorable customer experiences, as well as the pros and cons of sustainability assessments for restaurant spaces.

David is an interior architect by trade, a considered thinker and someone with a rapidly growing client list that may suggest an inflection point in the UK restaurant industry’s relationship with sustainability.

GUEST / DAVID CHENERY

• https://objectspaceplace.com/ 
• LinkedIn profile

HOST / MATT MORLEY

• https://biofilico.com/
• LinkedIn profile 

Welcome to episode 054 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we discuss the themes of wellbeing and sustainability in real estate and interiors.

I’m your host, Matt Morley, Founder of Biofilico -a healthy buildings consultancy based in Barcelona and London.

In this episode I’m in the east of London talking to Dr. Mike Rogerson of the University of Essex.

Mike has a PhD in Sports and Exercise Science, his research interests include the links between exercise, the environment and wellbeing as well as what is known as ‘green exercise’ that involves an element of nature combined with physical activity.

We collaborated together back in 2017 on a research study into the benefits of biophilic design in a gym environment, exploring the additional mental health benefits of training in that type of nature-inspired indoor environment. The link to that study is in the show notes.

In this discussion though, we’re looking at green care and the benefits of nature exposure for seniors in care homes, different types of natural settings and how they ca impact our mental wellbeing, social exercise vs solo exercise and of course more on the green exercise theme.

Mike has a conspicuously well trained mind, he is able to handle multiple threads in an argument simultaneously, seamlessly nudging various arguments forward, piece by piece, making it I believe a remarkably easy conversation to follow despite the academic depth and obvious rigor that lies behind his thoughts.

If you enjoy the show, hit like or subscribe, my contact details are in the show notes too, now here’s Dr. Mike Rogerson.

• Dr Mike Rogerson: https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/roger41600/mike-rogerson 
• University of Essex, Green Exercise Research: https://www.essex.ac.uk/research-projects/green-exercise
• Matt Morley / Wellbeing Champion: https://www.mattmorley.net/
• Biofit research study: https://biofit.io/research

Welcome to episode 053 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast, in which we explore the themes of sustainability and wellbeing in real estate and hospitality today.

This week i’m in my home town of Barcelona, Spain talking to health and fitness entrepreneur Martin Ebner.

Martin is the Founder of Ebylife Personal Training and Fitness Solutions that include diet plans, training programs and what is now a fairly dominant Google ranking in Barcelona’s fitness scene.

We discuss:

• what needs to happen to activate a fitness facility in an office or residential development in order to extract full value from it
• the importance of being in a state of receptivity to start and stick to a new fitness program
• intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation factors
• real estate developers building gyms vs occupant demand for physical activity
• automaticity and setting medium to long-term physical activity goals
• aiming for physical activity as an enjoyable experience
• solo physical activity vs accompanied or led physical activity
• sustainable physical activity in the medium-term
• psychographic profiles in physical activity
• group fitness as a motivator for physical activity?
• adjusting physical activity programs for fitness levels

Welcome to episode 52 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we discuss the themes of wellbeing and sustainability in real estate and hospitality today.

I’m your host, Matt Morley, founder of Biofilico healthy buildings and this time around I’m in Perth, Western Australia talking biophilic urbanism and biophilic cities with Dr. Jana Söderlund.

Jana did her PhD on biophilic design as an emergent social movement. She has an honours degree in environmental science and has spent her career as a sustainability consultant, environmental educator, tutor, lecturer, and presenter. 

She is a member of the global Biophilic Cities steering committee, Chair of Biophilic Cities Australia, Director of Biophilic Solutions and a Curtin University associate. Currently, she is a tutor for Oxford University in partnership with Pearson.

We discuss the history and origins of the biophilic design concept. the biophilia hypothesis, applying biophilia at an architectural and even urban planning scale; how biophilic design incorporates benefits for people and planet, wellbeing and sustainability; the multiple benefits of installing green roofs on urban rooftops; public-private partnerships in urban level interventions; the benefits of biophilic design in schools and prisons, as well as the importance of beauty in biophilic design.

Welcome to the Green and Healthy Places podcast, in which we explore the themes of wellbeing and sustainability in real estate and interiors today.

I'm your host, Matt Morley, founder of Biofilico healthy buildings and in this episode i’m talking to Manuel Diaz Cebrian about his role creating a new bamboo industry in Mexico.

Manuel was previously a Director at the Mexican Tourism Board in  London where he managed the country’s image throughout Europe, repositioning Mexico as a cultural and culinary destination.

He is now Director of Special Projects for Marbella Design Week and is launching into the world of sustainability entrepreneurship by agitating for a Mexican bamboo industry to rival that os nearby Colombia.

We discuss bamboo’s sustainability credentials, it’s various applications in sustainable buildings iand interiors, its social impact benefits for indigenous peoples in Mexico, the influence of Bali’s Green School on bamboo-friendly architecture and much more.

GUEST / MANUEL DIAZ CEBRIAN - BAMBOO IN MEXICO

HOST / MATT MORLEY - WELLBEING CHAMPION

LINKS:

• Green School Bali
• Hotel Jakarta, Amsterdam 
• Marbella Design Week
• Booming Bamboo

In episode 50 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast I’m in the UK talking to Dr. Lauriane Chalmin-Pui, a Wellbeing Fellow at the Royal Horticultural Society - the UK’s leading gardening charity. 

Lauriane completed her PHD at Sheffield University where she conducted research on how domestic gardens can support physical and mental health via exposure to plants and wildlife.

In our conversation we discuss wellbeing gardens, also known as healing gardens; planet-friendly gardening; environmental psychology as it relates to gardens; the emotional, physical and social benefits of gardening; the benefits for our microbiota of direct exposure to soil and earth, as well as her forthcoming research publication on the role a garden’s colours and scents can play in positive impacting human wellbeing.

GUEST / DR. LAURIANE CHALMIN-PUI

• https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/gardening-in-a-changing-world
• https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/health-and-wellbeing/articles/greener-gardens-promote-healthier-residents
• https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/meet-the-team/environmental-horticulture-team/lauriane-chalmin-pui

HOST / MATT MORLEY 

• https://biofilico.com/ 

Welcome to episode 49 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we discuss the themes of wellbeing, sustainability and social impact in real estate today. I’m your host, Matt Morley of Biofilico healthy buildings, and in this episode I’m in London talking to Brian D’Souza, a.k.a DJ Auntie Flo, founder of Open Ear Music and Swell sound wellness.

We discuss sound therapy’s mental health benefits, how music can be a window into our soul, urban noise levels and the role of nature sounds in restoring a sense of calm amidst the chaos, how he creates sonic identities for hotels, restaurants and gyms, deep or active listening vs passive, and how to re-create the sonic experience of forest bathing.

Brian is erudite, dynamic and just the kind of guy you want on your team for a musical adventure one Saturday night I suspect.

• Sound therapy was for me an exercise in trying to discover the inner workings of a soul.
• Sound therapy is triggering different emotions, brainwaves and elements of the nervous system, to put people in a place of relaxation, where they can experience more mental clarity, calm and an objective perspective on life, away from the stresses of their day.
• One thing that's going to come to bear post industrial revolution is the amount of noise that we as human beings have created, which takes us away from that natural environment and into this noisy urban environment. We lose touch with the sounds, the beauty and the essence of nature in cities and that's potentially problematic for our mental health. his latest initiative crafting biophilic sounds for interior spaces
• If you're able to find time and space to consciously listen, then you will receive added health benefits in the same way that you might from meditation practice for example.

GUEST / BRIAN D'SOUZA

• https://openearmusic.com/soundwellness/
• https://www.swellstudio.io/
• https://www.ambientflo.com/

HOST / MATT MORLEY

• https://www.mattmorley.net/ 
• https://biofilico.com/
• https://biofit.io/ 

Welcome to episode 48 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we discuss the themes of wellbeing and sustainability in real estate.

I’m your host, Matt Morley of Biofilico Healthy Buildings and in this episode we’re in New York talking to Ethan Bourdeau, the Sound Concept Lead at the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) - the organization powering the WELL healthy building rating system.

An architectural acoustician, Ethan also runs Bourdeau Acoustical Design to provide consultation and planning services for critical listening, performance venue, residential, restaurant, retail, and commercial projects internationally.

Additionally, he holds down a role as Executive Director of Standards and Built Environment for Quiet Parks International (QPI).

Ethan and I discuss the role of acoustics in creating a comfortable environment for building occupants; how pink noise can cover up unwanted background noise, sound zones and spatial layouts; the all important distinction between sound, silence, the sounds of nature and noise; the role nature sounds can play in promoting wellness; and the main causes of noise in a building that need to be mitigated in a comprehensive healthy building acoustics plan in line with the WELL Sound concept he helped conceive.

GUEST / ETHAN BOURDEAU

• LinkedIn
• International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) profile
• WELL V2 SOUND

HOST / MATT MORLEY

• Biofilico healthy buildings
• Biofit wellness concepts

Welcome to episode 47 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we discuss the themes of sustainability, wellbeing and community in real estate today.

I’m your host, Matt Morley, Founder of Biofilico Healthy Buildings, and today I’m in Durban, South Africa talking to Jonny Friedman, Executive Chairman of the newly launched City Opportunity Fund.

In the 1980s and 90s Jonny invested in over 100 buildings in the Brighton area in the UK and another 20 buildings in Hoxton and Shoreditch in London, playing an instrumental role in the urban regeneration of both places.

Today he leads a team of over 120 people under the Urban Lime developments name focused primarily on Cape Town and Durban in South Africa. He has over R2 billion invested in real estate in Cape Town and Durban so far.

We discuss topics such as activations in the public realm, tactical urbanism, apartheid’s influence on urban geography in downtown areas in South Africa, what he calls ‘catalytic developments’ and the incremental gains from creating momentum in placemaking strategies, public-private partnerships in changing the identity of entire urban districts, as well as ESG and sustainability in the South African context.

Jonny was one of the very first people I ever worked for back in the early 2000s, I’ve followed his rise with keen interest over the past two decades and the City Opportunity Fund looks set to make a massive impact on the lives of those impacted by social and affordable housing in Cape Town and Durban, so, here he is, Mr Jonny Friedman.

GUEST  / JONNY FRIEDMAN

• https://urbanlime.co.za/
• https://fourthspace.co.za
• https://www.cityopportunity.co.za/

HOST / MATT MORLEY

• https://biofilico.com/ 
• https://biofit.io/
• https://www.mattmorley.net/ 

Welcome to episode 46 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we discuss the themes of wellbeing and sustainability in real estate.

I’m your host, Matt Morley of Biofilico Healthy Buildings and in this episode I’m talking to none other than Charlie Morley, a bestselling author and teacher of mindfulness, lucid dreaming and all round sleep expert whose latest book deals with resolving trauma affected sleep through a set of practices called ‘Mindfulness of Dream & Sleep’.

Charlie, who is as you may have guessed my brother, was “authorised to teach” within the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism by Lama Yeshe Rinpoche in 2008. Since then he has written four books, delivered retreats in more than 20 countries, spoken at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, as well as the Ministry of Defence Mindfulness Symposium and The Houses of Parliament.

Our conversation explores the connections between my world of healthy buildings and interiors, and Charlie’s world of healthy sleep. We discuss sleep hygiene, the physiological impact of sleep on our bodies not to mention our brains, pre-industrial age sleeping habits vs todays, the power nap as a productivity tool, how to create restorative spaces or sleep pods in an office or educational environment that people will actually use, and the role of meditation and restorative deep relaxation practices in improving rest.

https://www.charliemorley.com/ 

https://www.mattmorley.net/