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Dennis Lynch prides himself on being more than just another real estate analyst. For years, he has worked tirelessly to become a trusted voice in the industry in every sense of the term. One that people can turn to to get meaningful answers to questions they may have or to address concerns about buying or selling a home.
With his son Marshall, Dennis Lynch has dedicated his career to helping as many people as possible in and around Rumson, New Jersey, accomplish their real estate goals. In the last decade alone, he’s helped over 1,000 people accomplish that, with no signs of slowing anytime soon.
One important part of Dennis Lynch’s job involves staying up-to-date on all the latest trends in building and design that are making waves across the market. For the last several years, one that he has been particularly taken by has to do with wellness architecture. In an era when more people are concerned with their health and well-being than ever, wellness architecture is poised to majorly impact for many different reasons, all of which are worth exploring.
What is Wellness Architecture, and Why Is It Important?
At its core, wellness architecture is all about bringing the best of art and science together when designing a home to create the most harmonious environment possible. By accounting for physical, emotional, cognitive, and even spiritual well-being in the design of a home, you create more than just a comfortable space – you also end up with the type of home that improves your health with each passing day.
As the term implies, virtually every element of a home or other space designed using wellness architecture principles has someone’s health in mind. Even something as simple as accounting for air quality, for example, can have a significant impact on an ongoing basis. As indoor air quality rises thanks to wellness architecture, people are less likely to get sick due to airborne illnesses. This means they’ll be healthier overall and are less likely to experience any significant respiratory problems caused by these sources.
An emphasis on circadian lighting can be a great way to promote healthier sleeping patterns. Wellness architecture and circadian lighting can allow people to get to sleep easier, stay asleep longer and wake up in a way that is far less obtrusive than something like an alarm clock – leading to healthier, more restful sleep as well. Not only that but this type of natural lighting has also been proven to improve both our mood and our general sense of productivity throughout the day. That last point is critical given that more people are working from home than ever thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another major wellness architecture best practice/benefit comes by way of biophilic design. This essentially mixes nature with architecture by bringing in the lighting mentioned above, natural ventilation, and the strategic use of plants and other vegetation. All of this allows us to interact with nature even when indoors, which again is something that will come in handy given everything going on in the world. This embracing of nature makes us feel happier and more content, allowing us to be healthier overall.
One of the biggest benefits that wellness architecture brings with it has to do with sustainability. Homes and even commercial buildings designed using the best practices of wellness architecture tend to be more energy efficient and use less waste in terms of both their construction and their day-to-day operation. This, in turn, allows someone to rest easy knowing they continue to do their part to help protect the fragile environment moving forward. While this isn’t necessarily directly related to someone’s well-being, it has an indirect impact.
Embracing Wellness Architecture Without Breaking the Bank
If any of these things sound like they would be expensive, that’s because they are – from a certain point of view. If you walk into a substantial commercial building built from the start with wellness architecture in mind, you’re looking at a massive project.
But your home doesn’t need to be measured on the same scale – or at the same price point – to achieve the same impact on your overall life and well-being.
Case in point: biophilic design and the use of nature wherever possible. Thankfully, the options are plentiful. An indoor garden can help bring a lot of these advantages to your home at a reasonable price point, all via something that can thrive just as well inside as it can outside with the right level of care. If your home is big enough, an indoor water element can also be a great way to get closer to nature in a way that makes you feel happier, healthier, and more relaxed daily.
If you’re having a home built, you’re looking at the perfect time to incorporate wellness architecture’s best principles into your space in the most organic way possible. This is especially true when it comes to lighting and ventilation, according to Dennis Lynch.
Talk to your builder about incorporating as much natural lighting as possible through oversized windows, skylights, and more. It’s easier to take care of this now than to add after the fact. You can have traditional lighting, too – but natural lighting should be maximized for the best result.
Regarding ventilation, talk to your builder about some modern HVAC options that operate more naturally. Even considerations in terms of the ductwork can significantly impact wellness architecture.
Finally, don’t forget that the benefits of your home aren’t over as soon as you walk out the front door. So much wellness design is about incorporating nature wherever possible, which extends to outdoor spaces. Create a deck, patio, or another environment that lets you feel closer to nature. Build the type of space where you want to spend time reading a book, enjoying a nice meal, or spending time with friends and family.
You don’t have to do all of these things at once – especially if you’re not building a new home and are instead remodeling an existing one. But little by little, you will start to feel the benefits, precisely as they should be.
In the end, Dennis Lynch has seen a lot of trends come and go in the real estate market over his career. He’s watched as design choices were the “hot new thing” one day, only to quickly prove themselves to be a “flash in the pan” the next.
In his expert opinion, he does not see the same being true of wellness architecture. Thanks to the host of benefits that it brings with it, coupled with the verifiable emphasis that people are placing on living happier and healthier lives, wellness architecture is here to stay.
Yes, some options available to people in terms of wellness architecture can be expensive – but with the right guidance and necessary perspective, they do not have to be unattainable. Through his innovative approach to real estate in Rumson, New Jersey, and with a forward-thinking strategy, Dennis Lynch and his son hope to help as many people in the area as possible accomplish precisely that.
