MARKET
Healthy Home
Could buying a new home lead to better health? Ginetta Vedrickas reports
through simple upgrades such as roof windows without major structural changes.
RETROFIT PROJECTS OFFER HEALTH BENEFITS
all year round.This reflects growing buyer expectations, particularly among first time buyers who increasingly see wellness as a key part of long-term value.”
Our new year’s resolution to be healthier may be long gone but the building you live in could be a crucial factor in maintaining good health. Older-style properties can be dark, even damp if not well-maintained, but natural light and ventilation are fundamental to wellbeing. Trevor Smith, National Housing Development Manager at VELUX, explains, “Homes that are designed to maximise daylight and enable regular air exchange help support better sleep, improved mood and concentration, and can reduce issues linked to poor indoor air quality such as condensation and mould.” Access to natural light helps regulate our body clock, which supports healthier sleep patterns and overall wellbeing. And effective ventilation helps remove excess heat, moisture and pollutants, creating a more comfortable and healthier indoor environment, something that has become increasingly important as homes become more airtight. Smith adds, “In the new build sector, we’re seeing greater consideration given to room orientation, window placement and ventilation strategies to ensure homes feel bright, airy and comfortable
Some developers are creating healthy homes through transforming older style buildings. City Sanctuary has become the first UK developer to receive the official Residential WELL Seal on a retrofit project from the International WELL Building Institute, IWBI. The recognition is for its Albion Court conversion in Whitechapel, a pioneering repurposing of a historic Baroque-style brewery dating back to 1903. NHS England spends £1.4bn annually on health issues linked to poor housing and projects such as this one demonstrates how property development could become preventative healthcare, says City & Sanctuary’s MD Alex Uregian, “This is more than just certification. We have shown that you can deliver homes designed to actively improve health and wellbeing, even in the most complex retrofit projects, and without a premium-finish budget.”To achieve WELL certification, the scheme secured 62 points, above the required 40, across categories like air quality, light, water filtration and mental wellbeing. Feedback from Albion Court residents has been positive, highlighting
PARTNERSHIPS CAN MEAN HEALTHY HOMES
VELUX works closely with housebuilders and developers to support healthier home design. Through early-stage collaboration, technical guidance and product innovation, the manufacturer helps ensure daylight and ventilation are integrated into homes from the outset. These partnerships allow housebuilders to meet modern building standards while delivering homes that feel better to live in. Housebuilders including Galion Homes, Castlethorpe Homes, Edenstone Homes and more now focus upon creating healthy indoor environments in their designs, where daylight and ventilation are key criteria. Smith says that new build properties offer more opportunities to create healthy homes, but buyers of older-style homes can improve comfort, air quality and wellbeing
88 First Time Buyer April/May 2026
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