A new green research initiative will explore ways to merge integrated design and health impact assessment into approaches for building, operating and evaluating the investment returns of healthy buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has teamed with the University of Virginia School of Medicine to carry out the project with a $1.2-milliont grant from the U.S. based Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

“Enhancing human health is a longstanding value of the green building movement, and RWJF’s support allows us to create powerful tools for project teams and new strategies to effectively engage capital markets,” say Rick Fedrizzi, the USGBC’s CEO.

The research partners will collaborate with a network of public health and sustainability proponents, including the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), to develop a model for embedding considerations of occupant health and well-being in both physical assets and investment attributes. This also aligns with RWJF’s vision for a nationwide culture of health.