What is the indoor space? An indoor space is made up of four key pillars, and it is the quality of these four pillars that determine the quality of the indoor space for us as human beings. The four key pillars are: 01. Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) - how well a building’s physical indoor space supports the health and well-being of all those using that building. 02. The nature of the activity or activities within the space – e.g., in a preschooler’s room there may be a family play area, a gathering area for reading and other group activities such as an art area. 03. How the space is managed – the daily operation of the room e.g., where activities are placed, are there too many resources or not enough, how and where resources are stored, is the space kept organised, is the room used the way it was designed and intended to be used, how the room is maintained, is the space cleaned thoroughly and regularly. 04. The psychological environment – is essentially the influence of the centre’s pedagogy, values and curriculum on the space. Why is this important? These four key pillars are the foundation of any indoor space, and they are inherently interconnected. The overall strength of all four pillars impacts the physical well-being of those in the space i.e., their physical state - their health and feeling comfort. This in turn Does your centre support your well-being? By Phil and Tiffany Smith, Smith Architects influences a persons mental well-being i.e., their psychologically state – their overall happiness and feeling of engagement which directly impacts how well a child learns and develops and how productive a team member may be. If one of these pillars is wea,k it will over time weaken the remaining pillars (See Figure 1.). Research has shown that the early years of a child’s life are important with most brain development occurring from conception to age one and continues at a rapid pace throughout the next few Figure 1. An indoor space is supported by four key pillars that directly impact the well-being of those in the space. Does your centre support your well-being? Is it even a healthy space? When a child is continually unwell, we’ve all heard or used the phrase “they are just building their immune system.” While this is true to some extent this phrase in fact is often being used to cover up a growing issue within early learning centres and New Zealand buildings in general. This issue is having and will have significant long-term effects on our health and well-being. An issue so serious that the World Health Organisation warned in the 1980s that it would be coming. The issue is that the poor quality of the indoor spaces we live in is creating unhealthy places for us to be in. March 2023 { 14 }
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