Workplace Why The Layout Of Your Office Could Be Making You More Anxious British architect Ben Channon is on a quest to design spaces with mental health in mind. Here, he shares five small changes we can all make for a calming and inspiring workspace. By Natalie Cornish Workplace British architect Ben Channon is on a quest to design spaces with mental health in mind. Here, he shares five small changes we can all make for a calming and inspiring workspace. By Natalie Cornish Previous article On The Basis Of Sex Next article My Favourite Things: Ayebatonye Abrakasa British architect Ben Channon is on a mission to make architecture more mentally-friendly. He says our homes and offices are often designed with three mitigating factors in mind: cost, carbon emissions and safety. Important as they are, this strict mindset overlooks the driving force for designing a building in the first place: the people who utilise the space, and the “joy” they feel when doing so. “By most estimations, we now spend more than 80 per cent of our time in buildings, and this can affect our mood both positively and negatively,” Channon writes in the introduction to his new book, Happy By Design: A Guide to Architecture and Mental Wellbeing.“Buildings affect us in largely similar ways. Of course, some people might prefer certain colours or materials, but there are many elements to building design that will universally affect how people feel within a space. The quality of the places where we live, work and study therefore impact our happiness significantly.” betteryou Best Of Future Women Diamond Meet the leaders: Erin Vincent By Odessa Blain Diamond Meet the leaders: Malini Raj By Odessa Blain Diamond Meet the leaders: Azmeena Hussain By Odessa Blain Diamond Meet the leaders: Shannan Dodson By Odessa Blain Diamond Meet the leaders: Elly Desmarchelier By Odessa Blain Equity A sneak peek inside the sold-out budget event By Odessa Blain Equity Inside the shared joke between Gallagher and Wong By Odessa Blain Leadership “Let’s lower the bar”: Why this CEO wants women to do a whole lot less By FW Your inbox just got smarter If you’re not a member, sign up to our newsletter to get the best of Future Women in your inbox.