When Buildings Breathe: Health, Comfort, and the Sustainability Advantage

By Mike Mustapha, Division President of ABB Smart Buildings

We often discuss buildings in terms of energy efficiency and emissions. But what about clarity of thought? Productivity? Better sleep? Lower stress?

It's time we broaden the conversation.

The spaces where we live, work, and learn play a significant role in our health. With 90 percent of our time spent indoors¹, the environment surrounding us – air, light, temperature – directly impacts how we feel and function². Smart buildings are no longer just about energy; they're about enhancing human well-being.

Technology That Cares

When buildings are equipped with smart, connected systems, the benefits are tangible:

Improved Air Quality (IAQ): IoT-enabled sensors can reduce indoor CO₂ levels by up to 30 percent, supporting sharper thinking and faster decision-making³. In fact, in a study carried out by the WorldGBC, the value of increased ventilation was estimated to be $400 per employee, per year⁴.
Personalized Comfort: Occupant-controlled lighting and HVAC systems have been shown to improve comfort and productivity by 20 percent⁵.
Energy Efficiency: Energy savings of up to 25 percent are achievable without compromising indoor air quality⁶.

This is technology working on behalf of people – where sustainability meets empathy.

The Productivity and Well-being Link

The impact of indoor environments on cognitive performance and health is profound. A Harvard study found that higher indoor air pollution led to lower cognitive function, slower response times, and increased fatigue among office workers⁷. Poor air quality is also linked to headaches, respiratory issues, and even increased absenteeism.

Conversely, smart buildings that optimize air quality, lighting, and temperature can deliver a 30 percent increase in comfort levels, directly correlating with a 20 percent rise in productivity⁸. WELL-certified buildings also report a 15 percent reduction in sick days and a 10 percent boost in productivity⁹.

Biophillic Design: Nature as a Strategic Advantage

Building standards are catching up to what the smartest buildings already prove: health and sustainability go hand in hand. Biophilic design – the practice of connecting people to nature within buildings – is emerging as a core strategy in the upcoming LEED v5 standard, further boosting occupant health and satisfaction¹⁰.

The new ‘Occupant Experience’ credit encourages holistic approaches to comfort, daylight, and adaptable environments. But these benefits are magnified when paired with the electrification and smart automation at the heart of ABB’s solutions.

When smart automation meets nature, health and efficiency thrive

Reduced Energy Use: Biophilic features like green roofs, natural ventilation, and daylighting reduce reliance on artificial systems. Combined with high-efficiency, electrified technologies – such as heat pumps and smart lighting – these systems lower emissions and enable smarter energy use.
Healthier Indoor Environments: Electrification eliminates fossil fuel combustion inside buildings, significantly improving air quality and reducing health risks¹¹. Meanwhile, biophilic elements further filter air and balance humidity, supporting respiratory wellness.
Enhanced Comfort & Productivity: Smart automation dynamically adjusts lighting, temperature, and airflow in response to both occupant needs and natural conditions, supporting comfort and focus while reducing energy waste. This synergy can boost comfort and productivity by up to 20 percent¹².
Energy Efficiency: Integrated systems that combine occupancy data, environmental sensors, and biophilic elements help buildings adapt in real-time, maximizing comfort and minimizing unnecessary energy use¹³.

Open Systems, Open Outcomes

To achieve this impact at scale, systems must work together. Open standards like KNX and Matter, along with platforms that encourage interoperability, enable the alignment of comfort, sustainability, and cost-efficiency without trade-offs. At ABB, this open approach is central to our partnerships and solutions, making it possible to integrate electrification, biophilic design, and smart automation seamlessly.

When systems are open, outcomes improve not just for operators and owners, but for everyone who enters the space.

Healthy Buildings, Stronger Returns

Healthy buildings aren’t just better for people, they’re more valuable. Studies show they command higher rents, reduce vacancies – thanks to their ability to attract and retain talent – and lower operational costs¹⁴. And they're becoming the new benchmark.

Investors and tenants are increasingly valuing buildings that deliver measurable health and comfort benefits.

Predictive maintenance enabled by IoT reduces downtime and ensures critical systems like ventilation operate reliably, protecting both occupant health and business continuity¹⁵.
Enhanced space utilization with real-time insights into how spaces are used – enables smart buildings to stay agile, adjusting layouts, lighting, and systems to match the way people actually work and live¹⁶.
A focus on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is also becoming a differentiator. Smart IAQ sensors, such as those in ABB’s portfolio, help building operators monitor and respond to air quality issues in real time. A recent study by MIT’s Real Estate Innovation Lab found that ‘healthy buildings’ with WELL or FITWEL certifications can achieve up to 7.7 percent higher effective rents per square foot¹⁷

Urbanization and Future Demand

Urbanization is one of the most powerful megatrends shaping the future of buildings worldwide. The United Nations projects that urban population will increase by 1.35 billion people by 2030¹⁸, driving an unprecedented demand for new and upgraded infrastructure – including smarter, healthier, and more efficient buildings.

Urban expansion is forecasted to add 1.2 million km² of new urban land by 2030 – an area about the size of South Africa¹⁹. In many regions, especially Asia and Africa, urban land cover is expected to increase by several hundred percent, fueling a massive construction boom and the need for innovative building solutions. This rapid urban growth is transforming not just skylines, but also the way we think about resource management, occupant well-being, and sustainability.

Smart buildings are at the heart of the urban response.As cities become denser, the integration of intelligent systems – IoT, electrification, and automation – enables buildings to use energy more efficiently, support healthier lifestyles, and adapt to the evolving needs of urban populations.

The solution? Smart buildings and open, interoperable systems that maximize efficiency, comfort, and sustainability, helping cities not just grow, but thrive. As urbanization continues to accelerate, the demand for buildings that can ‘breathe’ – adapting to both people and planet – will only intensify.

Upcoming Events Highlighting the Shift

These global events show the industry momentum building around health-first, tech-enabled buildings:

LEED v5 Launch: Expected this year, with a stronger focus on occupant well-being and biophilic design
NexusCon 2025: October 6, 2025, Denver works to accelerate the transition to digital and decarbonized buildings
World Energy Week: October 6-9^th, Panama prioritizes ‘Energising Connections, Powering a Healthy Planet’ to deliver a ‘healthy planet’ for billions of lives

Let’s Not Design for Buildings. Let’s Design for People.

In a world increasingly shaped by climate change, urbanization, and shifting workplace expectations, we have a responsibility to design for more than compliance. We must design for care.

Progress in smart buildings doesn’t come from innovation alone, it comes from shared purpose. Because if our buildings can help people breathe easier, think clearer, and feel more comfortable, we are not just advancing smart technology – we’re advancing human potential.

At ABB, we’re committed to co-creating spaces that adapt, support, and inspire.

We’re not just designing for buildings. We’re designing for people.

About the author

Mike Mustapha

Mike is the Division President of ABB Smart Buildings and was appointed in February 2022. In this position, he has full accountability for the performance of the global Smart Buildings business in ABB, which includes a broad portfolio of market-leading home and building automation solutions as well as the portfolio for energy distribution systems and products. After starting his career in the U.S. in 1990 as an Application Engineer with Rotoflow Corp. Inc., a leading supplier of high-speed rotary and cryogenic machinery for process industries, Mike built global leadership experience with Altas CopCo, a multinational industrial company, where he held various leadership positions. In January 2009, Mike founded the new Pre-Engineered Buildings and Hot Rolled Structured Steel Group, headquartered in Jeddah, KSA, with its own independent Board. Mike assumed overall accountability for the company, overseeing the Middle East. Mike joined ABB in August 2011 as Low Voltage Division Regional Manager for India, the Middle East & Africa. In June 2014, he was promoted to Global Managing Director for the Building Products Business Unit prior to his 2018 appointment as Head of Global Markets for the Electrification business. Mike currently resides in Dubai and holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC), U.S.