To Walk Is To Create

WELL-Guided Spatial Design and Culture Promote Creativity: Mental Health Awareness Month NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / May 27, 2026 / By Susan IllmanCharles Dickens did it. So did Darwin, Beethoven and Goethe. They took long walks to foster creativity. Aristotle debated his students while walking. Sigmund Freud conducted walking analyses with patients. More recently, President Barack Obama, KPMG Communications head Sorrelle Harper, and media mogul Arianna Huffington all revealed they take walking meetings. Mahatma Ghandi did, too. In fact, research studies show that walking can increase creativity by an average of 60%.Movement is one of the WELL Standard's 10 central pillars that offers over four dozen strategies for integrating movement into workplace design and programming to support health and well-being throughout the workday.Most of us know that physical activity improves health. But we may not be as aware that physical movement as simple as walking helps to improve cognitive function. For Mental Health Awareness month, we explored how physical movement can really get the juices flowing.Divergent thinking is the thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. "Productive creativity involves a series of steps - from idea generation to execution," says Dr. Marily Oppezzo, an author of a Stanford University study demonstrating the benefits of walking applied to the divergent element of creative thinking. "Walking could help you at the beginning stages of creativity."Research studies supporting this finding are many, though the causal mechanism remains elusive. Studies have shown improved verbal creative performance after a running intervention, improved "figural creative ideation" after hours of playing sports in one week, and more physically fit school-aged children have been shown to outperform their lesser fit peers in creative thinking tasks.WELL's large body of research also warns that sedentary behavior is on the rise. Despite the well-known health benefits of physical activity, global estimates in the last decade show nearly a quarter of adults remain physically inactive. Adolescents and older populations demonstrate even higher levels of physical inactivity - about 80% and 53% respectively. This is why a founding principle of the WELL Movement pillar isn't just about a healthy body; it also helps advance innovative thinking behind new ideas.Creativity by DesignWorking in a WELL Certified space may stimulate occupants' creativity for several reasons. In the past dozen years WELL Certified office buildings have been designing circulation networks that keep occupants moving throughout the day, and far more than they realize for not having had a midday workout. Edge WestEdge is a prominent European real estate developer based in Amsterdam focused on sustainable, smart buildings designed for health and energy efficiency. Edge designs its spaces for maximum movement:The EDGE Olympic building in Amsterdam was the first EDGE property to achieve Platinum level WELL Core and Shell Certification in 2019. The building includes a central staircase from the large, light-filled atrium lobby up several floors. Since then, the central staircase has become a signature design feature of EDGE buildings all over Europe. The staircase is the primary route between common areas such as the café, food and beverage areas, and fitness facilities. EDGE also maps walking routes throughout the building to encourage walking meetings and other informal movement.At EDGE West in Amsterdam, the designers introduced a room made specifically for walking meetings. At its center is one big square walking belt that functions like a treadmill so that people can walk as they talk. The above-cited Stanford study found the same increase in creative thinking in people who just walked on a treadmill facing a boring wall, compared to people walking outdoors.In EDGE Grand Central Berlin, indoor walking routes are designed to offer varying levels of stimulation. The ground floor has a route that begins in a "buzzy zone" and gradually moves towards quieter areas, allowing the brain to transition from stimulation to concentration flow. In this way, movement is not just physical but cognitive - a tool for regulating attention, energy and creativity throughout the day.At the heart of M Moser's innovative and pioneering healthy building design, Turbine Hall in the former St. James Power Station in Singapore, now Dyson Global Headquarters, is a steel spiral staircase that acts as the functional spine of the workplace linking all four renovated industrial floors, encouraging movement. It supports connection between departments and activates circulation. Signage throughout the space encourages employees to take the stairs, while sunroofs invite occupants to move upward and outdoors to the rooftop terrace to enjoy natural daylight and biophilia. Spiral staircaseGTB Headquarters, the workplace for a global marketing, public relations, advertising and communications firm in Shanghai that became WELL Certified in 2016, reinforces movement through spatial planning. "The design encourages people to move, exercise and get engaged," said Dr. Christine Bruckner, a sustainability-focused architect and director at M Moser Associates, who played a key role in designing the space. WELL design principles are embedded throughout, encouraging standing, stretching, moving and interaction by including different workstation typologies. A corridor loop - 7-feet 10-inches wide, with contrasting floor color - resembles a running track, with multiple lanes for fast and slow foot traffic and for walking meetings.These examples of spatial planning of circulation networks in WELL Certified spaces show how thoughtful design can provide natural walking opportunities several times daily to occupants who are likely benefiting from the creativity of their low-intensity physical activity. WELL Movement strategies also guide low- to high-intensity fitness programming in spaces, which fosters healthier workplace cultures.Movement As CultureAlice Haigh works at Built Development Group, a construction company in Sydney, Australia (WELL Certified Platinum, 2023), and loves the gym amenity just down the road from her office. At her previous job, she had a fitness subsidy program, which gave her a gym membership discount, but didn't necessarily get her to go to the gym. "But [Built] is above and beyond anything I've experienced because everyone here encourages me to use these offerings. It's part of the culture," she said. Her Corporate Communications team respects the blocks in her diary for going to the gym during the workday. And when she doesn't show up, colleagues miss her and ask where she was. "It makes me want to use it more," she said.It's one thing to have a free gym amenity at work. It's another to actively support employees' use of it. And then there's structured programming and leaders who model use of these well-being benefits that shape the culture of a workplace.What also draws Haigh to Built's gym are the 4-6 week blocks of strength training and other types of physical exercise that encourage consistency. These fitness programs are all custom-developed by Built's Head of Workplace Well-being, Haydn Masters. "He's usually there to make adjustments on technique or push you harder," said Haigh. "The gym is really widely used by both leadership and junior staff."HSBC Bank USA's Headquarters in New York City(WELL Certified Platinum, 2024, pictured in above header) offers employees a full menu of low-impact wellness services including yoga, stretching, Tai Chi and meditation to employees in its wellness suite. HSBC also offers Mindful Meetings programming to its staff to get them moving during traditional seated meetings and increase engagement. Complimentary 5-15 minute sessions, online or in-person, offer four different types of meeting breaks: meditation, dance, chair yoga or a signature session that includes movement, stretching, connection to the breath and mindfulness practice.WELL is a MovementFrom ensuring ample walking throughout the workday and physical fitness for those who want it, WELL gets people moving to a healthy degree. WELL Certified workplaces, in particular, are reaping the health and economic rewards of having more engaged, productive, decisive and creative workforces developing their products and running their businesses. Where there's a will, there's WELL.View original content here. Find more stories and multimedia from International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) at 3blmedia.com.Contact Info:Spokesperson: International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/international-well-building-institute Email: info@3blmedia.comSOURCE: International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

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