Welcome to BuildWell

BuildWell is a multidisciplinary research network exploring how housing estates can be designed to actively support health, wellbeing, nature, and social equity.

Hosted by Heriot-Watt University and delivered in partnership with University of York and Northumbria University, BuildWell brings together expertise from across disciplines to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to create healthier housing environments as the UK accelerates large-scale housebuilding.

Housing estates are more than residential developments, they are complex, everyday environments where people live, work, play, and connect. Yet despite growing evidence that access to green space, water, walkable streets, and inclusive design improves mental and physical health, these factors are rarely central to housing design decisions.

How the Network Makes a Difference

Our mission is to place health and wellbeing at the heart of housing estate design.

BuildWell will a) Connect researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and communities, b) Map existing evidence and identify knowledge gaps, c) Develop a shared cross-disciplinary language, d) Explore how nature-based solutions and equitable design can shape future developments, and e) Produce a future research roadmap to guide healthier housing policy and practice

Connecting Sectors

We create space for dialogue between academia, industry, government, and communities, ensuring multiple perspectives shape the future of housing design.

Translating Evidence into Action

We move beyond isolated research findings to identify practical pathways for embedding health, nature, and equity into mainstream housing development.

Shaping Long-Term Impact

With major national housebuilding targets underway, decisions made now will influence wellbeing for generations. Our collaborative approach helps ensure those decisions are informed, inclusive, and forward-looking.

Advancing healthier, more equitable neighbourhoods by integrating green and blue infrastructure into housing design to support wellbeing, resilience, and long-term sustainability.

BuildWell is a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funded project hosted by Heriot-Watt University