Research
Facilitating cross-disciplinary research on healthy buildings through our pump-priming projects and collaborations.
Healthy Buildings Network Leeds
Hyper-local to global
Welcome to the Healthy Buildings Network Leeds, where we collaborate on research, innovation, and education for healthier, more sustainable buildings and their environments.
Born out of a Horizons Challenge Network at the University of Leeds, we empower collaborations across disciplines and between academia, industry, and the public.
8
Funded Projects
500+
Network Members
12+
Partner Organisations
20+
Events Hosted
What We Do
We connect experts, practitioners, and community members to explore how buildings impact health and well-being. Our activities include seminars, funded research projects, and collaborative initiatives to make indoor environments better for everyone.
What Are Healthy Buildings?
Mental & Physical Health
Healthy buildings enhance physical and mental well-being by fostering supportive social, economic, emotional, and environmental indoor climates.
Sustainability
Buildings that minimise environmental impact while maximising occupant comfort through efficient resource use and smart design.
Innovation
Embracing new technologies and approaches to create spaces that actively contribute to occupant health and environmental stewardship.
Design
Design through careful understanding of the end-user with inclusive, safe and collaborative approaches to suit.
People
Empowering people with knowledge and means to act around healthy buildings through education and communication.
Our Projects
Explore our funded research projects that are advancing knowledge in healthy and sustainable building environments.
Our Funded Research
We have funded eight projects across two rounds: four pump-priming projects exploring indoor environments from new angles, and four ECR-led projects that brought research directly to the public through workshops and events.
4
Pump-Priming
Projects
Projects
4
ECR-Led
Projects
Projects
11+
Departments
Involved
Involved
20+
Researchers
& Investigators
& Investigators
Events
Seminars, workshops, and sandpits bringing together researchers, practitioners, and lived-experience experts.
Upcoming
Free · Registration open
17 Sept
2026 · 12–1pm
Online
Public Seminar
Industry Speaker
Design for Safety – is everyone safe?
Jenny McLaughlin has spent 18 years at Heathrow, and she argues that accessibility isn't an add-on, it's a precondition for a building being safe at all. Drawing on the RIBA Inclusive Design Overlay and the Equitable Safety Initiative.
Recent
NIHR Sandpit
Housing, Place & Ageing
Concluded · 8 Sept 2026
NIHR Sandpit: Housing, Place and the Built Environment for an Ageing Population
A half-day of flash talks, themed tables and proposal building, run with Reimagine Ageing to seed applications to the NIHR Public Health Research call.
Concluded · 6 Jul 2026
Seminar: Airborne Infection Transmission, Prof. Yuguo Li (HKU)
A new particle-based framework for modelling airborne infection risk, co-hosted with the Leeds Institute for Fluid Dynamics.
Concluded · 2 Jul 2026
HBN Showcase 2026: keynote, funded projects and panel
Keynote by Prof. Marcella Ucci, 8 funded project presentations, and a panel that asked whether we even know what a healthy building is.
Our Affiliations & Collaborations
EPSRC Networks & Partner Hubs
Research networks and EPSRC-funded hubs working in overlapping areas of built environment, indoor air quality, and healthy homes.
Links and logos are updated as networks confirm their web presence. Let us know if anything needs correcting.
From the Blog
Event write-ups, research spotlights, and perspectives from across the network.
Blog · Research
Sonic Belonging: Sound, Space, and What Makes a Building Feel Like Home
Dr Lijun Liu on how music and acoustic design shape cultural belonging in the built environment, and the project's fusion performance at the Wellbeing Hub.
Read the story
Blog · Seminar Recap
Airborne Infection Risk: Prof. Yuguo Li on a New Way to Model Transmission
A write-up of Prof. Li's (University of Hong Kong) visit to Leeds, covering particle deposition, the branching-process model, and what it means for building ventilation.
Read the recap
Blog · Event Recap
HBN Showcase 2026: Do We Even Know What a Healthy Building Is?
Keynote by Prof. Marcella Ucci, eight funded project presentations, and a panel that pushed back on the assumptions baked into "healthy buildings" research.
Read the recapJoin Our Network
Whether you're a researcher, industry professional, policymaker, or community member, we welcome your involvement in creating healthier, more sustainable building environments.