Latest / Hospitable Hosts / Sustainable Design for Short-Term Rentals with Stacey Olson
Transcript
- Miles - Hospitable: Hello and welcome to today's episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast. I'm Miles Hobson, Head of Marketing here at Hospitable and I'm your host for today. Today we are speaking with Stacey Olson, Director of Sustainable Design at Gensler, the world's largest architecture and design firm. As a global wellness leader, Stacey works at the highest level with real estate, helping brands understand how buildings can actually make people healthier. She's an expert on Okay, hello Stacey, thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of the Hospitable Hosts As always, if you enjoyed today's episode, please don't forget to like, share and subscribe and listen out for our next episode coming soon. Stacey Olson | Gensler: Well, thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. Miles - Hospitable: Awesome. So obviously we're here today to kind of talk about sustainable design and guess wellness as well. We'd love to kind of get your take on a home design for wellness versus kind of just a beautiful home. Do you see kind of almost like a premium when it comes to selling that property and or kind of renting it out as a short term rental? The arts and science are bringing nature indoors and should understand exactly why wellness real estate is currently commanding the highest premiums in the market. If you enjoyed today's episode, please don't forget to like, share and subscribe on your favourite podcast. Stacey Olson | Gensler: Yeah, you know, it's funny because it kind of gets the question, what's the return on ⁓ investment for wellness design or sustainability? And we get this question all the time, but we're actually seeing that, and it's not even new, but it's starting to become more well-known mainstream that the definition of luxury or quality or, you know, desirability It really just assumes that you're already meeting the beautiful, the experiential, right? so what, what today's, ⁓ you know, what today people are looking for is, what are you, what are you giving me on top of that? And that really creates that differentiation, that brand recognition or that brand experience, whatever you want to call it. So really the, you know, the, it's about like creating. ⁓ wellness integration as a matter of baseline these days. And if we don't have that, well then we're just really not contending with what the industry and by industry, mean really just the expectation is of ⁓ what people are looking for. The actual ROI is very difficult to quantify, but if you ⁓ don't embed these kind of basic sustainability and wellness best practices, you're not going to be attracting that kind of a buyer that ⁓ is really looking for that luxury or that experiential space. ⁓ Miles - Hospitable: Okay and you kind of touched on that kind of the some core concepts like what are some of the core concepts like when we think about this kind of wellness and design and sustainable design like what are some of things that we should be thinking about doing in our own kind of apartments or cabins or cottages and that kind of thing. Stacey Olson | Gensler: Mm-hmm. Yeah, so if you're thinking about this for like for yourself, right, like a DUI versus as a, you know, a person that is selling a product to, you know, for as a part of their business strategies, it's a little bit different. But if we think about, well, ultimately, you want to have comfort in your home, right? If we're thinking about residential space. And so, you know, how what does that means is going to be different for different people. And we talk a lot about something called inclusive design. And so we think about everyone is coming to, you know, this space with a different set of experiences, cultures, genders, gender identities, family sizes, animals, marital status, right? All of those things are going to inform what you're really looking for. So there really truly is no one size fits all. But when you think about it through the lens of ⁓ You know, like how do I bring calm and my own personal culture into my residence? It's really, it's dependent on all of those different things that make you and your family who you are. And so again, that's very different. But at the core of it, we're really thinking about home as a sanctuary. And so if your home is your sanctuary, how do you create that calming environment for you? And some people get really jazzed up by different things, right? Like we think about low sensory versus high sensory or acoustics or tactile nature of things, right? There are gonna be different components that resonate to different people, which is actually why I think, you know, it's really important to think about the, you know, all 14 patterns of the biophilic design, right? And we think about how those want to manifest for each of us is a little bit different. Miles - Hospitable: Okay, you mentioned that biophilic design as well. Can you maybe define that for us? What exactly it is? mean, biophilic is obviously to do with of biology and I think some people might think, well, we're just talking about putting more houseplants, but it's obviously a lot more than that. Maybe you can kind of define that for the audience. Stacey Olson | Gensler: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's really great resources out there. ⁓ Easy to find, but so there's there's 14 patterns of biofuelic design. I didn't make it up. It's it's ⁓ something that Terrapet Green put out many, moons ago, but ⁓ it still is is is scientifically founded and ⁓ ⁓ very applicable to everyday design and experience that we have today. But fundamentally it means the love of life and what we associate that with is the love of nature. And we know there's ⁓ a ton of scientific data out there that shows the physical manifestations and positive impacts that nature has on our bodies. Everything from improving blood flow circulation, improving heart health, ⁓ reducing stress hormones. so bringing biophilia in in different ways can be ⁓ really powerful to thinking about creating that calm, nurturing sanctuary that we all want to have. And within those 14 patterns, some of them are kind of what we would immediately think and kind of what you said, right, that there's plants like actual living, you know, plant matter ⁓ or even, you know, thinking of like animals or like, you know, koi pond, right? All of that is like living nature. ⁓ But some of it is really more a little bit esoteric, a little bit more, ⁓ you know, ⁓ not obvious so we think about things like the way that light might you know ⁓ reflect off of a screen and create some kind of shadow space ⁓ and it might be a pattern or you might have like a wall covering or something that or a painted mural that evokes nature but isn't actually you know alive in itself or I really like the one of the 14 patterns, is the idea of prospect and refuge. And that's thinking about, you know, for example, how do I have spaces ⁓ in my environment that, ⁓ you know, are in the path there inspires delight and joy and awe. And so it makes me want to go there, right? Maybe there's like lighting in a way that you know, makes you want to go explore what's around that corner. And that actually helps create what we call these like dopamine bursts, where when we think about how our brain works, we're kind of pre-wired to constantly be searching for things. That's one of the downfalls of actually technology, we're constantly hooked to this technology of giving us these notifications and we always, well, what's next? What's next? ⁓ But it's fundamentally within our Biology that we want to go see what's out there. What's next and so, know designing for that is ⁓ gives you a little bit of a burst of enjoyment and and ⁓ and a little bit of you know, fun in your day and in the inverse of that or contrastingly would be like, know, like the refuge How can I go to a space where I can hide away like my cave, right? I can have my my coffee or my tea and my book and maybe I can look out and see what's going on, but I don't have to participate in it if I don't want to. So those kind of ideas are, you know, don't necessarily have to really cost anything. It's really thinking about how you can design your space to create these little nooks and crannies that, ⁓ you know, allow you to pivot throughout the day if you, as you want to. Miles - Hospitable: Nice. I mean, sounds like, so biofilic design can actually be something that I guess creates a dopamine hit when you're looking on Airbnb, essentially, right? So as potential guests are scrolling, they can see these kind of beautifully designed places that, you know, attract them and encourage them to book as well, I guess. Stacey Olson | Gensler: Yeah, yeah, finding ways to evoke interest, that's kind of the crux of marketing, right? How do you create experiences that ⁓ are relatable to people of all different cultures, right? And so you want to think about coming back to the core of our DNA and what is it that would... ⁓ Miles - Hospitable: Hmm. Stacey Olson | Gensler: everyone might be, you know, find like, what's around that corner? And ooh, that looks cozy, right? That's just innately in our biology, those are things that you can rip on. Miles - Hospitable: Okay, and you're obviously an expert in sustainability and sustainable design as well. We'd love to kind of talk about kind of the circular economy and how hosts can maybe think about, you know, how can they, you know, furnish or renovate a property in a more sustainable way, maybe through upcycling or something like that. Stacey Olson | Gensler: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I I love the idea of upcycling. know, if you're going through a renovation of any kind, you know, taking some inventory and finding out what the existing materials are, and maybe, you know, you know, it's, it's, um, you know, something that there's a wood wall covering or something is a little dated, and you think, oh gosh, I don't know if I can use that, but could you repurpose that? Maybe wall covering's not the right example, but you know, if it's a wood paneling or something, you know, could you ref- finished that and use it. I actually did something like that in my house where there was some extra wood we didn't, you know, wasn't useful, but then made it into a frame around a mirror. And it became a very nice, you know, throwback to the previous construction, but was able to like also have a kind of a bore. you know, polished to look on it instead of just like the, you know, the mirror and I didn't have to buy a new one, right? That's very, you know, kind of the low end on the DIY, know, maybe on the higher end, we see all the time doors being reused for different purposes and things like that. But, you know, besides that, you know, anytime that we think about designing, you know, for a new space renovation, it's really important to think about how if we're buying virgin materials, how we might be able to reuse them in the next iteration. And so, you know, avoiding the adhesives and the sealants and the glues, you know, all of that stuff makes it very challenging to reuse that material. And so I think more about kind of the craftsman style joinery or using nails and screws or clips to hold in materials for whatever what it might be. Miles - Hospitable: Hmm. Stacey Olson | Gensler: ⁓ then you can dismantle those things or you can disassemble those things and reuse them maybe in a different configuration and have a second life. Miles - Hospitable: I see if that makes sense. And I guess the kind of not using glues and sealant and things is kind of also relates to kind of using more chemical free materials. And I think you've talked a lot about healthy buildings. So maybe you can talk us through, you know, how we can improve indoor air quality for guests and, you know, avoiding those chemicals and how that can actually, you know, provide a better stay for our guests and therefore, you know, in theory, better reviews and more bookings for the future. Stacey Olson | Gensler: That's right. Yeah, you know, I work a lot in the commercial ⁓ business, which is a little bit different than than core residential. But I think in both cases, what we're it makes sense to be prepared for poor air quality events. And a lot of times, you know, when we have, you know, ⁓ you know, our filtration media, what we're talking about in our Miles - Hospitable: Hmm. Stacey Olson | Gensler: in our air quality that we want to have an alternate standard for those poor air quality days to catch and protect us from like the, you know, the carbon, high carbon events where we have like maybe a wildfire or something like that. ⁓ You know, it's from a residential side, thinking about... ⁓ what you put in that environment from a materiality standpoint is sometimes even more important because their house can be pretty airtight and keep the windows closed. ⁓ So thinking about, know, and actually there's some really good scientific paperwork out of the Harvard School of Health that shows ⁓ that the majority of ⁓ air pollutants we're exposed to are from the indoors. And that's because we have, ⁓ you know, usually we have such good ⁓ filtration that it's really it's like the recirculating of the air of what's already in there and off gassing. A big one is for like composite wood, anything that is the composite wood product. Right. We want to make sure, especially if it's older, it's not subject to the new regulations where we have formaldehyde free, ⁓ you know, composite wood products. The other big one is, anything that is a volatile organic compound, a VOC, right, it's all off-gassing. So again, that's adhesives and sealants. You'll want to spend the extra money on the VOC free and look for the emissions testing as well. ⁓ you know, to confirm that that's not going to continue to off gas through the course of its life. But also plastic products, right? Anything vinyl, those are all, you know, full of what we call the red list chemicals of concern. Red list chemicals are the worst chemicals in the world and they're all around us all the time. They're in all of our building products and you can specify a space that is free of them. Miles - Hospitable: Hmm. Stacey Olson | Gensler: Right, but it's challenging because you have to pay a lot of attention. So that's why we, you know, we do a lot of consulting work around that. you know, having that disclosure, know, selecting materials that have what they call EPDs, Environmental Product Declarations, or HPDs, the health product declarations, and seeing what the chemical inventory is and selecting materials that don't have those things. ⁓ You know, so like, what are they there? you know, they're known carcinogens, so they can cause cancer or they're reproductive toxins, they can disrupt those processes or something called endocrine disruptors and that disrupts the thyroid, which, you know, relates to also cognitive function, weight regulation, ⁓ mood, and so, you know, we don't want any of those things in our spaces. Miles - Hospitable: Yeah, of course not. It's quite interesting. Obviously, as you said, of predominantly work in the commercial space. And so maybe this doesn't necessarily translate to the residential space, but is there certification for kind of these elements for doing the work to kind of not have all these toxins around, right? Because I'm sure that hosts are thinking, well, I'd be interested in kind of trying to avoid some of them. But if I do the work and make the investment to avoid it, can I also kind of... Stacey Olson | Gensler: Mm-hmm. Miles - Hospitable: Is there something that I can show and say that my property follows these standards and therefore maybe I can champion myself as being a bit more sustainable and having a healthy building. Stacey Olson | Gensler: Yeah, yeah. think the closest, or really the best one specifically for red list chemicals of concern would be the living building challenge. And there is what they call a pedal certification. And so this is the certification with the metaphor around a flower. When you think about a flower, it's rooted in one place, it's contextually local, it gets everything it needs from its environment, water, energy, the things that it needs in food, it needs to survive. Miles - Hospitable: Mm-hmm. Stacey Olson | Gensler: ⁓ So within that living building challenge, there are seven pedals. Some of them I just already mentioned, but one of them is materials. And in the materials pedal, a core imperative of that certification is Red List Chemical Free Strategy. It also looks at zero waste, right? How are you, you know, creating a circular material strategy? ⁓ But then other petals include beauty and delight, or sorry, beauty and education and place. And so if you pursue something like a petal sort of materials, petal certification, you're looking at a really ⁓ focused strategy around chemical avoidance, but also thinking about what are you doing to instill beauty, be contextually local, ⁓ design the place so that it's sustainable and regenerative. ⁓ these are all really, really powerful marketing tools, right? Because a materials pedal certified location in Newport Beach, California, where I am right now is going to look very different than, ⁓ you know, ⁓ Austin, Texas, right? Because the context of those spaces are different, right? And so you want to be, you know, ⁓ giving a nod ⁓ to what that local feeling is and that vibe. And that's also a huge marketing opportunity. Other certification programs, almost all of them now address EPDs and HBDs in some way. LEAD is the foremost environmental certification program that there is. And there's one, LEAD for Homes and Multifamily as well as Miles - Hospitable: Hmm. Stacey Olson | Gensler: ⁓ commercial ⁓ properties. And then WELL is a wonderful program that is really focused on the body. So if your core messaging is about that this project or this location, this property is going to be ⁓ fundamentally designed to improve the whole health and well-being of the body, everything from the circulatory system to the musculoskeletal system, ⁓ ⁓ Cognition, social integration, all of the things that a person needs to survive both mentally and physically and to really thrive. ⁓ That's a great program. then a similar program is Fitwell. And Fitwell is really thinking more about ⁓ health and well-being, ⁓ more around Again, social interaction, active design, cardiovascular health, and there are of course material strategies and all of these that ⁓ give credit for health and healthy material choices, but they don't do the full, you know, red list, ⁓ you know, ⁓ know, rigor that the Living Building Challenge does. Miles - Hospitable: That makes sense. one final question for you, I think, ⁓ just around inclusive design, cause I think you kind of touched on it slightly, but, ⁓ as hosts are thinking about kind of design their property for, ⁓ you know, more people, ⁓ both in terms of kind of, ⁓ you know, physical disability, but also maybe neurodivergent guests. ⁓ how are some of the ways that, you know, hosts can be thinking about that as they create these spaces and think about kind of sensory friendly? spaces as well. Stacey Olson | Gensler: Yeah, mean, love thinking about, you know, ⁓ or I love the idea that more people are coming to terms with inclusive design, seeking out more information. It really, think, is the future fundamental baseline for great design because, ⁓ you know, it's really all about access. ⁓ And when we think about ⁓ a person coming into a site, immediately, like do they feel that they're welcome there? That that space is for them? Or is there something about even the approach to the door that is limiting? And that's like the first thing that we can think about ⁓ is am I immediately walking upstairs and ⁓ pulling a heavy door? Or is it a meandering path through this great landscape and like, know, an art, maybe an art sculpture or something that is already bringing me delight in creating a calm environment for me? You know, that approach is just really important. I think beyond that, you know, we think about neurodiversity, neurodivergence in particular, having clear line of sight once you're in the property. ⁓ How do I get out? And this actually ⁓ tiptoes or borders trauma-informed design, right? But it creates anxiety in us if we feel like we're trapped, especially if we're neurodivergent. And so how do I know and feel comfortable about my surroundings that I can navigate freely and with confidence? That's a big part of... you know, just wayfinding without signage, right? We don't want to have a whole bunch of sign saying go here, go there. We want to naturally feel like we understand how to navigate the property. And sometimes you can do that with floor finishes. A lot of folks who are neurodivergent tend to look down when they walk, right? So like, are you creating almost like a yellow brick road type? Not literally, but, but you know, like how do you find ways to direct folks that this room... is going to lead this way and it's okay, right? ⁓ And then similarly, control. If we feel like we have control over our surroundings, that is really good at helping calm the mind and the nervous system. And ⁓ again, thinking about, I have ⁓ lighting control that will allow me demability depending on the nature of what I'm doing? ⁓ maybe even, ⁓ you know, be able to change the color temperature so we can tap into our circadian rhythm. Bright light in the morning and the warm ⁓ light in the ⁓ you know, to kind of slow down that rhythm. all really important, even thermal settings, right? Is everything intuitive, or do I have to, you know, have some kind of, you know, special app that maybe my phone doesn't work and now I don't know how to function, then like perhaps that was a part of like the tech, you know, cell for the space, but maybe it is off-putting to someone who is older or maybe doesn't know how to manipulate the device, right? So, trying to think about how you can provide people with access and control of their space. across all of those needs ⁓ is really important. And then, I guess, really, when you come back to everyone, we're all looking for that indoor-outdoor connection. How do I bring in that biophilia and have that nature calming, like slow down my ⁓ heartbeat ⁓ and be able to just feel comfortable here? I mean, that's something that helps everyone feel at home. Miles - Hospitable: That's fantastic. I think there's some great pieces to think about there. It's been fantastic exploring that with you, Stacey. It's been very enlightening. Thank you so much for your time. Stacey Olson | Gensler: Well, thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure. Bye bye. Miles - Hospitable: Thank you.