The Global Wellness Institute, a leading research resource for policymakers, analysts and writers on the international wellness industry, just released its June 2025 “Build Well To Live Well: The Future” report and it has some compelling new principles for real estate professionals, homeowners and homebuyers looking for their next place to live.
The first point worth noting is that wellness real estate is now a $438 billion global industry, according to GWI, with the U.S. accounting for $180.6 billion and a first place global rank. “The wellness real estate market has grown by 19.5% annually over the five-year period from 2019-2024, as compared to a 5.5% average annual growth rate for overall construction,” the report states, adding this prediction: “We project 15.2% annual growth over the next five years, with the market increasing to a projected $1,114.0 billion by 2029.” For homebuyers, that’s good news in terms of available options.
“Wellness real estate is no longer the domain of one-off ‘passion projects,’ and is increasingly undertaken by larger, professional development companies, some of which are adopting a ‘wellness lens’ for their entire portfolio,” the report shares. As wellness design – the component that turns real estate assets into enhanced homes and communities where people live – is gaining awareness among buyers and commanding higher prices, it’s not surprising that major developers are noticing!
With a more comprehensive approach to the field, there are also more types of wellness real estate offerings, which is great news for first time buyers, downsizing buyers and just about everyone else.
Six Dimensions of Wellness Real Estate
The report makes the case that wellness real estate benefits residents in many ways, including these: “More physical activity, better sleep, lower rates of chronic disease, reduced hospital admissions, reduced symptoms of asthma, reduced sick days at work, lower crime rates, more time spent in nature, improved self-reported well-being, better memory and cognitive function, more interactions with neighbors, and a greater sense of belonging and connection.” It outlines six dimensions in which these benefits are conceived and produced.
The first, Physical, dimension includes providing space for movement and exercise; a kitchen designed for preparing, storing and serving healthy food; building to manage environmental exposures and comforts (which can include the home’s heating and cooling systems, as well as minimizing building components that exposure residents to toxins); enhancing mobility and accessibility for all residents, (something we’ll be seeing much more of as our population rapidly ages), and enhancing safety and security for residents. (Building for wildfire and hurricane resilience are both trending.)
Mental and Spiritual dimensions include designing in nature features; creating spaces that foster rest, solace and sleep; reducing daily friction; spotlighting spiritual traditions (including with personalized design elements), and optimizing work-life balance.
The Social dimension is a fairly recent aspect of wellness real estate, one that likely emerged from the pandemic-driven evidence of isolation’s painful costs. Prosocial design creates shared spaces for gathering, like roof or courtyard gardens and shared athletic facilities; diverse and integrated housing that can mix affordable with market rate and promote multigenerational living, and tech-based connectivity that facilitates meetings, classes, accessibility, and easy online access.
Related to Social is the Civic and Community dimension, which seeks to incorporate local history, heritage and culture into new communities; encourage engagement, inclusion and diversity; provide public services, and feature where possible regeneration and renewal of older neighborhoods and buildings.
The Financial and Economic dimension is about providing affordable housing to all, enhancing access to education and employment and support for local entrepreneurs, which can include sourcing their products and services to create a community.
The Environmental dimension includes earth- and climate-friendly building strategies that optimize energy, water conservation and biodiversity.
These dimensions all come together in projects that support their residents’ wellbeing and incorporate six guiding principles GWI outlines.
Six Guiding Principles for Wellness Real Estate
“The built environment is an essential foundation for building healthy lives,” the report states, and these are its six principles for making that happen.
- Wellness can be incorporated into any project’s size, scope or price point.
- Wellness planning should begin at the earliest stages of the process, using a holistic approach.
- “Our built environments should not be unhealthy or unsafe; they can also leave us feeling better than before we entered them.”
- “Our built environments can affect our health simply by existing within a space; they can also encourage the proactive behaviors that drive wellness.”
- “Wellness should be embedded in the infrastructure and not just an amenity; it should also be activated through ongoing operations and programming.” By programming, the report authors are talking about activities available to residents, like community gardening, farmers’ markets, yoga classes, water aerobics and the like.
- “Apart from catering to individual wellness needs, wellness real estate recognizes that connections and community are central to our well-being.” I think this last one is more important than many realize. Suburbanites like me are used to driving into our garages and relaxing in our fenced yards. That minimizes our connection to our neighbors. Facilitating that with community gathering opportunities is more important than ever in our increasingly online-driven lives.
Last Words
“Our built environments have a profound influence on our health and well-being (an impact that is often negative), and these impacts have become more obvious since the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report observes. I couldn’t agree more! Nothing drove the point home – literally – more than a virus that kept us in our dwellings for months on end at the start of the crisis.
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