How built environment affects wellbeing based on students’ preference for different cafes in the UBC Vancouver campus

The University of British Columbia in Vancouver has 29 projects under construction as of April 2015, ranging from academic lands to public spaces (UBC Campus and Community Planning, 2015). Research has shown that built environments have both direct and indirect effects on psychological well-being and mental health, one of which is how crowding and elevated noise levels hoist psychological distress (Ewans, 2003). This study examines how built environments (e.g. social spaces, access to nature) influence the well-being of students at UBC. This research focuses on students’ preferences of UBC Food Services Cafes and assumes that students prefer spaces in which they feel good/comfortable (Van Kamp et al., 2003). Using a correlational study, we first surveyed 82 UBC students and asked them to identify a favourite, mediocre and an avoided cafe. The results showed preference levels to Stir it Up, Neville’s, and Sauder Exchange Cafe, respectively. Then, we measured a pre-selected combination of eight factors of the built environments in these spaces by interviewing 20 participants per selected site. We finally analyzed data to find a correlation between specific factors of the built environment and students’ preferences. We did not obtain statistically significant results regarding any of the eight factors, however we found a trend of preference for lighting, location, less crowding and reduced noise levels. Thus we suggest that UBC needs to make sure, for future construction of UBC Food Services Cafes, to build them in highly populated class locations that have great lighting and are spacious. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Arts, Faculty ofPsychology, Department ofUnreviewedUndergraduat