OSA is creating spaces for happier people; what does happiness look like to you?

To start the year off fresh and re-introduce ourselves to the newer faces in our community, we recently posted about “who” OSA is and our services at face value. This week we wanted to dive deeper into why we do what we do and what our slogan “creating spaces for happier people” really means. We would all love to live a happy, healthy life, right? But what “happiness” looks like can vary vastly from person to person. There are, however, fundamentals or pillars of happiness that can help us build towards a happy, well-rounded life.

Let’s dive in.

Being in a space that feels good. People say, “home isn’t always a place, it’s a feeling”. So ask yourself, what makes a space feel good to you?

• It could be the aesthetic and style that both match and compliment your lifestyle. 
• It could be that you incorporate natural elements and the outside world into your space. 
• It could be that your space sets a tone for efficiency and focus.
• It could be that your space reflects your minimalist lifestyle.

Identify the feeling you want to cultivate in your space that can lead you to be happy continually.

Having a healthy living space. We are all about creating spaces that cater to your mental and physical health. Some people may think if you have a roof over your head, then you have a healthy space compared to many others. While acknowledging and being grateful that we do have space to “call our own” or visit every day for work to cultivate our professional selves, we must also be ambitious. We advocate for building homes and designing spaces that go beyond that New Zealand Building code standards. It’s becoming a higher known fact that our building standards in NZ are 20 years behind other developed countries. Which is why we advocate for the Superhomes Healthy Home standards.

Healthy, happy spaces lead to more affordability. Stay with us, investing in creating a healthy, well-designed and executed space is super beneficial to you and your family or co-workers health. Disturbingly, almost all homes delivered to New Zealanders don’t meet W.H.O. standards. These damp, drafty homes can lead to serious health concerns, such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases. Not to mention the poor indoor air-quality often leaves people with constant headaches and a lack of focus. And what happens when you or your child is sick? 

• You take time off work. 
• You lose wages. 
• You may have to pay for medications and Dr visits. 

The fact that living in poor conditions can lead to life-long health concerns means that these extra costs can follow you throughout your-whole-life. In addition to these costs, you would also be looking at some remarkably high energy costs. Heating and cooling a home that does not have passive energy features implemented can feel like fighting an uphill battle. The best defence is a great offence, right?

When we live happy, healthy lives, it is a step towards creating that happy space inside ourselves. That we carry with us in all areas of our lives, this is why we create spaces for happier people. A building is not just a building and we, as humans, spend SO much of our time indoors.

We want you to know that we aren’t just a business. No one person, company, or organisation is just one thing. We are a business that cares, we are a business with heart, and we are a business with the know-how and experience to help you create your own happy space.

Hands up who wants to create their own happy space!