Luxury has always evolved, but the past decade has changed its meaning more than any other. The world’s most discerning buyers no longer measure it through size, finishes, or location alone. Today, genuine luxury is defined by how a residence supports health, balance, and emotional clarity. It reflects a deeper understanding that wellbeing and wealth are inseparable.
The New Luxury: Wellness as Status
The global wellness real estate market, valued at US $584 billion in 2024 and forecast to reach US $1.1 trillion by 2029, shows how far this idea has travelled.
Properties designed around wellness consistently deliver higher returns, with residential assets achieving 10–25% price premiums and commercial buildings enjoying notable rental uplifts.
For investors and developers, this shift marks the emergence of a new kind of value. Wellness has moved beyond design and amenity. It has become a measure of resilience, quality, and longevity. At Unica Capital, it is not an enhancement. It is the foundation of how we build and invest.
The Rise of Biophilic Design
If wellness represents the new standard in luxury, biophilic design is its most natural expression. Rooted in the human need for connection with nature, it shapes environments through light, air, texture, and calm.
In Commercial Spaces
In office and hospitality settings, biophilic design improves both wellbeing and performance. Studies show that workplaces with natural light, ventilation, and greenery experience a 15% rise in productivity, while absenteeism falls by almost 20%. For investors, these are not abstract benefits. They translate directly into stronger brand equity, higher occupancy, and greater tenant loyalty.
In Luxury Residences
In residential architecture, biophilic design has become a quiet hallmark of modern sophistication. Natural materials, generous daylight, and landscaped spaces create homes that feel calm and alive. Research from the Global Wellness Institute shows that wellness-oriented homes command 10–25% higher sales premiums, reinforcing the link between environmental design and financial performance.
For buyers at the top end of the market, the motivation is both rational and emotional. These spaces slow the rhythm of daily life, reduce stress, and cultivate focus. A home designed around nature does not simply retain its value. It appreciates in relevance and meaning over time.
Health at the Heart of Design
Designing for health is about building spaces that sustain rather than decorate. Every element, from air to light, contributes to how people feel and function.
Air purification and fresh-air systems reduce pollutants and support cognitive performance. Water filtration maintains quality across every touchpoint. Circadian lighting protects natural sleep patterns, and acoustics safeguard quiet. Materials such as stone and timber introduce warmth and tactility, grounding interiors in a sense of permanence.
Wellness design is not about the addition of spa facilities or fitness rooms. It is about creating homes that feel restorative by nature, properties that hold a sense of calm and balance.
Unica Capital’s Living Examples
At Unica Capital, wellness informs every stage of development, from architectural vision to final execution. Each project begins with a single idea: creating spaces that enrich daily life while protecting long-term value.
Villa Carinthia, Geneva
Positioned on the shores of Lake Geneva in the Terre Sainte region, Villa Carinthia combines traditional Swiss craftsmanship with contemporary living. Spanning nearly 5,000 m², it includes six en-suite bedrooms, a private spa, gym, cinema, and wine cellar, each space arranged to promote ease and quiet luxury.
At its heart lies a wellness area designed as a private retreat. A sauna, banya, and treatment room sit beside a heated lakeside pool that mirrors the stillness of the water beyond, creating a seamless link between the home and its setting. Light and openness define the interiors, encouraging a continuous connection between indoor and outdoor space.
Chalet Oberbort, Gstaad
In Gstaad’s Oberbort enclave, Chalet Oberbort represents the pinnacle of alpine living. Extending across more than 6,500 m² and three interconnected chalets, it is the largest private chalet in the world and a study in refinement at scale.
The estate includes 19 en-suite bedrooms, a 1,500 m² wellness area, and a complete entertainment wing featuring a cinema, Formula 1 simulator, bowling alley, and wine cellar. The design uses aged timber, bronze, and natural stone to root the architecture in the alpine landscape, while the wellness area, with its thermal pools, hammam, sauna, and snow showers, has been conceived as a holistic experience that restores both body and mind.
For Unica Capital, wellness is not aesthetic. It is structural. Properties like Villa Carinthia and Chalet Oberbort exemplify how design, atmosphere, and investment can align to create living assets that endure.
The Science of Serenity
The financial logic behind wellness design is as compelling as its human one. Studies consistently link nature-based environments to reduced stress, improved performance, and higher asset resilience. Residential properties that integrate health and environmental features achieve measurable premiums, with commercial buildings delivering rental gains of up to 7%.
Workplaces that incorporate natural light and biophilic materials report up to 20% fewer sick days, while hotels and resorts with embedded wellness principles record stronger brand loyalty and repeat visitation. The wellness real estate segment is now expanding at almost three times the rate of conventional construction, positioning it as one of the most resilient asset classes of the next decade.
For investors, the conclusion is clear. Wellness design is not a lifestyle choice. It is a growth strategy with measurable returns.
Designing the Future of Luxury
The idea of prime real estate is being rewritten. Beyond architectural distinction or geographic rarity, the most valuable properties today are those that combine material integrity with emotional intelligence, places that bring ease, calm, and renewal into daily life.
Unica Capital continues to invest in assets that represent this evolution. Our developments show that when luxury and wellness converge, the result is not only beauty but longevity. A well-designed home holds value that transcends generations, delivering both financial stability and personal fulfilment.
For modern investors, the question is no longer how impressive a property appears but how deeply it enhances life. Health, harmony, and permanence now define what it means to live and invest well.