The design of a building, interior or urban space can have an enormous impact on human health, behavior and thoughts. Every design element—from access to natural views to the height of work surfaces, to the location of meeting areas to community connectivity—can affect our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Design teams need to be equipped with the latest research-backed data to create positive human experiences.
Eve Edelstein was one of three experts invited to address the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) regarding the impact of architecture and design on the brain. As part of the Neuroscience and Society lecture series, a collaboration between the Dana Foundation and AAAS, Eve spoke of translating research on the effects of... Read more »
Eve Edelstein and Ruchi Masand spoke to UCSF Students, Postdocs, and Faculty about “Neuro-Architecture” and how they can apply the scientific method and their scientific training to develop disruptive design solutions.
The open office has been a central theme in contemporary workplaces, reasoned to provide flexibility, natural light, supervision, cost savings, transparency, democracy, and collaboration. While almost 70% of US workers occupy open plan or open seating settings (International Facility Management Association, 2010), this design strategy remains contentious (Kim & de Dear 2013). These settings may... Read more »
This article discusses the importance of perception of spaces, and involvement with spaces during the design process. Over the last decade, mapping the relationship of architectural spaces to human experience has become popular as a successful design methodology. The beginning phase of the design process is characterized by perceptual integrity; unfortunately, this integrity often fades... Read more »
“Sky garden” is the term given for vertically stacked, three-story tall landscaped interaction hubs, flanked by formal and informal conference spaces. The design intent of the sky garden is to create an environment that serves as a tool for increasing business performance. A literature review was conducted to determine if that premise is supported by... Read more »
In a diverse design practice such as Perkins+Will, we have found recent trends in interior design that reach across market sectors that appear to link aspects of environmental design to improvements in productivity, health and learning capacity. Several common attributes or trends are found to occur in all project types, regardless of the particular functionalities... Read more »
This article explores various educational theories, research and factors that can be correlated to or have an impact on the physical spaces in which learning takes place. As school design and planning becomes more in tune with the influences that affect education, the connection between physical space and the learning process becomes more relevant. Drawing from sources such... Read more »
Robin Guenther kicks of the Living Product Expo with a compelling talk about the building materials economy and the ease with which it is possible to ignore the cascading negative human and planetary health consequences.
Perkins+Will is built upon the idea of interdisciplinary work informed by research. How can we as designers, researchers, architects, strategists, and planners converge with epidemiologists, biologists, exposure scientists, environmentalists, and toxicologists to uncover opportunities for discovery, research, and ultimately solutions?
The notion of leaving the office healthier than when you arrived is a fairly new discussion and one that the real estate industry is starting to have.
Perkins +Will's Process Lab taught a workshop in Design Space Construction at ACADIA in Ann Arbor Michigan.
