Established in 2009, the Perkins&Will Research Journal is a twice-a-year, peer-reviewed publication dedicated to documenting and presenting practice-related research associated with buildings and their environments.
This article investigates bedroom as a typology that occurs across different building types: student residential life, private dwellings, hospitality and healthcare. The article also explores synergies between design strategies. We questioned whether these synergies could translate into innovative bedroom design ideas in unexpected ways. Research methods included literature review, qualitative and quantitative assessments, and design explorations.... Read more »
The goal of this research is to explore the link between the built environment and occupant well-being using completed pre- and post-occupancy evaluations in conjunction with literature review on the topic. We hypothesized that investing in strategies that enhance whole person well-being in the workplace can positively impact business performance metrics. The methodology was to combine an... Read more »
Shadow boxes are commonly used in curtain wall construction, but can be problematic if not designed and detailed correctly and appropriately for the climate. Much has been written about shadow box design, both successes and failures, but there is no consensus about how, or if, the cavity should be vented. This article presents a literature review about... Read more »
We are experiencing a technologically-driven shift in the transportation industry, which is transforming the way we move and live in cities. While new mobility options have the potential to profoundly change the way that we plan, design, and build transportation infrastructure, the impacts of these technologies on livability and urban design are not well understood This study aimed... Read more »
This article reports on an ongoing academic and professional collaboration to develop and test computational, performance-based design methods, and to discover and develop design talent skilled in using them. We used the specific experiential, environmental, and economic challenges of mixed-use high-rise Living Building projects in Seattle as a context for exploration. We leveraged Perkins+Will’s Design... Read more »
Parametric analysis is an important method for design exploration in architectural practice. However, architects do not take full advantage of its capabilities because they lack systematic methods for rigorous implementation. Design Space Construction (DSC) is a parametric analysis framework aimed at making multidisciplinary design exploration more methodical. This article discusses three case studies that have... Read more »
The well-being, productivity and engagement of employees in commercial buildings are important for creating contemporary working environments. This research article explores different working environments by applying two research methods to evaluate space use—motivational and spatial programming. Five case studies were used to explore the commonality and differences of spatial design and goals based on different industries.The... Read more »
This article discusses methods for integrating parametric design methods with building performance analysis procedures, suitable for whole building design. In this research, an ideal framework was developed and tested using existing software applications, including Building Information Modeling (BIM), non-BIM, parametric design and building performance analysis applications. Current software programs that can integrate some form of building performance simulation with... Read more »
This research article focuses on one of the potential gaps in energy simulations, static occupancy schedules. Static occupancy schedules bring uncertainties to energy models and impact the accuracy of energy modeling outputs. In order to generate reliable dynamic schedules, a new workflow is proposed that integrates measured occupancy behaviors and improved occupancy schedules. This workflow was tested... Read more »
Traditional mentorship can bridge the gap between industry experts and newcomers, however, time and commitment can be barriers to forming these relationships. In this article, we introduce an alternative approach to mentorship that links growing professionals with firm leaders for short-term shadowing opportunities that occur on an ongoing basis. Through observing the mentors’ actions, thought processes and decisions... Read more »
Although the benefits of nature exposure to human health are well documented, less is known about the psychological benefits of exposure to nature indoors. This study observed whether the addition of greenery to a workplace setting improved psychological well-being and performance of employees. A crossover study among 63 adults examined perceived psychological well-being and objective memory task performance... Read more »
