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Project
Contribution
  |  Channel: Human Experience (Hx), Innovation Incubator

Learning from Biodiversity to Support Neurodiversity in the Workplace

The Neurodiversity Toolkit provides strategies for evaluating and implementing design solutions in the workplace, to support the spectrum of neurological needs found within society. Support for Neurodiversity responds to the reality that we’re all wired differently. Through strategies that provide choice, flexibility and variety, environments can accommodate the diversity of people. Just as the varying... Read more »

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Project
Contribution
  |  Channel: Innovation Incubator, Material Performance

Life Cycle Impact of Retrofits

The methodology presented in this report is developed to assist refurbishment projects in the early stages to establish a sustainable retrofit strategy. Through an analysis of the energy efficiency, life cycle carbon and cost of various retrofit measures, the method can give guidance on what measures should be pursued in a project and which ones... Read more »

Article
Project
Contribution
  |  Channel: Design Process, Innovation Incubator

City AI

Considering the increasing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Architecture and Urban Design, in this Innovation Incubator we explore how AI can be leveraged to provide environmental analysis and trained to assist Perkins&Will in creating sustainable urban design proposals. Specifically, we propose to create an AI model to automate and speed up initial environmental analysis... Read more »

Article
Project
Contribution
  |  Channel: Innovation Incubator, Material Performance

Closing the Loop on the Circular Economy

Through ongoing conversations with manufacturer’s representatives focused on material health and embodied carbon, it became evident that take-back programs for materials such as carpet and ceiling tile were not apparent to project teams, leading to a gap in the circular economy. This project employed a series of surveys completed by building owners, general contractors, and... Read more »

Article
Project
Contribution
  |  Channel: Material Performance

Embodied Carbon and Material Health in Gypsum Drywall and Flooring

Project teams want buildings that are healthy for people and the planet. Two sometimes competing criteria to evaluate the sustainability of building products are embodied carbon and material health. For this case study, Perkins&Will partnered with Healthy Building Network to identify key drivers of embodied carbon and material health by looking at specific examples of... Read more »

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Contribution
  |  Channel: Research Journals

Nurturing the Nurturer Through Design: Spaces for Staff that Support, De-stress, and Connect

Employee Retention is a concern for every industry because turnover is costly and disruptive. For healthcare organizations the turnover rate is approximately 16.2% with the average cost of turnover for a bedside Registered Nurse (RN) ranging from $38,900-$59,700. Our healthcare workers continue to be at the front line of the COVID-19 global pandemic where their... Read more »

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Contribution
  |  Channel: Research Journals, Resilience

Sustainable Urbanism for Displaced People: Developing a Framework of Principles within the Institutional and Pragmatic Constraints in Transitional Settlement Design

This article aims to identify and explore the links between design practices for natural disaster victims, refugees, and displaced houseless communities. This study employs an urban design framework for the evaluation of three case studies that provide design standards for housing populations in transitional situations. The approaches observed from these three case studies have been... Read more »

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Contribution
  |  Channel: Energy, Research Journals

High-Performance Retrofit Strategies for Existing Science and Laboratory Buildings within Academic Institutions: Considerations and Design Strategies

This article focuses on sustainable design considerations and strategies for achieving a high-performance retrofit of an existing higher-education laboratory building, located in a cold climate. The primary objective was to evaluate the present state and potential retrofit strategies to improve building performance. Research methods included analysis of archival data and empirical data, and computational software... Read more »

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Contribution
  |  Channel: Innovation Incubator, Research Journals, Resilience

Living with Wildfire: Exploring A Resilient Future for Fire Prone Areas

The threat of wildfires in California has significantly altered quality of life in the region. Adaptation will require fundamental corrections in land stewardship, development patterns, and building practices. Design professionals must make sense of an overwhelming array of information. In this article a literature review summarizes design relevant information including the role of wildfire in... Read more »

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Contribution
  |  Channel: Innovation Incubator, Mobility

Word on the [Flex] Street

This research incubator explores the concept of flexible streets championed by leaders in the planning and mobility industries, including our own colleagues at Nelson\Nygaard, to establish a “flex street” definition that planners and urban designers can use to communicate with communities and local officials. In establishing this flexible street definition, we looked to recent street... Read more »

Article
Project
Contribution
  |  Channel: Design Process

Design Optimization Toolset (DOTS)

Researchers in the Process Lab have developed the Design Optimization Toolset (DOTS), a user-friendly, freely accessible generative design plugin for Rhino Grasshopper. DOTs allows designers to interactively develop design alternatives that reconcile project-specific constraints with the geometric complexity of architectural forms. Perkins&Will designers have applied DOTs in space planning, site parcellation, massing, and urban design... Read more »