Healthy Buildings

This course investigates the interactions between humans and buildings with a focus on health. Students will investigate architectural design concepts that can improve indoor air quality, reduce exposure to toxic materials, improve visual and thermal comfort, help prevent the spread of infectious disease, and potentially impact other aspects of health, such as mood, sleep quality, and circadian rhythms.  Students will explore how architects might encourage healthier occupant behavior, such as increased physical activity. Through first-hand experience navigating the built environment with assistive devices like wheelchairs, students will consider how designers could better accommodate many types of users. The final project can be a research or design project that dives into one or more of the topics covered. In short, we will explore elusive yet weighty design goals with the aim of improving public health.