Category Archives: Health

Architecture that grabs us? It’s on the supermarket shelf!

It’s fascinating to see how billion-dollar retailers seriously consider client feelings in the built environment – including ones not widely acknowledged, like the power of car-free streets and old architecture to make people feel safe and happy – to drive sales of things that have nothing to do with buildings at all. Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, faces, Health, Patterns, STEM, Walkability | Leave a comment

Using Biometrics + Instagram in Design

Given two interiors, how do people experience them and which do they prefer—the wallpapered room at left or the one with a living plant wall at right? That’s the question designer Amanda Grinley looked to explore. Starting with a simple, … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Design, Fractals, Health, Interiors, Nature | 1 Comment

Students Changing Design with Biometrics

Welcome to the New Age of Biology where students familiar with biotech tools change design outcomes. That’s what happened this spring, when architecture students at Catholic University of America, suggested changes to a new dining hall on campus and used biometric … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, Education, Eye Tracking, Health, Neuroscience, People-centric Design, STEM | 4 Comments

Nature’s Patterns + Designs in Architecture, April 27, hosted by The National Arts Club

This free webinar, hosted by The National Arts Club, featured Nikos Salingaros, PhD and Ann Sussman, discussing the importance of patterns and ornament in architecture and their impact on our health and well-being. The speakers reviewed the science of natural … Continue reading

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Webinar: Architecture + the 21st-Century Paradigm Shift: Designing for the Subliminal Brain, February 25

This talk was part of a WELLbeing Seminar Series, organized by Prof. Robin Z Puttock, RA of the School of Architecture + Planning at Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington DC.  In it Ann Sussman discussed how new findings about … Continue reading

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Empathy in Design: Measuring the Impact of Biophilia

Is home your happy place? Does it make you feel warm and welcome? Now that a pandemic has turned our homes into multipurpose spaces that double as offices, gyms, schools, playgrounds and safe havens from a virus, feelings matter more than … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, Eye Tracking, Health, People-centric Design | Tagged | 3 Comments

How Boston’s Glassy Seaport Fails + Why It Always Will!

A recent article in the Boston Globe Magazine, 15 Things to Love and 11 Things to Loathe about Boston, labels the newest glassy section of the city “soulless” something people “loathe,” calling Boston’s Seaport District a “bland cityscape, a tract of … Continue reading

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Posted in Architecture, City Planning, Design, Health, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Imagine No Cars !

“Imagine there’s no autos It’s easy if you try Only healthy walking And cycling ‘neath the sky” —A riff on John Lennon’s, Imagine Visitors to Kyoto, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Porto and Paris don’t have to imagine – they already have miles … Continue reading

Posted in City Planning, Cycling, Exercise, Health, People-centric Design, Walkability | Leave a comment

A Trip to Tahoe: Walking the California/Nevada Divide

When I asked the concierge for directions to cafes and shops, he told me to walk three blocks to the traffic lights, then turn right to California or left to Nevada. “You’ll see the difference,” he said. Indeed. Little did … Continue reading

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Wellness Walls: A Look at Leaves and their Long-lasting Allure

Last week’s GreenBuild/ ABX2017Expo in Boston boasted a mind-boggling 550+ exhibitors and 75+ product categories focused on sustainable building—from insulation to solar panels. As the escalator descended to the 12-acre exhibit space, I felt that Robin Williams’ Moscow on Hudson … Continue reading

Posted in Biology, Health, Primal Vista, STEM | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment