The University of Oregon’s Biology and the Built Environment Center has been chosen by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the AIA Foundation, and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture to be a charter member of the AIA Design & Health Research Consortium. The eleven Consortium members are university-led teams of architecture and public health experts seeking to advance revolutionary research at the intersection of design and health. According to the AIA, the Consortium’s primary goals are to:
- Strengthen and expand the knowledge base that informs the connection between design and health through peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative research projects, documenting and disseminating outcomes.
- Develop evidence-based tools for practicing professionals informed by current research.
- Translate the outcomes of research about the connection between design and health for policymakers and the general public.
In order to achieve these goals, the AIA Foundation and its partners will promote transdisciplinary collaboration and research activities that provide evidence-based support for the design of healthier built environments. Six different approaches (environmental quality, natural systems, physical activity, safety, sensory environments, and social connectedness) will be addressed. Recognition of social equity issues underpins the Consortium’s mission.
More information can be found at http://www.aia.org/press/releases/AIAB105043.