Presented by: Judith Heerwagen and Vivian Loftness

What are the human factors implications of the buildings we design and construct? How is human health, comfort and productivity impacted by the built environment? What design and construction approaches are shown to impede, or benefit, the human experience? This session will explore these questions.

Winston Churchill said, “we shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” Evidence of the profound impact of our built environment on human health, comfort and productivity continues to mount. This session will explore the environment we humans build, and identify the major human factors this built environment influences. Through examining data contained in various studies, we can correlate building design features and occupant response, and use this information to better our approach to building design, construction and operations.

 Learning Objectives:

• Understand the human factors implications of the buildings we design and construct.
• Discover how human health, comfort and productivity is impacted by the built environment.
• Learn what design and construction approaches are shown to impede, or benefit, the human experience.
• Examine data contained in various studies, we will correlate building design features and occupant response, and use this information to better our approach to building design, construction and operations.

Take the Session

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Note: by clicking on the above link, you will be directed to Cascadia's secure server for registration and payment. Sessions are $75 for Cascadia members, and $90 for non-members. By registering and purchasing this session, you will have 60 consecutive days to view the content.

Take the Quiz:

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Note: Taking the quiz is intended for individuals seeking the Living Building Leader designation. You are entitled to take the quiz once, which requires a 70% passing score. Any score below 70% precludes the session from being counted towards your Living Building Leader designation. Please prepare accordingly. 

Resources

Coming soon!

Presenters

Judith H. Heerwagen - PhD, J.H. Heerwagen & Associates, Inc.

Dr. Heerwagen is an environmental and evolutionary psychologist whose work focuses on the links between building design and human health, well being, and productivity. Prior to starting her own business, Dr. Heerwagen was a senior research scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a research faculty member at the University of Washington, College of Architecture and Urban Planning.

She has lectured widely on sustainability and bio-centric design and is co-editor of the book Biophilic Design: Theory, Research and Practice, published by John Wiley in 2007. She is the author or coauthor of numerous other articles and book chapters on workplace productivity, biophilia, and habitability.

She has conducted numerous post occupancy evaluations of sustainable buildings, including the Philip Merrill Environmental Center in Annapolis, the Herman Miller Greenhouse, and Seattle City Hall.  In 2005 she was selected as an “environmental champion” by the American Society of Interior Designers.

Vivian Loftness - University Professor, Carnegie Mellon

Vivian Loftness is an internationally renowned researcher, author and educator with over thirty years of focus on environmental design and sustainability, advanced building systems and systems integration, climate and regionalism in architecture, as well as design for performance in the workplace of the future. Supported by a university-building industry partnership, the Advanced Building Systems Integration Consortium, she is a key contributor to the development of the Intelligent Workplace - a living laboratory of commercial building innovations for performance, along with authoring a range of publications on international advances in the workplace.

Vivian Loftness has a Bachelors of Science and a Masters of Architecture from MIT, and is on the National Boards of the USGBC and TSAC, AIA Communities by Design, Turner Sustainability, and the Global Assurance Group of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and is a registered architect.