Hybrid Physical and Digital Spaces for Enhanced Sustainability and Wellbeing

A scientific approach to designing buildings for wellbeing

Hybrid Physical + Digital Spaces for Enhanced Sustainability and Wellbeing

Sarah Billington
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University

ABSTRACT:  There is a growing recognition that the built environment can substantially impact occupant well-being. However, pinpointing the specific impacts of design features proves to be challenging. While significant advancements have been made using sensing, feedback, and control in "smart buildings,” outcomes have focused primarily on energy savings, thermal comfort, and security. Buildings of the future should go beyond this to infer and support the mental and physical well-being of the occupants. A scientific approach to designing buildings for wellbeing can both create knowledge as well as improve the physical and mental health of large populations. Our team with expertise in architecture, structural and materials engineering, human-computer interaction, psychology, environmental behavior, and security, privacy and law is examining how interior features (i.e., materials, lighting, and artwork representing diverse identities) relate to multifaceted dimensions of well-being. Through online studies, controlled laboratory experiments, and virtual reality studies, we have been exploring the effects of these varied features on biopsychosocial indicators of well-being including belonging, stress, creativity, and pro-environmental concern, measured through physiological sensors and self-reported assessments. The results of several related studies and their implications will be presented, as well as methodological challenges surrounding the design, experimentation, and operation of human-centered built environments.

BIO:  Sarah Billington is Chair and UPS Foundation Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and a Senior Fellow in the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. From 1998-2002 she was an Assistant Professor at Cornell University. She received her B.S.E. with high honors in Civil Engineering & Operations Research and a certificate in Architecture Studies from Princeton University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Her past research focused on the design and implementation of sustainable, durable construction materials including bio-based composites and ductile cement-based composites for resilient and sustainable infrastructure. Her current research focuses on the impact of building design and material choices on human wellbeing, developing data-driven tools for design for wellbeing, and understanding the role of the built environment in public perceptions and acceptance of affordable housing.

Category
Start date
Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, 10:10 a.m.
Location

Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering
University of Minnesota

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