Recently I was asked to assist with a new home being built in a development out of state. I appreciated that I was called into the project prior to the owners breaking ground. The issue, however, was that all the layouts they were considering were...
Ronald Knapp is the author, editor, or contributor of more than 20 books on Chinese culture, including “China's Traditional Rural Architecture: A Cultural Geography of the Common House,” which was the first book in English to introduce Chinese vernacular architecture to Western readers. In his book,...
Acclaimed architect Christopher Alexander spent 27 years of his life writing a 4-volume masterpiece called The Nature of Order. This seminal work combines the scientific and mechanical perspective of the architect with a perspective based on beauty, grace, and balance with the perspective of our...
What does it take to create a built environment that is special and unforgettable? A space that recognizes where you are yet supporting a transition to a better place. We all know when we’re in such a space: our thoughts start to change which impacts...
Recently a study was released by Gensler, a worldwide collaborative design firm, who put together a framework for understanding the experience people have with physical space. The Gensler Experience Index™ is the result of multi-year research across a wide range of space types, surveying more than...
Each year the Pritzker Prize is awarded to a living architect who exemplifies extraordinary integrity, talent, and creativity in their work. It’s often considered the Nobel prize of architecture. This year Japanese architect Arata Isozaki was the winner of this coveted honor. His work is...
A person walking into a medical facility, whether a patient or an accompanying family member or friend, is probably not without some concern, nervousness, or even fear. People don’t typically go to a clinic or hospital unless there’s an issue. Tension and worry do not support...
The universal issue in exam rooms seems to be the same----they’re boring and, well, clinical. And although we don’t want to be discussing health issues with a medical professional in a room that feels chaotic or disorganized, we also don’t want to be stuck sitting...
As an Integrative Space™ specialist, I consider the intention-setting exercise the most important aspect of a project. In order to make a facility unique, remarkable and memorable, it’s paramount that there be an explicit and deliberate theme that permeates the space. It provides a unified message to patients as...
Integrative Space principles can be applied to any built environment where healing and wholeness is needed. Some of the facilities who have asked me to assist in applying these principles are hospitals where a hundred or more people are employed. Clinics are also an obvious...
A space can change someone’s life through sensory experiences. It can provide a platform for confidence or for doubt, for indifference or for joy. It can step up to inspire people, especially those who aren’t well. It can step up to protect people, especially those...
Fifteen years ago, when I began introducing the concept of Integrated Space™ into healthcare, I witnessed, and understood, the need for medical facilities to provide the best treatment and care for the patient no matter what their issue. Budgets were structured around acquiring the latest...