Massachusetts Requires Hospitals to Employ Sustainable Design
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued new environmental guidelines that went into effect January 1, requiring health-related institutions to use the Green Guide for Health Care™ (GGHC) or its equivalent in the design, construction, and renovation of facilities seeking the commonwealth’s Determination of Need approval. The new rules, approved last fall, are the first of their kind in the country.

Brain Research Helps Correlate Design with Value
New paradigm of measurement quantifies architects’ intuition
Ontario, Calif.-based HMC Architects has recently hired a neuroscientist from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to study the neurological effects of lighting, sound, orientation, and architectural design in health-care environments. HMC wants to use this research to refine its production of health-care designs that maximize patient recovery and workplace productivity.

MEMBER-TO-MEMBER
Kansas City Women in Design Work Together to Implement Mentoring Programs
Women in Design Kansas City (WiD-KC) is a community of women involved in architecture and the design professions who have come together for mentorship, support, and advocacy for women in design. The organization provides opportunities for working with the community to educate, enhance, explore, and celebrate the historic and present contributions of women in our professions through community outreach, mentorship, programs, and research.

AIA 2009 Practice Academy Request for Proposals
The AIA is pleased to announce the second request for proposals for the Practice Academy Initiative to prepare students for architecture practice and professional advancement through partnerships between the academy and firms. Goals of the Practice Academy are to develop mutually beneficial programs for students, interns, faculty, and practitioners and challenge or transform preconceptions about the boundaries between academia and practice.