Features
Active design can promote good health
Architecture and physical fitness may seem completely disconnected, but buildings and public spaces that get the heart rate climbing and muscles moving—by promoting activities such as walking, bicycling and stair-climbing—are at the heart of cutting-edge urban design.
Hosted by the Metropolitan Health District, "Public Health and the Built Environment" drew a hundred or so architects, landscape designers and public health officials to the St. Anthony Riverwalk-Wyndham Hotel Tuesday for the first local daylong conference of its kind.
"What we're getting at is how active design can become part of everyday life, how it can insert itself into our sedentary lifestyle," said keynote speaker Rick Bell, executive director of the American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter. "Fit City and the New York City Active Design Guidelines," a book produced by the chapter, has become a model for cities across the country.
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Designing healthy cities
By Scott R Campbell, MIT News
SA+P's new Center for Advanced Urbanism (CAU) is joining forces with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in a new research collaboration focused on how design can help improve urban health.
The research will support AIA's efforts through the Clinton Global Initiative's Decade of Design: Global Urban Solutions Challenge — a ten-year AIA pledge to promote urban design that addresses the interests of public health and the effective use of natural, economic and human resources.
Through that initiative, the AIA is working with organizations to effect meaningful change through research, community participation, design frameworks and active implementation of innovative solutions.
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Chronobiology shines a light on health, circadian rhythms and architectural design
By Roger K. Lewis, Washington Post
Insufficient daylight coming through the windows of your house, apartment or workplace may be worsening your health. At night, electrically powered sources of light may further compromise health. And researchers suggest that perhaps as many as a third of the people reading this newspaper might be affected.
Problems with sleep, mood and alertness are the primary, light-related symptoms. These symptoms result from the conflict between the human brain's natural diurnal clock — the circadian rhythm triggered by and linked to rising and setting of the sun — and the actual timing of day-to-day activities. If your sleep-wake schedule is substantially out of sync with your work-play schedule, you probably suffer from some or all of these symptoms.
Decades of research in chronobiology show that the timing, intensity and duration of exposure to daylight and darkness directly affect how well people sleep, how well they function while awake and how well they feel.
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Upcoming Events
Healthcare Essentials: Hybrid OR—Integrated Planning
May 7 | Earn 1.5 AIA HSW LU | 2-3pm ET | 11am-12pm PT | Learn more »
Hybrid OR's are becoming standard issue at leading hospitals. We will review a case where Integrated Technology Planning was applied to a Hybrid OR and see how this approach proved critical to the project's successful delivery and its prospect for long-term viability.
Member: $95 per site | Non-member: $120 per site:
Have multiple attendees from your site and pay only one registration fee.
BOOMING BOROUGHS: Redesigning Aging in Place in NYC.
May 17-18, 2013 | New York, New York | Learn more »
On Saturday May 18, 2013 the AIANY Design for Aging Committee is hosting an all- day design charrette BOOMING BOROUGHS: Redesigning Aging in Place in NYC. At 4pm, the charrette teams will present their results followed by commentary from a panel of experts and we invite the public to attend and participate. Teams will present their deep dive into the question of providing suitable housing that will allow our aging New Yorkers to continue to live happily, safely, and independently at home. With the understanding that being part of a community is an essential ingredient to happiness, we will address the challenges of the current available housing stock to rethink what can be done to allow New Yorkers to thrive in the city with friends and family.
AIA National Convention
June 20-22, 2013 |
Denver, Colorado | Learn more »
Earn up to 7.50 AIA HSW LU at the day-long pre-convention workshops or explore courses that can help you design beautiful, functional, ADA-compliant spaces for all ages and abilities.
ASHRAE 2013 Annual Conference
June 22-26, 2013 | Denver, Colorado | Learn more »
Join the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in sharing lofty ideas and high-level concepts on what's new in the building industry in Denver, Colo., at the 2013 Annual Conference. ASHRAE helps you rise above it all and advance your career with its outstanding technical program, learning courses, technical tours and chances to network and socialize. Earn PDHs or an ASHRAE certification, while hearing the latest updates from the Society and other leaders in the industry. ASHRAE in the Mile-High City will elevate you to heights.
Registration Form (PDF)
Save the Date! ACHA - AAH Summer Leadership Summit
July 11-14, 2013 | Chicago, Illinois | Learn more »
Thank you to all who participated in the 2012 Summer Leadership Summit in Chicago. Please save the date for the 2013 Summer Leadership Summit on July 11-14, 2013. More information coming soon!
UIA/PHG 2013 Annual Healthcare Forum + GUPHA Meeting
September 24-28, 2013 | Toronto, ON | Canada | Learn more »
This year's theme, "get better! The pursuit of better health and better healthcare design at lower per capita costs" will be explored in a wide range of in-depth seminars, roundtables and panels during the two days of IIDEX, September 26-27. The forum will also include networking events, cocktail receptions, dinners, site tours, awards and student programming.
Upcoming Free Webinars
Autism and Design
May 6 | Earn 1 AIA HSW LU | 12-1pm ET | 9-10am PT | Learn more »
Healthcare Essentials: Hybrid OR—Integrated Planning
May 7 | Earn 1.5 AIA HSW LU | 2-3pm ET | 11am-12pm PT | Learn more »
Accounting 101 for Project Managers
May 16 | Earn 1.25 AIA LU | 1-2:15pm ET | 10-11:15am PT | Learn more »
Resources
2013 AIA Historic Resources Research Scholarship
Application Deadline: 12:00 p.m. EST Friday, May 17, 2013
The AIA Historic Resources Committee (HRC) is proud to offer the 2013 AIA Historic Resources Research Scholarship. This program asks a selected emerging professional (defined below) to conduct gap analysis research to determine whether the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) collection (housed in the Library of Congress) is meeting the needs of today's AIA members to make recommendations for improving its usability, and to fill gaps in the collection. In short, the goal is to ensure that the HABS collection is fully serving the AIA membership, in particular the approximately 6,200 HRC members.
Architecture for Health Visiting Lecture Series
Each semester the College of Architecture, the Center for Health Systems and Design and the Department of Architecture sponsor the Architecture-for-Health Visiting Lecture Series. The lectures address important focused topical themes related to major issues and trends in health facility design on both domestic and international levels.
View the Spring 2013 poster »
Call for Entries: Seventh Annual R+D Awards
Deadline Extended! Applications must be received by April 24, 2013.
New technologies are revolutionizing architecture. To celebrate advances in building technology, ARCHITECT Magazine announces the seventh annual R+D Awards, which honors innovative materials and systems at every scale–from HVAC and structural systems to curtainwall and digital technologies or programs to discrete building materials such as wood composites and textiles.
Find out more and enter today »
Rate and Review Your Favorite Content
You've got a unique perspective on how we continue building the profession and we'd love to hear what's on your mind. Can you please take a minute to rate and review the content on the AIA site? All users may comment on, rate, and save as "favorite" any blog post or library on AIA KnowledgeNet and AIA.org. Share your know-how with all our other members and rank the best resources.
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