This month's focus is...

Health by Design

Designing for Health and Happiness

Design can definitely make you feel happy, what’s technically known in the psych biz as improving your mental health. Being happier can be good for your physical health, it can make your immune system function more effectively, but it also makes your brain work better, helping with problem solving and creative thinking, for example, all while making it more likely that you’ll get along better with other people—even if you’re not a member of their fan club. The single most… Become a member and log in to view this content and all the articles on The Space Doctors! Please click…

Boosting Physical Health, Via Place Design

The most obvious ways that design can improve physical health is by not actively harming users—off gassing fatal to inhale chemicals, being appropriate ergonomically, etc. Once all of the active threats are eliminated from a space (the flow of dangerous fumes is stopped, the ergonomic chair is assembled and wheeled into place, etc.) there are other things that design can do to improve our physical health. It can keep our stress levels in check. When our stress levels go down,… Become a member and log in to view this content and all the articles on The Space Doctors! Please click…

How to design for creativity – The Long Read

The findings that follow are place-independent; they hold, and can be applied, whether people are at home, in a corporate workplace, at a co-working site, or somewhere else entirely.  Also, always remember, that a lot of creative work, even tasks that have officially been delegated to a group, is actually done alone—the material in the next few paragraphs is relevant to both solo and group work areas.  And spaces that support creativity are great areas for innovation, as well. Research… Become a member and log in to view this content and all the articles on The Space Doctors! Please click…

Wood for healthy minds

As you ponder your re-design options keep the benefits of using wood in mind.  Working natural materials into spaces is an important tenet of biophilic design—and particularly positive results ensue from using materials—such as wood and copper and leather—that develop a patina over time, with biophilic design, showing that you’ve aged gracefully is definitely a plus. The use of visible woodgrain has been extensively studied, and it always gets good grades.  Seeing wood grain (on floors, walls, furniture, etc.) has… Become a member and log in to view this content and all the articles on The Space Doctors! Please click…

Wild Swimming

Wild swimming has been having a moment, for the last few decades, and likely will get even more attention when people swim in the Seine during the 2024 Paris Olympics—although jumping into the Seine and swimming around seems like a pretty atypical wild swimming experience. What does the science say about wild swimming? Basically, that it’s a very good thing, for your mind and body—and how could it not be with all the positive “biophilics” present simultaneously when you swim… Become a member and log in to view this content and all the articles on The Space Doctors! Please click…

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