It could be something as simple as a window to allow light into the workspace.聽An easy addition, and one now widely understood to fuel happier, less-stressed humans 鈥斅燽ut the benefit of natural light in building design wasn鈥檛 clear until someone risked an unconventional opinion.
鈥淭he idea of looking holistically at things, to my mind, is something that鈥檚 long overdue,鈥 says Dr. Brian R. Sinclair, PhD, professor of architecture and environmental design, and former dean, at UCalgary.
鈥淢any problems today are super complex, and you simply can鈥檛 have a single discipline, single field or single designer determining an outcome 鈥斅爄t needs to be broader.鈥
Building better spaces and places for everyone
Such outside-the-box conversations are the crux of a Canada-wide discussion on architecture and environmental design spearheaded in part by UCalgary, and now involving 14 Canadian universities working under a $8.6 million grant led by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Entitled Quality in Canada鈥檚 Built Environment: Roadmaps to Equity, Social Value and Sustainability, the project connects 70 academic researchers with 68 public, private and not-for-profit organizations.
The results could change architectural practices across Canada, by making Canada鈥檚 buildings and spaces better places for everyone.
鈥淩ather than just asking the so-called 鈥榚xperts鈥 or licensed professions what makes a good building or a good landscape, we鈥檙e also asking the end users,鈥 explains Sinclair.
鈥淲hat do you think is good, and what are your needs, and what are your aspirations?鈥
Healthier spaces for healthy cities
UCalgary鈥檚 explorations in the five-year project concern Designing Inclusive, Sustainable and Healthy Cities, and involve:
- studying existing cases and best practices
- gathering user feedback
- developing road maps to quality
- revising standards and norms
鈥淭he built environment is a primary determinant of public and population health, however we might not think about design鈥檚 role. For example, we鈥檝e engineered exercise out of cities, and we deal with buildings that may be less than conducive to good health,鈥 says Sinclair.
鈥淚n a Canadian context, we spend up to 90 per cent of our time indoors, and that being the case, we need to attend methodically and sensitively to the environments we create. The implications of design, both good and bad, can be profound.鈥
Voices from all stakeholders
The Calgary team includes academic experts from medicine, social work, sociology, landscape architecture and architecture.
As well, the group boasts representatives from The City of Calgary, Vibrant Communities Calgary, the Alliance for the Common Good, Sustainable Calgary, the Federation of Calgary Communities, the Calgary Homeless Foundation, the Alberta Association of Architects, the Calgary Construction Association, and Building Equality in Architecture.
Sinclair says a discussion with so many voices at the table will help illuminate how built environments can impact populations in ways one person or a single organization can鈥檛 imagine alone.
鈥淭he end goal is to have evidence-based research that results in recommendations, with those recommendations then seeing traction in government approval processes, and in education 鈥斅燼ll education, not just architecture,鈥 says Sinclair.
鈥淭he built environment has significant, demonstrable impacts on our quality of life, wellness, and happiness. We need to get this right considering how much design matters to our quality of life.鈥
A vital dialogue for Canada
Other universities, including all architecture schools in Canada, are exploring design questions under four distinct themes:
- spatial justice and heightened quality of life
- adaptive reuse
- inclusive design for health, wellness, aging, and special needs
- policies supporting the reinvention of built environments
鈥淭he partnership will stimulate a vital dialogue demonstrating how those active in considering and creating the built environment across Canada can contribute to a redefinition of quality that moves us to heightened equity, more social value and greater sustainability at a critical moment for our societies and for our planet,鈥 reads the SSHRC release.
