Presented by: Rachelle Macur, Laura Rossbert, and Jennifer Wilson, Shopworks Architecture

Location: Attendee Hub, https://cvent.me/qoZXdL

Log in: 8:55am MT

Class: 9:00am to 10:30am MT

Research shows that environments have a direct impact on our physical and mental health, the effects of which are amplified by the fact that humans average upwards of 90 percent of their lives in the built environment. Some environments can have a detrimental effect, while others are known to be restorative. As such, designers have a responsibility to make decisions that seek to minimize harm and maximize benefits for inhabitants of their buildings. 

Dignified Design is one such design approach that seeks to bias the health and well-being of end users, recognizing that modern life is stressful, and the built environment can play a critical role in supporting psychological and somatic regulation. As an ideal, Dignified Design aims to create places that protect, promote, and celebrate the dignity of life—‘dignity’ defined as a fundamental state of being and a quality of humanness inherent to everyone.  

The multidisciplinary team at Shopworks draws on the latest evidence in neuroscience and psychology, anthropology and ecology, and architecture and design, as well as the lived expertise of end users, to deeply understand the relationships between brain, body, culture, and environment. 

As such, this session will explore (1) how our brains and bodies respond to stress, (2) how we've cultivated relationships with our environment to regulate and cope with stress, (3) our research with more than 3,000 end-users in housing and shelter to inform key principles of designing to support regulation, restoration, and dignity, and (4) how to engage in a Dignified Design practice approach. 

This session will be recorded and available in the Attendee Hub (https://cvent.me/qoZXdL) until December 31, 2025.

The session is available at no cost to participants.