This issue of the Perkins&Will Research Journal includes four articles that offer insight into different research topics—a profound global impact on the health and well-being, of healthcare workers, an exploration into sustainable urbanization for displaced populations, high performance retrofit strategies of existing higher-education laboratory buildings, and developing an understanding of the recommendations of experts, architects, and designers in delivering effective solutions that better serve to protect life, property, and the environment within fire prone areas.
“Nurturing the Nurturer Through Design: Spaces for Staff that Support, De-stress, and Connect” presents research focused on how workplace stress can influence healthcare professionals’ physical and emotional well-being by curbing their efficiency and having a negative impact on their overall quality of life. The article outlines how future consideration should be given towards space planning needs that address the mental health and emotional well-being of healthcare workers’ as they have endured the dire stress and pressures of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
“Sustainable Urbanism for Displaced People: Developing a Framework of Principles within the Institutional and Pragmatic Constraints in Transitional Settlement Design” aims to identify and explore the links between design practices for natural disaster victims, refugees, and displaced houseless communities. The study employs an urban design framework for the evaluation of design standards for housing populations in transitional situations from temporary facilities into planned sustainable living environments with attachments to the local community.
“High-Performance Retrofit Strategies for Existing Science and Laboratory Buildings within Academic Institutions: Considerations and Design Strategies” uses analysis of archival data and empirical data, and computational software modeling and simulations to focus on sustainable design considerations and strategies for achieving a high-performance retrofit of existing higher-education laboratory buildings, located in a cold climate. The primary objective was to evaluate present state and potential retrofit strategies in-order to improve building performance.
“Living With Wildfire: Exploring A Resilient Future for Fire Prone Areas” does a literature review that summarizes design relevant information including the role of wildfire in California’s ecosystem and the variables that affect its behavior. By developing an understanding of the recommendations of experts, architects and designers can aid in delivering effective solutions that better serve to protect life, property, and the environment within fire prone areas.
