The Building Centre, whose Chairman Michael Rose is on the SBID Board of Directors, is launching a new series of talks to examine how a growing body of scientific research can inform interior design practice to promote human wellbeing.

Feeling Good – The Science and Economics of Wellbeing in Interiors takes place on 18 November 2011 featuring academics and industry leaders.

Evidence Based Design (EBD), now well accepted in healthcare architecture, analyses how a well conceived physical environment can promote wellbeing. Designers both in the healthcare sector and beyond now have an opportunity to implement this research to provide long term benefits for their end users. By applying EBD to our schools, homes and places of work, designers have the chance to increase and sustain wellbeing for all.

Many design factors – colour and lighting, acoustics, air quality and furnishings can have a calculable impact on building occupants. Job satisfaction, increased productivity, higher occupancy/lower absenteeism can result from applying an increasing body of research in this field.

The Building Centre has teamed up with Grigoriou Interiors and Gardiner & Theobald to produce a series of morning seminars to examine the calculable benefits of intelligent interior design. The seminars aim to attract developers, architects, interior designers, owner/occupiers, landlords, specifiers, engineers, agents and environmental/sustainability consultants looking to add value to their designs by improving the wellbeing of occupants and increasing productivity and profitability for their clients.

The Feeling Good seminars will raise awareness of environmental wellbeing issues and effects to human health, employee productivity and social prosperity.

Speakers

Dr Bridget Juniper
Bridget Juniper’s PhD examined the measurement of employee well-being. She is highly experienced in employee health and wellness matters and continues her award-winning research at Cranfield University where she is also a guest lecturer.

Professor Derek Clements-Croome
Derek is an established academic on the design and operation of intelligent buildings. His research interests include intelligent buildings; design of workplaces; environmental design for human needs and environmental issues for the construction industry.

Dr Derrick Crump
Derrick has over 30 years experience of research, consultancy and government policy work concerning environmental pollution. At Cranfeild University he leads a team of scientists concerned with the adverse impacts of pollution on human health and the environment.

Andrew Parkin
Andrew established and leads Cundall’s acoustic engineering specialism. He is well known and respected within the acoustics industry and is a regular conference speaker and technical author.

Elina Grigoriou – Chairing
Elina Grigoriou is an Interior Designer and Sustainability Specialist with particular expertise in the commercial sector. Elina is a leading industry figure in interior design environmental change, who passionately believes that “fashionable” and “green” need not be mutually exclusive. Grigoriou Interiors is a RICS Ska Rating Development Partner and Elina Chairs the Technical Committee.

Richard Francis – Closing Statement
Richard leads a global team of sustainability advisors at Gardiner & Theobald.  He is a trusted strategic advisor who has helped blue chip companies and government leaders develop and implement cost-effective, performance-based solutions.  For the last ten years he has focused on emerging sustainability issues in the construction and property sectors in an effort to advance the business and human case for better buildings.