Opportunities

EDRA44 Providence Call for Proposals

Panorama at RISD & Downtown Providence

September 21 is deadline for EDRA44 proposal submissions

“Healthy and Healing Places” is the theme of the 2013 Environmental Design Research Association Conference. EDRA44 organizers are accepting proposals through Friday, September 21, 2012. Deadline for display poster submissions is November 30, 2012.

For design professionals, health and human service providers and others, the conference represents an opportunity to con­tribute health policy through environmental design research The conference will take place May 29-June 1, 2013 at the Westin Providence Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island.

EDRA44 will have a special fo­cus on health policy implications for environmental design in addition to promoting the value of research for advancing environmental design and theory building. Among others, consider some of the following hot topics:

  • Team science: Shaping multidisciplinary environments to promote primary healthcare delivery
  • Urban planning strategies to promote population health using health indicators in urban planning
  • Building capacity among public health professionals with regard to environmental design
  • Strategies for affordable green and healthy housing
  • Strategies for building health into building design
  • Place-based health indicators
  • Integrating health impact assessment into environmental design
  • Health hazards of buildings and building materials
  • Environmental health 101 for non-health professionals
  • Health-related policies and regulations 101: What architects and engineers need to know

For more details about the Call for Proposals please visit the EDRA44Providence site. Proposals can be submitted at the submission site: http://edra44.abstractcentral.com, and questions about proposals or other conference matters can be emailed to edra44providence@edra.org.

EDRA44 Providence

 

Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC): Why it matters

Rooftop garden, Dublin Methodist Hospital, Dublin, OH

Rooftop garden, Dublin Methodist Hospital, Dublin, OH. Photo by Brad Feinknoph for Karlsberger

In yesterday’s blog post, I discussed my plans to pursue a PhD that would focus on access to nature and evidence-based design in the healthcare setting, and I promised to go into more depth about EBD today. For even more information and resources, please visit the TLN website’s page: www.healinglandscapes.org/resources/ebd.

A large and growing body of evidence attests to the fact that the physical environment impacts patient stress, patient and staff safety, staff effectiveness and quality of care provided in hospitals and other healthcare settings. Basing healthcare facility planning and design decisions on this evidence to achieve the best possible patient, staff and operational outcomes is what evidence-based design (EBD) is all about.
The Center for Health Design

In EBD, research generally refers to empirical research, the systematic investigation of the tangible facts aimed at gaining knowledge, making discoveries, testing and revising theories, and applying new knowledge…What differentiates EBD from the traditional design approach is the emphasis on using research to support design decision making and evaluation of design innovations.
An Introduction to Evidence-Based Design: Exploring Healthcare and Design
(EDAC Study Guide 1), p. 72.

I recently took (and passed) the Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC) exam, the culmination of the Center for Health Design’s program to educate and certify individuals in using an evidence-based approach for the design and construction of healthcare facilities. (more…)

Open Spaces Sacred Places National Awards Initiative – Call for Proposals

Open Spaces Sacred Places Initiative

Note: An informational webinar about the Open Spaces Sacred Places Award Initiative and RFP is scheduled for February 28, 2012 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm EST. For those who can’t make it, the webinar will be available on the opensacred.org website a few days after.

Press release from the TKF Foundation about their very exciting Open Spaces Sacred Places (OSSP) National Awards Program

The TKF Foundation announces the final phase of the Open Spaces Sacred Places (OSSP) National Awards Program.  The program is enacted in 2 phases, a Planning Grant Phase, now closed, and a final open call for proposals.

This national award program will fund cross-disciplinary teams of designers, research social scientists and community-based organizations to create and study a series of new public green spaces designed with the specific intent to provide the opportunity for a deeper human experience through a personal connection to nearby nature in cities.

Grants will be awarded from a remaining funding pool of $4 million. Funding will be provided to cross-disciplinary teams that conceptualize, plan, design and implement a physical space, conduct associated research study(s) and disseminate findings.  TKF seeks to identify projects that are replicable in their intent and projects that are generalizable in the challenges they address to serve as potential archetypes for urban areas across the U.S.

(more…)

Call for Papers: The Architecture of the Psychiatric Milieu

Nautilus. Photo by Henry Domke, http://henrydomke.com/index.htm
Photo by Henry Domke, www.henrydomke.com

Thanks to a member of the EDRA (Environmental Design Research Association) group on Linked In for posting this:

Call for Papers: The Architecture of the Psychiatric Milieu

The editorial team of Facilities, a peer reviewed journal, are pleased to announce a call for papers for a special issue dedicated to an exploration of evidence based approaches to establish the most appropriate architecture for the psychiatric milieu.

Facilities for psychiatric care have a tradition of standardization in design and treatment dating back to the moral treatment paradigm of the 1850s. As normative approaches to psychiatric care have changed, so too do the facilities used to house, treat and manage patients. The shift to evidence-based design (EBD) in hospital
architecture means that the psychiatric milieu must follow suit. The search for evidence to model psychiatric facilities is an important endeavour. But psychiatric illness is not like orthopaedics or cardiology, where the needs and satisfaction of staff and patients can be relatively easy to assess and evidence can be easily measured. Mental illnesses are a heterogeneous group of disorders, and there is a risk in categorizing all psychiatric illnesses together and treating them alike. Environmental influences that exacerbate one condition frequently assist with another. As such, Facilities is soliciting approaches that are specific to:

  • geriatric psychiatry
  • mood disorders
  • the non-affective psychotic spectrum
  • psychiatric emergencies
  • substance-related disorders
  • facilities for forensic psychiatry

This list is not exhaustive… and interested authors are encouraged to contact the Guest Editor with alternative proposals. Please kindly take note of the following requirements if you wish to have your paper
considered for this special issue:

(more…)

EDRA 2012 Great Places Awards due Friday, 1/27

EDRA Great Places 2012 Call for Entries

Do You Know A GREAT PLACE?

The Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) is currently accepting submissions for the 14th Annual Great Places Awards for Place Design, Planning, Research and Book.

Entries are welcome from the full breadth of environmental design and related research activities, including architecture, landscape architecture, planning, urban design, interior design, lighting design, graphic design, environmental psychology, sociology, anthropology, geography and the physical sciences. Projects should emphasize a link between research and practice, demonstrating how an understanding of human interaction with place can inspire design.

A panel of illustrious jurors will select winners from four categories: place design, place planning, place research, and a book prize. This year’s distinguished jurors include: Richard Haag, FASLA, BCSLA, Hon AIA, Principal, Richard Haag Associates; Milenko Matanovic, Executive Director, Pomegranate Center; Julie Parrett, RLA, Lecturer, Landscape Architecture, University of Washington; Michael Pyatok, FAIA, Principal, Pyatok Architects; and Sharon E. Sutton, PhD, FAIA, Professor, Architecture and Urban Design, University of Washington.
For submission guidelines, rules and official entry form, please click here, or visit www.edra.org.

All entries for the 2012 Great Places Awards must be received by January 27, 2012.

Register now for January EPA Webinar on wellness and sustainable practices for stormwater management

Wetland pond at Medical Center of the Rockies. Images courtesy of BHA Design.

Wetland pond at Medical Center of the Rockies. Images courtesy of BHA Design.

This EPA Webinar will be of interest to our members:

“Connecting Wellness & Environmental Health: Rain Gardens & Other Sustainable Landscaping Practices for Stormwater Management”

1/12/12, 12-2 EST
Register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/577828378

Hospitals have a unique opportunity to connect patients and staff to nature through healing gardens. Learn how hospitals are designing their gardens to also manage stormwater. This webinar will give an overview of sustainable landscaping practices with a focus on rain gardens. Speakers will share their experiences of two New England hospital’s work in this area. Participants will learn how connecting wellness and environmental health can also help to satisfy other goals including stormwater compliance, LEED, aesthetics and community relations.

It’s exciting that the EPA has organized this webinar; I’ve registered and am looking forward to it.

 

Calls for conference proposals

Photo by Henry Domke, http://henrydomke.com

Photo by Henry Domke, www.henrydomke.com

Holiday time also means Calls for Proposals time, so finish your shopping and get busy! If you know of other conferences or opportunities, please leave a comment on this post so we can share with our Network.

Calls for Presentation Proposals

ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO
September 28-October 1, 2012
Phoenix, AZ
Submission deadline: January 20, 2012
See http://ww5.aievolution.com/asl1201/index.cfm?do=cnt.page&pg=1000

ASLA is accepting proposals for education sessions for the 2012 annual meeting and EXPO. If you are interested in presenting and sharing your knowledge with the landscape architecture profession, we encourage you to submit a proposal through our online system.

HEALTHCARE DESIGN 2012
November 3-6, 2012
Phoenix, AZ
Submission deadline: January 27, 2012
See http://www.healthdesign.org/chd/conferences-events/healthcare-design/hcd12-call-presentations

The HEALTHCARE DESIGN Conference offers educational content delivery through several formats. Educational Sessions are designed to provide attendees with just-breaking information, case studies, and research findings on a myriad of topics. The conference is looking for educational sessions that are either research focused or that offer other options, such as case studies, design outcome or process/topic related sessions. Speakers are expected to offer information-rich presentations (supported by visual presentation) with opportunities for Q & A.

Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo
October 2-4, 2012
Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
Submission deadline: February 10th, 2012
See http://www.hcarefacilities.com/tospeak.asp

The Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo is the only event where you will find the entire team who plans, designs, constructs, and manages healthcare facilities. We are accepting presentation submissions for our 25th year and want you to be part of it.

 

Water Features in the Landscape – Please take our survey!

Detail, water feature at Chicago Botanic Garden. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Chicago Botanic Garden. Photo by Naomi Sachs

In the last TLN Blog post about the upcoming annual ASLA Meeting and Expo, I mentioned an education session that Jack Carman, Clare Cooper Marcus and I will be giving, “Water in the Designed Landscape: Benefits, Precautions, and Recommendations.” Click HERE to link to the last post, with the blurb about our talk.

I also mentioned that I’m conducting a survey about water features. While the survey is geared toward designers and people in the healthcare field, it can be taken by anyone who has designed or has experience with water features. Private and public fountains, ponds, and water parks all have their benefits as well as their risks, and they all certainly need maintenance, which is a primary focus of the survey. The more respondents we have, the better our ability to impart information at the annual meeting and then, eventually, as more detailed research. Please pass this along to anyone (and everyone!) who you think would have something to say.

Here’s the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/waterh2o.

Thanks so much!

Urn fountain at Wesley Woods Hospital of Emory Healthcare-Emory University. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Urn fountain at Wesley Woods Hospital of Emory Healthcare-Emory University. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Chicago Botanic Garden. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Chicago Botanic Garden. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Renovation/Remodel Competition – Enter your outdoor space!

Interior courtyard at Wesley Woods, Atlanta, GA. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Interior courtyard at Wesley Woods, Atlanta, GA. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Designers of restorative outdoor (and green indoor) spaces in healthcare settings, this competition is for you! Read on, especially the bolded part, to find out why.

HealthcareDesign 2011 Remodel/Renovation Competition

Have you recently completed the renovation of an emergency department or a respite area within a healthcare facility? If so, this competition is for you.

The Remodel/Renovation competition is open to ALL HealthcareDesign readers including architects, landscape architects, interior designers, and facilities wishing to highlight their latest projects. Submissions will be accepted under two categories: Emergency Rooms or Respite Area, which includes indoor spaces such as atriums, chapels, meditation areas, and water features, and outdoor spaces such as courtyards, therapeutic/healing gardens, landscaped grounds, front porches, entry gardens, plazas, roof gardens and roof terraces.

A panel of experts appointed by The Center for Health Design will review and evaluate all submissions and narrow the projects down to the Top 5 in each category. Projects will then be posted online at www.hcdmagazine.com for reader voting and comments. The projects with the most reader votes will be named “Best in Category,” and will be published, along with the four runners-up, in our December issue of HEALTHCARE DESIGN.

There are no entry or publication fees and submissions are due July 29.

Awards will be presented at our HEALTHCARE DESIGN.11 conference in Nashville this November.*

To request a submission kit, click here. For more information, please contact Libby Johnson at ljohnson@vendomegrp.com or call 216-373-1222.

*Stay tuned for a blog post about this conference

Open Spaces Sacred Places Award – An Extraordinary Opportunity

Stone circle with Japanese maple. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Stone circle with Japanese maple. Photo by Naomi Sachs

National Awards Initiative for Integrated Design and Research –
First webinar is tomorrow, 6/16!

Open Spaces Sacred Places (formerly the TKF Foundation) has announced its final spend down program, the national Open Spaces Sacred Places Award Initiative.

This new award program will fund the creation of significant Open Spaces Sacred Places that are designed specifically with the intent to study and communicate the impact of a specific type of urban public greenspace on users. Grants will be awarded from a total funding pool of $5 million. Funding will be provided to cross-disciplinary teams that conceptualize, plan, design and implement a physical space, conduct associated research study(s) and disseminate findings. This Request for Proposal (RFP) launches the first phase of the national awards program and will provide funding for planning grants.

This unique funding opportunity has two pieces: Optional planning grant award opportunities will be determined later in 2011, and then, in 2012, the actual full award opportunity for the visioning, collaborative planning, and creation of a significant new Open Space Sacred Place. This new program is unique in that  it includes a defined research component as an integral part of the project from the beginning. Visit their new website,  Open Sacred, for more details.

Two informational webinars will provide an overview of TKF and details on both pieces of the award program and will include plenty of time for Q &A. Sessions will be archived for later viewing.

The first webinar is tomorrow, 6/16/11, from 2:00-3:00 EST. You must register in advance for this webinar – click here to do so. All questions and responses from the webinar will be posted to the website.

The second webinar is on 7/19/2011, from 2 – 3 pm EST.

This is truly an extraordinary opportunity. I hope that our members of the Therapeutic Landscapes Network will spread the word and go for it!