Archinect - Newton's Notes

SUPER SATURDAY AT THE GROUNDS FOR SCULPTURE

2024-08-21T18:50:23-04:00

AIA Central hosts a Super Saturday event at the Grounds for Sculpture (Shared from AIACNJ.org as posted on Jul. 10, 2024)

AIA Central New Jersey (AIACNJ) held a fabulous event, engaging members with the transformative power of art, architecture, and teamwork, at the Grounds for Sculpture, in Hamilton, NJ. The event featured a Found Object Workshop, a Guided Tour and lunch together in the Van Gogh Cafe. It was a dynamic day filled with creativity and discovery.

Tour of Grounds for Sculpture

The 42-acre sculpture park and museum in Hamilton, New Jersey offers a profound connection between nature, art and architecture. Bruce Daniels known as the GFS “Resident Historian” (his tenure dates to 1984), led an enlightening tour of the main buildings, the land, sculptures, unique horticultural gems, and an inside view into the historical archives.

“The Grounds for Sculpture was developed on the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds, which for nearly a century had hosted agr...

FAM at the HAM with AIACNJ

2024-06-24T15:40:56-04:00

Art + Architecture Adventures
Originally shared with aiacnj.org on Jun. 10, 2024

FAM at the HAM hosted by AIACNJ

AIACNJ had a Fabulous Family time at the Hunterdon Art Museum

Originally built as a grist mill, the Hunterdon Art Museum building functioned as a mill under the name Dunham-Parry for over a century. It was later purchased by residents and turned into an arts center. After a fire swept through Clinton and the mill sustained severe damage, the trustees worked together to save and improve it as a rich cultural institution for the community.

The picturesque setting of the Hunterdon Art Museum in the Town of Clinton along the River made for a perfect AIACNJ family day. Our event featured private tours of the museum's exhibits, showcasing a diverse range of artistic expressions, mediums and subject matter.

Ephemeral Encounters: Street Photography by Parvathi Kumar The photographic exhibit displayed “signs of life,” found in shadows, silhouettes, and empty spaces, to tell u...

JOURNAL OF URBAN DESIGN AND MENTAL HEALTH - CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO VOL 9

2024-06-07T23:06:19-04:00

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS for Volume 9 :“Urban Landscapes for Mental Health: Intersections and Connections between Wisdom and Innovation in Design"

The Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health is an open-access, peer-reviewed online journal exploring the links between urban design and mental health. This journal aims to share compelling ideas and evidence-based practical recommendations across the disciplines to inspire research where there are gaps, to bring new perspectives, and to help drive the implementation of good ideas on the ground. Academics of all disciplines, as well as architects, psychologists, landscape architects, urban planners, geographers, engineers, developers, and people working in any other relevant disciplines, are invited to contribute.

Explore the intersections between urban design, urban planning, landscape design, architecture and mental health, with a particular focus on historical insights, theoretical frameworks, innovative design strategies, and empirica...

STOP OVERWORKING - WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE

2024-02-12T19:26:08-05:00

Source: AIACNJ.org

Join AIA CNJ and AIA NJ Women in Architecture for this Free Virtual Presentation: The Stop Overworking Formula for Women Architects VIRTUAL,1 LU

Are you a woman in architecture who struggles with overwork, work stress, or even burnout? Your brain continues to spin with work-related worries even when you’re not there, and it’s hard to take time off without guilt or to be fully present with your kids, your partner, or your relationships outside of work?

As a leader, you take on too many tasks and struggle to say no. You’re constantly being pulled into inefficient meetings and work in the weeds, and you worry constantly about whether it’s all enough, if you’re good enough, and about keeping everyone happy.

If you struggle with this—and even fantasize sometimes about having a boring easy job (but you know that wouldn’t satisfy you either)—this training is for you. You’ll learn the real reason why so many high-achieving women leaders get stuck in overwork and what you...

CONTEMPLATIVE LANDSCAPES - NEUROSCIENCE FOR DESIGNING GREEN SPACES

2023-10-03T12:54:33-04:00

SOURCE: NeuroLandscape.org

Newton’s Notes with Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

To all architects, designers, landscape architects, planners, researchers, scholars, mental health professionals and neuroscientists looking to unlock healing powers through neuroscience – ADD this book to your reading list!

This interview and book help to utilize Neuroscience to create a healthy living environment for Mental Health and Well-being utilizing the practical application of the Contemplative Landscape Model.

Written by Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo, with lived experience, this book explores evidence-based design methods, as well as neuroscience testing, to analyze and address (very specifically) how green space can be used to improve well-being and mental health. The pages delve into untapped possibilities, and technically clarifies the difference between scientifically proven healthy landscapes and the everyday urban model of a park somewhere in a city, empty and scary, that ends up meeting a ...

SHAPING AN INCLUSIVE HORIZON

2023-08-25T10:24:11-04:00

Source: AIA CNJ

Pioneering Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in New Jersey

In architecture, winds of change are flowing across the landscape of Central New Jersey, USA. In the Garden State, bridging New York City and Philadelphia, women in architecture are emerging and crafting a new narrative of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the field of design and practice.

Shining a spotlight on a few remarkable women who have quietly been pioneering a transmutation in a very difficult environment of old-beliefs (and where old habits are hard to break through), they are enabling a shift that extends beyond designing structures – respectfully shaping a more comprehensive architectural community. These three examples each have served (or are serving) as Presidents to the AIA Central Section, where professional governance coexists with personal and professional integrity.

Through their visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to the profession, these architects are not only shaping build...

AIA NJ WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE SPOTLIGHT

2022-09-16T13:15:34-04:00

Erin Sharp-Newton, M. Arch, Assoc. AIA, in Today’s AIA New Jersey Women In Architecture Spotlight

By Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, AIA NJ Advocacy Consultant | Posted in AIA Central New Jersey, Associates, Women in Architecture

TV Architecture (Source: HGTV)

Growing up in my world, the only architects around were on TV, and they were all male.

In High School, I was the only female in mechanical and technical classes. Then I went to study and work in a design firm in Europe. There it appeared to be equally balanced between male and female architects and designers. The field seemed to have more of a gender-neutral perspective.

Technical Drafting

Brady Model (Source: HGTV)

Coming back to the US, it felt different.The number of men seemed to outweigh those of women, and it was frustrating at times having to answer for my gender in the field. These days, the subject of “woman-ness” is usually interesting or annoying, depending on the perspective.

For example, interestingly, I was lucky to have ...

ARCHITECTURE OF MENTAL HEALTH - AIA NY CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE

2022-04-28T20:57:24-04:00

AIA Design for Health Session | Tuesday, May 3, 2022 (6-7 pm EST) Credits: 1.0 LU / 1.0 HSW

AIA Design for Health invited Erin Sharp-Newton to present on the Architecture of Mental Health for the AIA Center for Architecture in NYC. As a fellow advocate for mental health, she invited Kimberly McMurray from BHFC to join her. Moderated by Elizabeth Sullivan, the program's summary is below:

Overview:

This educational session provided an overview of the history (past), current focus & challenges (present) related to creating safety and security. Additionally, this session shared principles & examples for visioning the future for Behavioral Health Design. Speakers Erin Sharp-Newton from Posen Architects and Kimberly McMurray from BHFC Design Consultants have extensive experience in this market segment and developed a presentation to educate participants about this relevant topic, including the COVID Pandemic and how architecture and design are responding to behavioral health needs wit...

FOTOFOCUS SYMPOSIUM - DESIGNING FOR PEOPLE

2022-04-09T15:49:48-04:00

FOTOFOCUS SYMPOSIUM (4.9.22-4.10.22)

"The FotoFocus Symposium returns for its sixth edition this spring, centered around the theme of Telephotography and held across two locations. World-renowned speakers from the fields of architecture, art, fashion, film, psychology, and media will speculate on the past, present, and future of sharing images over long distances—both physically and digitally, literally and figuratively—in a series of panel discussions, lectures, and film screenings.

ABOUT THE THEME: TELEPHOTOGRAPHY

From the earliest transmissions of photographs to today’s ubiquitous information sharing online, telephotography has become so central to contemporary life it is hard to imagine communications without it. The FotoFocus Symposium will explore both the electronic circulation of photographs and the technique of photographing distant objects. Whether through personal photographs, press images, or military surveillance, Telephotography will explore our desire for closeness an...

AIA-CNJ'S BIG IDEA = LEGACY + UPLIFT

2022-02-16T16:15:37-05:00

AIA Central NJ shares their Visioning Outcomes and Forward Focus.

Along with the Why + How.

In an era of disconnect and undoing of patterns of work, efficiencies, professional practice, and human experience, the AIA Central New Jersey Section aims to help by engaging architectural professionals and the profession through inclusion, respect & celebration.

NEXT TO LEAD - EQUITY IN ARCHITECTURE INTERVIEW

2022-02-08T20:21:00-05:00

AIA New Jersey Equity in Architecture Committee Introduces Levitta Gathers-Lawrence, Associate AIA,
2022 AIA Next To Lead Visionary

Levitta Gathers-Lawrence, Associate AIA has been selected for AIA Next to Lead, a two-year program developed by AIA National for ethnically diverse women in architecture that teaches essential leadership skills to up to 16 visionaries each year.

The need for a program such as this is obvious. AIA New Jersey membership data shows, out of 2000 members who participated in a recent poll:

386 were women
169 licensed women
80 neither black nor white women
15 black women
And only 3 licensed black women

Knowing Levitta’s unique and inspiring story, I sat down with her to share it with a larger audience. Below are excerpts from our discussion:

Erin: I have known you since 2017 when you joined NK Architects, and I have been consistently impressed and inspired by your kind spirit, inner strength, sensitivity, intelligence, and talent. I have seen you, as an emerging ar...

THE ARCHITECTURE OF MENTAL HEALTH - AIA CENTRAL NJ

2022-02-01T08:23:25-05:00

Moderator Donna Terzano, AIA, a project manager with RWJ Barnabas health and former AIA CNJ President — hosted the virtual education event: “The Architecture of Mental Health – Behavioral Health Design”

on Friday, November 19, 2021, from 12:00-1:00 pm

Organized by Erin Sharp-Newton. Erin & her guests: Elizabeth Sullivan, and Kimberly McMurray, AIA spoke about the past, present and future of psychiatric facilities and mental health environments known as behavioral health design. The panel covered an overview of the history of stigmatizing mental health and the interwoven history of advocacy and went through to addressing critical behavioral health design expertise, regarding safety, security, regulations & requirements. Also presented was data speaking to the current mental health data resulting from current issues, the pandemic, future unknowns, the effects of stress and isolation on mental health, and culminated in discussion on the vision for a healing future.

Above images show Ro...

HEALING ARCHITECTURE FOR EATING DISORDERS

2021-08-23T18:33:12-04:00

Lobby Banner (Source: NK Architects + DCC Design Group)

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset is transforming their nationally recognized Eating Disorders Program into a state-of-the-art inpatient unit.

EDU Welcome (Source: NK Architects) - Phase 1 Open

When complete, the newly designed, 18,400-square-foot space will provide an exceptional healing environment capable of accommodating the physical, biological, psychiatric, psychological and social needs of adolescents and adults coping with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The unit will expand from 14 to 20 beds, with private rooms and separate areas for adolescents and adults.

Patient care areas are carefully designed to allow for a variety of needs from active to quiet, with open space and private space. Open areas with natural light, soft lines and nature themes will offer comfortable environments in which to rejuvenate, relax and create a sense of normalcy.

Early Study Model (Source: NK Architects)

C...

RETREAT & RECOVERY - ARCHITECTURE FOR MENTAL HEALTH - HISTORIC SITE + FUTURE VISION

2021-03-03T19:36:29-05:00

Phase 1 of The Retreat & Recovery at Ramapo Valley for Hackensack Meridian Health | Carrier Clinicopened in New Jersey, after being built and constructed during the height of the pandemic. The design is a state-of-the art treatment center in Mahwah set within a serene, historic landscape in North Jersey. The project expands access to addiction treatment and behavioral health services on the campus of a former religious retreat in Mahwah.

Source: HMH/ Carrier Clinic

Phase 1 provides outpatient addiction treatment within a restored carriage house on a site, once used as a spiritual retreat, that draws on a legacy of restoration and well-being. Grounded in evidence-based practice, wellness, and integrative medicine, and supported by The October Foundation, the retreat’s hybrid care model provides every aspect of support and intervention necessary to address the whole person: mind, body, and spirit.

“The meticulous craftsmanship that was needed to maintain its charm while updating the ...

BIGGER ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER

2020-12-31T12:23:00-05:00

Defragging the space of machines for PT at RWJ Somerset
+ Post-Occupancy interview with Deborah Fugaro, Director of Rehab Services.

Architectural defragmentation of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset’s Physical Therapy Program improved spatial relationships and allowed for more program in a smaller space.

Source: Healthcare Design Magazine

The Challenges: Smaller Space + More Program
RWJ Somerset needed to make room for a new cardiology suite, which resulted in the displacement of the existing PT suite into a smaller space. The space that was available was their former Same Day Surgery Suite (SDS), and it was smaller. RWJUH Somerset’s facility leadership furthermore challenged the design team by asking them if they could help solve the problem of how to combine Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT) and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) in this new reduced area. The charge was to synthesize these three spaces into one location.

The Solutions:
I. Planning fo...

EUROPEAN HEALTHCARE DESIGN - BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES: DESIGNING PLACE-BASED HEALTH SYSTEMS

2020-07-29T19:56:44-04:00

“Designing a Healing Mental Health Campus to create an Accessible Continuum of Compassionate Care”

Presented at the European Healthcare Congress in London, UK

Historically patients with long term mental illness have been warehoused away from the local population. Driven by stigma, lack of understanding, and marginalized resources, citizens with mental health concerns were often isolated further in facilities separated from the community. Access to care is often limited, and the continuum of care has been disjointed. It can take 5 years for a patient to reach to find their place as a functioning member of society, managed and stabilized. How does this fit into a system that focuses on short-term solutions, or otherwise long-term isolation?

NK Architects Carrier Clinic Master Plan

Carrier Clinic has been a pioneer in overcoming this dilemma. From a farm based, grass roots initiative, Carrier has developed a truly unique healing campus. Combining patient-designed care in unison with co...

NEPTUNE - NATION'S 1ST URGENT CARE FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

2020-07-29T19:37:20-04:00

NK Architects provided professional architectural services for the Nation's first urgent care center that also caters to those with mental health issues and concerns.

Now in Neptune, nation’s first urgent care offering mental health services BY Raven Santana, Correspondent

Spearheading and pioneering creative solutions in the world of Behavioral Health Design, the NK Architects Behavioral Health Team worked closely with Hackensack Meridian Health/ Carrier Clinic to develop a new model of design that incorporates Urgent Care and Mental Health under one roof.

Excerpt from NJTV News: "The walk-in center is an outgrowth of the recent merger of Hackensack Meridian Health, which operates 16 hospitals, and the 100-year-old Carrier Clinic, which specializes in addiction and psychiatric care.

No appointment is necessary at the center. And Donald Parker, president and CEO of the Hackensack Meridian Health Carrier Clinic, says copays and wait times will be significantly lower than what patien...

AIA: NEW ERA DAWNS IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

2020-07-29T19:01:31-04:00

"Departing from the institutionalized care of the past, architects are designing behavioral health hospitals, clinics, and specialized environments that better reflect the needs of patients and staff."

from: www.aia.org/articles/6120749-a-new-era-dawns-in-behavioral-health-desig

Photographer: Joe Harrison, Firm: NK Architects

Here comes the SUN

One example of this highlighted by AIA.org is SUN Behavioral Health’s inpatient/outpatient hospital in Erlanger, Kentucky.

“The fantastic thing here is that it was a ground-up,” Newton says. Many projects in this field are upgrades or renovations, she notes, which limits an architect’s ability to start from scratch. Here, the team at NK could pursue their full agenda with the support of a committed and knowledgeable healthcare client.

The hospital came in at just under 150,000 square feet with 197 beds. It’s entirely devoted to mental and behavioral health; SUN prides itself on being a community-oriented company, which means an emphasis on comm...

MORRISTOWN, NJ CASE STUDY GOES TO LONDON

2018-12-04T10:36:37-05:00

Morristown Case Study Displayed at the Healthy City Design Conference in London

(A Press Release by JENNIE AREZZI on TapInto.net)

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/morristown/articles/morristown-case-study-displayed-at-the-healthy-city-design-conference-in-London

MORRISTOWN, NJ – NK Architects, a Morristown-based architecture and structural engineering firm, had the honor of displaying a case study on improving health and wellness in Morristown at this year’s Healthy City Design International 2018 Congress & Exhibition at the Royal College of Physicians in London, England.

The second annual conference, organized by SALUS Global Knowledge Exchange in collaboration with Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art, had a theme and mission to promote sustainable development, wellbeing, and inclusive growth in creating cities and communities that are resilient, equitable, and fair to all.

The organizers and attendees came together after realizing that there are still health inequal...

STRATEGIC FACILITY DESIGN (FOR MENTAL & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FACILITIES)

2018-11-29T15:39:33-05:00

Source: The works of Jeremy Bentham vol. IV, 172-3, 1843 (originally 1791); Referenced also by Hunt-Sine

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH - STRATEGIC FACILITY DESIGN INNOVATIONS THAT IMPROVE TREATMENT OUTCOMES, SAFETY AND THE BOTTOM LINE
Following is an excerpt from a synopsis written for the Center for Health Design (CHD) Behavioral Health Design Conference held in Arlington, Virginia last year. The focus of the 7 panel presentations was on providing better quality metal/ behavioral/ psychiatric healthcare environments. (Full Version Here)
During this CHD Pebble-in Practice Workshop, researchers, panelists & experts shared their findings and views on designing for mental health facilities in an interactive, collaborative, problem-solving workshop, that could inspire design professionals to expand their physical design strategies to support improved outcomes.
The Center for Health Design posed some key questions:

“What role can the built environment play in solving the dire and growing mental h...

GUIDELINES FOR THE ARCHITECTURE OF MENTAL HEALTH (A Beginners Guide)

2018-08-13T18:44:00-04:00

AUTHOR: Wellcome Library, London, Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

ARCHITECTURE FOR MENTAL HEALTH
As an advocate for the best design possible for Behavioral Health Architecture, and as a designer who is passionate about seeing the built environment of mental health improve and rise to a better level of design,so that the buildings and environments can truly be more healing, efficient, safe and less institutional, I am challenged to forge through the many layers of (perceived) obstacles to good design, while simultaneously required to understand those (again, "perceived") obstacles to come up with solutions that maintain safety and security, and still succeed in gently pushing the envelope for better design outcomes.

NK Architects Behavioral Healthcare Architecture Design, SUN Behavioral Health

Sometimes in my work, I am asked for references, to help people find their way through the requ...

(IN)COMPLETE - BIENALLE (PREVIEW) - FREESPACE

2018-06-10T13:23:57-04:00

La Biennale di Venezia (PREVIEW TO AUGUST ARTICLE)

Soon we will be visiting the 2018 Biennale Architecttura 2018 in Venice.... soon we will be wandering through the garden of international pavilions at the Arsenale, where architects, designers, thinkers, and creators from all around the world are expressing their countries collective visions, interrogations and ideas.

2018 Venice Bienalle Architecttura

The 2018 Biennale Architettura is titled FREESPACE, a word meant to describe "generosity of spirit and a sense of humanity at the core of architecture's agenda." (http://www.labiennale.org)

The first stop will be Cafe Florian: In the late XIX Century, it was at the tables of Caffè Florian that the local politicians and art enthusiasts created the Biennale:

http://www.caffeflorian.com/it...

May 25 up to September 8: Visitors will be asked for their opinion, anonymized, and to contribute to collective intelligence, a “Freespace”, the theme of the 16th Architecture Biennale. The collec...

DIVERCITY + BELONGING IN THE CITY

2018-04-25T00:47:55-04:00

DIVERCITY + BELONGING IN THE CITY
Excerpt from the Centre for Urban Design & Mental Health

"To study the city means analyzing the full 360 degrees of reality that surrounds us through both concrete appearances, as well as its impalpable truths: time, memory, need and sentiment.

There are many ways that the frenetic growth of cities has created voids. These are not so much material voids lacking construction but are more the absence of a rapport between people and their context. For example, there are places that one goes to solely for work or solely for fun, places where some go and others do not, and there are places where one feels alien." - Premise for CitizeNations, Cibic & Sharp

In looking at the city, it is imperative to look at the people.

In the good city, diversity offers stimulating variety without becoming chaotic.

The good city allows for belonging, a place to be oneself, while also allowing community – a place to care for others, to not be self-confined.

It is this balanc...

CUTTING THE RIBBON

2018-02-17T02:03:32-05:00

SETTING THE FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH

SUN Behavioral Health, in partnership with St. Elizabeth Healthcare, opens its newly constructed doors to the community of Northern Kentucky.

On President’s Day,February 19, 2018, SUN and St. Elizabeth’s will have a Ribbon Cutting & Dedication Ceremony for their New Behavioral Health Hospital, located on 13 acres of land in Erlanger, Kentucky.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH + ARCHITECTURE

For years NK Architects has been working on designing and supporting the construction of this new building for SUN along with the many consultants and agents that it takes to actualize a building of this type. SUN Behavioral Health in partnership with ST. Elizabeth's Healthcare, NK Architects, Woodbury Building Corporation, Danis Construction, HAWA Engineers, and Bayer Becker all were key partners in the success of this anticipated completion.

From the early planning days, through the challenges of construction (which included the installation of a 6 foot diameter ...

NEWTON'S RECONNAISSANCE

2018-02-07T17:09:30-05:00

A Land-of-the-Lost in NJ

My husband was telling me about his human discovery yesterday...

While enduring freezing cold on railroad tracks, where he was surveying for a client of his that owns the railway, the words “Kean Sees All” stopped him on those tracks. This part of the railroad is nearby a local family fun tour, where kids get to ride Tommy, with his big eyes leading the way on a Tommy-the-Train Excursion.

Delaware River Excursions

Framed by concrete walls, colorized by graffiti and artwork..

Newton Land Surveyor

Freezing cold, so much it hurts, is the life of a land mapping, boots-on-the-ground Land Surveyor. This unique immersion into the land, leads to all sorts of discoveries from rare birds, to beautiful landscapes, babbling brooks, to dead animals, snakes, bear, ancient artifacts, and ruins. The business of collecting field information sometimes results in sightings off the beaten trail…

Newton Land Surveyor

They call this Reconnaissance.

Newton Land Surveyor

This ...

TALKING IN TOKYO - URBAN DESIGN & WELLBEING

2017-08-01T14:12:03-04:00

URBAN DESIGN FOR COMMUNITY WELLBEING

REDESIGNING TOKYO

____________________________________

TOKYO, August 1, 2017

@urbandesignmh #udmhtokyo

“By 2050 two thirds of the global population will live in cities. Urban health and wellbeing is increasingly becoming part of the remit of urban planners, architects, transport professionals, policymakers, and other citymakers.

One area that is developing globally is the important link between urban design and community health and wellbeing.

Cities can make us feel happy, sad, stressed, anxious, well and ill.

Urban planners & designers are only starting to understand their huge potential value and impact in community mental health and wellbeing.

So how can we build better community health and wellbeing into our cities?”

This was the question at today’s conference and the global conversation initiated by the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health and the Health and Global Policy Institute.

The Tokyo Conference Speaker...

BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

2017-05-30T20:13:28-04:00

NK Architects' 2nd Annual Knowledge and Networking Event for Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center was held May 16, 2017 at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park, NJ.

Ben Lee, AIA, CFO and Managing Director, Healthcare Practice, NK Architects, and President of the American Institute of Architects, NJ spoke about NK's longstanding commitment to Morristown, community wellness, and NK's leadership in behavioral health facility design - advocating health and wellness in our communities, while helping individuals, businesses and municipalities work together to achieve these goals.

As President of AIA-NJ, one of Ben Lee's primary missions is to raise awareness among architects about how the design of the built environment can impact health and wellness.

In his presentation, key references for Building Healthy Communities included the following:

1. The American Institute of Architects in the Joint Call to Action to Promote Healthy Communities, which brings together eight national organiz...

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS ARCHITECTURE (reference to UD|MH Article) 5.9.2017

2017-05-30T20:08:00-04:00

Winter is on the wing, and spring is filtering in with fresh air, fresh thought and sunshine... and Mental Health Awareness Month.

This annual opportunity to raise public awareness about mental health was established by the National Association for Mental Health (now Mental Health America) in 1949, around the same time as legislators were founding the Housing Act of 1949, which would instigate urban development and renewal in America, and thus start to reshape our cities. Although the Housing Act plans did not pan out as originally intended, what was begun was a serious start to looking at how cities and the built environment could be inclusive and supportive of all citizens.

Of interest is what happens when we combine Mental Health Awareness with the built environment. How are we as designers, planners and citizens integrating what the past 68 years have shown us to do, or as Jane Jacobs would say, what to not do?

'Yes, the empire is sick, and, what is worse, it is trying to becom...

WORLD HEALTH DAY 4.7.2017 FLASH MOB DESIGN

2017-04-07T12:23:31-04:00

from: http://www.urbandesignmentalhealth.com/

TODAY Friday 7th April is World Health Day, and this year the World Health Organization has announced the theme, which is: Depression: let's talk

http://www.urbandesignmentalhealth.com/blog

While the whole world is talking about depression for World Health Day, let's make sure they think about the important and innovative roles that designers and other citymakers can play in preventing depression and promoting better mental health and wellbeing for the population.

http://www.urbandesignmentalhealth.com/blog/on-worldhealthday-join-the-udmhflashmob-and-designagainstdepression

ACTION: What can I do today?

Fill the internet with great design to reduce depression.

For World Health Day, the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health is kicking off a #udmhflashmob - all day on April 7th:

Take pictures of places in your city or share your firm's work encapsulating some of the design elements that help #designagainstdepression (click here for mor...

WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2017: Opportunities for designing 'social' into the environment

2017-03-27T18:45:17-04:00

http://www.urbandesignmentalhealth.com/blog/world-happiness-report-2017-opportunities-for-designing-social-into-the-environment#comments

April will be Happy Birthday to the World Happiness Report. Fresh off the press on March 20th (The International Day of Happiness), this year’s report marks the 5 year anniversary of the first edition. First published in April 2012 by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in support of the UN High Level Meeting on Happiness, The 2017 World Happiness Report spans across 155 countries, and the data is used world-wide in informing policy makers in their decision processes.

For the researcher, the scientist, the evidence based practitioner, and for any persons in society focused on wellness in the world, this 188 page report provides data-focused, tangible summaries to help gauge well-being of people where they live.

Summary of the report's methods

The report provides global and regional charts showing the distribution of answers, from roughly ...