USGBC's Built for Health podcast is back for a second season. Hosted by Flavia Gray, a Schneider Fellow, each week the podcast will explore a different aspect of health and its relationship between humans, buildings and the environment. Guests include public health professionals, researchers, designers, engineers and more. The podcast is available on Apple podcasts and soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/usgbc. The first episode, Climate Change and Human Well-being, is now available.
As standards, like LEED, continue to prioritize strategies that promote health, it's becoming more important that professionals understand and take into account the impact buildings and spaces have on people. The podcast is a timely opportunity to explore some of these elements. Below is a summary of each episode. A new episode will be released each week.
Season Two
How can we design spaces that makes us happier, healthier and more productive? Welcome to the second season of Built for Health – a podcast that explores the dynamic relationship between human health, buildings and the environment through candid conversations with public health professionals, researchers, designers, engineers and more. Hosted by Flavia Grey, a Schneider Fellow with the U.S. Green Building Council, the podcast is available on SoundCloud, and new episodes are released weekly.
Episode 1: Climate Change and Human Well-Being
Featuring Jeffrey Shaman, director of the climate and health program at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and Laurie Schoeman, national director of resilience at Enterprise Community Partners, the episode digs into the details of how changing atmospheric and social factors are likely to influence health, now and in the future.
Episode 2: The Power of Community to Boost Human Health
Andy Dannenberg, affiliate professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health, and Mark Delisi, vice president of corporate responsibility at AvalonBay Communities, discuss the importance of intentional community design and the potential impacts of well-designed communities on human health.
Episode 3: Accessibility
The issue of accessibility is inherently universal, something that affects everyone, no matter your age, range of motion or health. This episode examines the topics pertinent to both the health and design of communities in relation to accessibility and posits that a building cannot truly be sustainable unless it is also accessible. The episode will feature a discussion with Luis Quintana, founder of Todo Accessible, and Peter Stratton, senior vice president and managing director of accessibility services at Steven Winter and Associates.
Episode 4: Health at Home
The decisions made about the design, construction and maintenance of our homes can dramatically impact our well-being. Richard Jackson, professor at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and Rachel Cluett, manager of the healthy housing rewards program with Fannie Mae, discuss areas of focus such as thermal comfort, ventilation and humidity control and offer solutions to common health challenges in residential environments.
Episode 5: Mental Health
The human brain still confounds medical experts in many ways, but one area that is relatively easy to observe and understand is the interaction between the mind and the surrounding environment. Gary Evans, psychologist and professor of human ecology at Cornell University, and Misha Semenov, co-founder at Eco Empathy Project, discuss what is currently known about how the mind interacts with environmental factors and illuminate the power of an office, home or other space to impart a sense of control and stability to occupants, thereby promoting good mental health.
Episode 6: Materials
The chemical compounds of the materials around us have a significant impact on our health and well-being. Alison Mears, associate professor of architecture at the Parsons School of Design, and Dr. Maida Galvez, pediatrician and associate professor with Mt. Sinai Hospital, dig into the details of how building and household materials can either support or detract from our health. Bringing both medical and design concerns to the table, the conversation raises questions related to specifying, installing and maintaining material goods.
