Restorative Environmental and Ergonomic Design (REED)
Natural environments have been shown to provide restorative benefits to the people who visit them. In modern society, the built environment often separates us from nature, making it less accessible to many. Bringing nature into the spaces where people spend most of their time, through nature-inspired design solutions, can offer restorative and wellness benefits to those who live, work, and play there. Much like the growing trend of personalized medicine, which tailors treatments to individuals, design solutions should also be customized, as there appear to be cultural, regional, and personal differences in how people respond to natural elements in buildings.
The webinar is organized into the following thematic sections:
- Motivations behind REED (Restorative Environmental and Ergonomic Design)
- Impacts on well-being
- Growth and aging
- Activity and ergonomics
- REED and NEB
- REED design examples
Dr. Michael Burnard
Born outside Portland, Oregon, in the United States. He grew up in the forest sector, first following his father and grandfather around the family sawmill and later working for the company, which became noted for its innovative products, marketing, and operations. He returned to academia in 2010 and completed a Master’s of Science degree in Wood Science at Oregon State University in 2012. In 2013, he came to Slovenia to pursue a PhD at the University of Primorska and work with Dr. Andreja Kutnar. Now he continues his research career with the InnoRenew CoE and the University of Primorska.
His research interests include human health in the built environment, interdisciplinary work connecting computer science, technology, data science, and renewable materials research.
