Distinguished Speaker Seminar: Healthy Buildings: Why and What

Abstract

We spend 90 percent of our time indoors. Understanding the interaction between the built environment and human health has never been more important. The notion that your indoor environment can make you happier, healthier, and more productive is well accepted. There is increasing demand for the knowledge and experience in healthy buildings from architectural design firms, corporate workplace strategies, real estate management and investment, as well as technology companies. The interdisciplinary scientific evidence of how different elements of the indoor environment can impact our health and well-being is abundant and growing. Years of public health studies have shown that air quality, water quality, and material safety have profound and quantifiable impacts to our physical and mental health and directly contribute to the global burden of diseases. Emerging studies in the fields of neuroscience and psychology have shown convincing evidence that light and biophilic design elements can impact people’s mental health. Building scientists have extensively studied the impact of thermal, acoustic, and ergonomic comfort in different spaces for different people. Recently, the behavioral economics concepts of nudges and persuasive technologies have also been adopted by the building industry to encourage occupants to adopt healthier lifestyles. This talk will briefly introduce why healthy buildings are important to different stakeholders and what key design and engineering elements are recommended to make buildings healthier. 

Biography

Jie (pronounced as Jay) Zhao is a lecturer at the Weizmann School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the head of Delos Labs and an executive vice president at Delos, where he leads the global research effort for advancing science and innovation in healthy buildings and spaces. With 15 years of experience in innovation, research, and business, Dr. Zhao focuses on healthy, smart, and sustainable buildings, such as human-building interaction, occupant behavior, indoor environmental quality, sensing and controls, energy efficiency, and sustainability in the built environment. He has been featured in major media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and CBS News. Dr. Zhao holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Tongji University.

Additional Information:

Food and beverages will be provided.