Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU; 0.1 IACET CEU
May qualify for learning hours through most Canadian architectural associations

   

This webinar is part of the Biophilia Academy

Colors play an essential role in supporting the mood and disposition of building occupants. Today, an expanded color wheel of opportunities is available to architects and designers looking to incorporate brilliant tones into a healthy environment.

From floor and wall coverings to accent designs and lighting, color and our perception of color have increasingly become focal points for biophilic design. Beyond simply incorporating earth tones, color selection can significantly impact occupants' comfort, productivity, and overall emotional well-being.

This AIA-accredited continuing education webinar explores new color options available in the design world that expand the opportunity to create a welcoming and healthy indoor space.

Alissa Wehmueller, IIDA, LEED AP, WELL AP, is a Partner and Director of Interior Design at Helix Architecture + Design, an integrated architecture and interior design firm. As the lead interior designer of the award-winning Barbara Marshall Residence Hall at the Kansas City Art Institute, Alissa extensively researched the unique demographics and discerning manner of the students at the prestigious arts institution, who explore a variety of mediums in their course of study.

The resulting color palette not only enhances the craftsmanship of the materials, but also responds to the diverse social, emotional, and mental needs of the students. At the University of Kansas Medical Center Health Education Building, designed in partnership with CO Architects, color brings energy that mimics the interdisciplinary interactions between students at the schools of medicine, nursing, and health professions. Alissa will also quickly explore how strategic uses of vibrant color create high-impact moments of joy across a variety of project types.

Gina Chang, AIA, EDAC, is a principal and healthcare architect at CO Architects. She will present a survey of the firm’s deep experience in biophilic design dating back more than a decade. CO first project to integrate biophilic healing elements was the award-winning Palomar Medical Center near San Diego, designed in 2007 and opened in 2012. The project was one of the country’s first “garden hospitals.” Features that later became trends include terrace gardens at every level of the 11-story building and an expansive greenroof, which creates unique views of nature from patient rooms.

Similarly, Shriners for Children Medical Center in Los Angeles engages with the outdoors via therapy gardens. Festive interior murals with bright colors provide an upbeat distraction for children undergoing orthopedic procedures. Nearby, City of Hope’s current expansion includes a CO-designed kinetic façade on a parking garage that faces patient views. Colorful waving aluminum tags mimic the cancer hospital’s “healing trees’” colorful ribbons, accentuating elements of nature, like wind. The Hope Plaza Cancer Center, which faces the parking garage, adopts biophilic concepts such as moments of wonder and joy, through incredible mountain views and a carefully curated art collection. Finally, the under-construction UCI Health-Irvine Medical Center embraces its adjacency to a nature preserve. CO Architects brings the outside in through full-height glazing and a color palette that borrows hues and coastal graphics from the environs and wildlife.

At the end of these dynamic presentations, there will be a brief Q&A session to discuss key points from the webinar.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the impact of color in the built environment and how it can improve the health and well-being of occupants.
2. List the new color options available as an expanded color wheel of building products and materials has become available.
3. Discuss how architects and designers can help lead the way in improving indoor comfort, health, and productivity of occupants through the specification of color.
4. Explain the importance of coordinating color choices with design options to maximize the aesthetics of the interior space.

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