Health, Wellbeing & Sustainability Research

THE IMPACT OF FACADE DESIGN ON PEDESTRIAN HEALTH & WELLBEING: A LONDON BASED STUDY

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

With change as a constant variable in the age of architecture, the built environment has simulated a series of façade design styles that can be seen as a product of combining art, science, and new technologies. What arises within this, is that often newly designed buildings, their aesthetics, form, colour, materials, and architectural solid, lead to issues such as visual or thermal discomfort, distaste, confusion, or anxiety. While it is recognised that over 90% of public transport journeys in cities include at least two walking trips, from which travellers spend 45–50% of their travel time as pedestrians, the impact of façade design on pedestrian health and wellbeing has received limited attention from scholars and practitioners. This study explored the impact of façade design on pedestrians’ health and wellbeing through the appraisal of affect in relevance to four London based case studies.

https://issuu.com/rodayna_abdelaziz/docs/dissertation

Awarded a Distinction

METHODOLOGIES CONDUCTED:

DESKTOP METHODS

Reached out to practice members within the field of facade design, organised, and hosted one-on-one interviews.

Conducted a total of 116 pedestrian questionnaires by approaching them in the streets corrosponding with each case study.

General

Case

Prepared mapping documentation of each case study and analysed its urban morphology both on and off site.

Urban

Urban

Carried out temperature, light, and sound level monitoring for a duration of five hours within each case study.

Established a descriptive measure of building facades via a systematic table to remove the vagueness in discourse in accounting their design. The system is built on the premise of categories and parameters that recognises the various forms, features, and dimensions, a building facade can encompass. It generates an ID of its classification.

Pedestrian https://issuu.com/rodayna_abdelaziz/docs/hwc

Conducted a total of 116 pedestrian questionnaires by approaching them in the streets corrosponding with each case study.

Observed pedestrian behaviour for a duration of five hours whilst undertaking questionnaires.

Awarded a Distinction

Group Process Work

A Health Impact Assessment On The London Borough Of Newham

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

Planning London’s Recovery is the Mayor of London’s new challenge program that takes on a cooperative, design-led approach to supplement advancement and innovativeness within London’s Recovery in response to the pandemic. It is being conveyed in organisation with the GLA, Design Council and UCL’s CUSSH project. The Sustrans organisation proposed the concept of ‘Child-led 15-Minute Neighbourhoods’ – with an aim to explore how streets and neighbourhoods can be made more accessible to children and shift the current power imbalances to shape a greener and more equitable future.This initiative drives the urban scape to uphold the needs and values of children, adults, and the environment, and encourages the idea of fruitful city planning in harmony with intergenerational inclusivity. This study conducts a Health Impact Assessment to better understand the current demographic and further recommend applicable strategies in support of the previous initiative.

TOWARDS DELIVERING (LONDON'S RECOVERY):

CATEGORIES OF INTEREST

INDEX OF MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION SCORE

HOUSEHOLDS WITH NO CARS

FAMILIES WITH 3 DEPENDENT CHILDREN

LONE PARENTS

POPULATION AGED 0 TO 15

DAY TO DAY POPULATION ACTIVITY AFFECTED BY HEALTH PROBLEMS

NEIGHBOURHOOD DESCRIPTION

TOWN CENTRES

&

1:

De-briefing what 15 - Minute Child Led Neighbourhoods Mean

Health & Wellbeing Indicators

Causal Mapping of Health & Wellbeing Indicators

Integrating Causal Mappinginto Rydin et al.’s Framework

‘Social Cohesion’ as Key Topic Focus

Background Research on Newham

Newham Typology & Societal Mapping

Potential Areas of Focus

Beckton as Area of Focus

HUDU Rapid HIA Tool on Social Cohesion & Inclusive Design

3:

Stakeholder Panel Presentation

Feedback from Panel

Re-assessment of HIA Strategy Reflections & Future Considerations

Key Findings from the HIA

Recommendations with Actions Limitations & Further Research

HUDU Rapid HIA Tool on “Does the proposal connect with existing communities, ie layout and movement which avoids physical barriers and severance and land uses and spaces which encourage social interaction?”

Raised Assessment Criterion

1 - Does the area have big roads (A & B roads) between schools & homes which deter walkable neighbourhoods?

2 - Does the area consider access to green spaces between and near schools (compact/mixed-use space)?

3 - Does the area have pedestrianised streets to encourage safe interaction, connectivity, and permeability?

4 - Does the area encourage a sense of community? How is this expressed by the locals?

Primary Research Secondary Research

Beckton Site Visit 15 - Minute Diameter Mapping Observations

Photographs

10 Surveys from Beckton Random Locals

ProCreate

Reflections on the HIA Process

Microsoft Word

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Photoshop

Microsoft Excel

Designing Inclusive Places

APPRAISAL OF PERFORMANCE OFA HIGHER EDUCATION BUILDING

• Identifying and interpreting legislation and standards for accessibility and inclusive design, and their application in practice for this particular building.

• Documenting the current state of building's interior and exterior conditions.

• Understanding of a broad range of user needs, including age, faith and a spectrum of impairments, including physical, sensory and cognitive conditions.

• Evaluating the social, cultural and economic advantages of inclusive design for the building owners.

• Conveying clear and logical strategies for an inclusive design approach.

Awarded a Distinction

HEALTH, COMFORT & WELLBEING IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

THE IMPACT OF BIOPHILIA IN OFFICES ON WORKER'S HEALTH AND WELLBEING

• Investigated building related factors affecting occupant health, comfort and wellbeing for Biophilia.

• Considered exposures, and gave suitable recommendations and conditions for preventing adverse effects and enhancing health, comfort and wellbeing.

• Wrote an evidence-based summary blog post for a targeted audience of designers.

• Used frameworks as a tool for research points and recommendations.

INTEGRATED BUILDING DESIGN FOR HEALTH & WELLBEING

A CHILDREN'S ACTIVITY CENTRE FOR DALSTON, HACKNEY

• Understood the underlying principles of a wide range of tools and analytical techniques for the design of healthy and comfortable buildings, with a focus on the thermal, visual and sonic environment, and indoor air quality.

• Analysed how the performance of the building could be optimised for a range of occupant age and health statuses, under the current and future climate.

WELLBEING IN BUILDINGS

EXPERIMENTING THE EFFECT BIOPHILIA IN THE BUILT ON WELLBEING

• Identified appropriate measuring wellbeing in

• Carried out the designing ment and interpreted and qualitative data.

• Analysed and presented results in a cohesive manner to understand.

• Analysed and discussed results and any flaws ology or measurement

Awarded a Distinction

Group Process Work

Awarded a Distinction

Wellbeing Buildings

Methods Of Environmental Analysis

LIGHT, LIGHTING & WELLBEING IN BUILDINGS

EFFECT OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT appropriate techniques for in practice. designing of an experiinterpreted both quantitative presented the experimental manner that is easy discussed the experiment within the methodmeasurement techniques.

THE EFFECT OF LIGHTING ON STUDENT LEARNING EXPERIENCES

• Visited lecture halls and documented lighting conditions in real time.

• Analysed quantitative and qualitative data on the lighting conditions in various learning spheres.

• Evaluated survey and analytical data obtained from student questionnaires, and identified possible conflicts and synergies.

• Conducted statistical analyses and synthesised results through identifying correlations whilst attending to the relationship of independent and dependant variables.

• Produced tables and graphics to portray results in a simplified form.

HEALTHY LIGHTING FOR CLASSROOMS

• Demonstrated an awareness of the significance of light to wellbeing and the mechanisms involved.

• Considered several legislations and guidance within proposal to inform a suitable lighting brief.

• Determined and presented objectives for lighting to further wellbeing in buildings according to a given case study.

• Implemented analysis tools to meet lighting objectives in buildings to support wellbeing and fair learning.

• Delivered a reasoned and well informed prediction and evaluation of lighting within the case study.

Indoor Air Quality In Buildings

Evaluating Indoor Air Quality In Buildings

• Outlined the main impacts of poor indoor air quality in buildings, in terms of health, comfort and wellbeing.

• Researched plausible interventions.

• Evaluated data arising from the monitoring of selected pollutants indoor, and discussed their significance with respect to relevant guidelines.

• Analysed, compared, and contrasted data.

• Proposed interventions that may improve the current situation via modelling to test them and discussed their feasibility.

• Suggested suitable air quality remediation strategies, based on evaluation of building performance.

Group Process Work

Awarded a Distinction

Awarded a Distinction