MOVING BOUNDARIES
Collaborative
The depth of these pioneering programs at the juncture of human sciences, architecture and design, and the connections you’ll make in them, will inspire and sustain you.
- Tatiana Berger Director and Professor
Vision and Mission
We are excited to introduce a major new initiative for our community of architects, interior and lighting designers, environmental psychologists, neuro and cognitive scientists, health professionals, sociologists, urban planners, artists, authors, historians, philosophers and educators worldwide, in EDRA, ANFA and the MB Alumni community: the Moving Boundaries Collaborative Research Institute. We have created the Moving Boundaries Collaborative to provide clear, long-term paths of practice and study for present and future generations of human-centered practitioners, leaders, advocates and teachers.
Moving Boundaries Collaborative offers in-depth study at the interface of human sciences, architecture and design, along with professional trainings, webinars, special retreats and continuing education for our practitioners and alumni, as well as new participants from organizations such as EDRA, International Arts + Mind Lab, and others with a similar mission. Programs take place both online and on-site around the world. Consulting services are also available, via Zoom, with support of an interdisciplinary team specially created by Moving Boundaries for each research or design project. The Collaborative brings
together existing training programs, 8-day retreats, think tank gatherings and 12-day intensive on-site courses, and our new library of on-demand video lectures as well as an evolving curriculum of new study and practice programs. All Moving Boundaries collaborative programs are designed with a fluency in environmental psychology, cognitive science/biology and socially-engaged values, with a belief that we must design for human and environmental health, taught by Moving Boundaries’ world-class faculty.
At the heart of the Moving Boundaries Collaborative is a core sequence of research, study and practice programs, built around online trainings, webinars, on-demand lecture videos and two on-site intensive courses per year. Emphasizing community-building and deepening “design for health” practice and teaching, these immersive programs transmit the breadth and depth of the Moving Boundaries tradition.
All Moving Boundaries Collaborative programs are designed with a fluency in environmental psychology and socially-engaged values, with a belief that we must design our buildings, landscapes and cities for human and environmental health.
Design for Human and Environmental Health
At the heart of the Moving Boundaries Collaborative are initiatives in Education, Research & Practice, and in Outreach & Advocacy. MB is an international interdisciplinary initiative, which serves as a platform for collaboration between educators and scientists, health experts and clinicians, practitioners and students of architecture, institutions of design, research and learning. Encounters of scientists and design professionals produce an exciting new frontier of human knowledge and they lead to a new understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the designer. At Moving Boundaries we view design from a humanistic perspective, committed to flourishing of the person and communities, centered on physical health and psychological wellness. Join the Movement.
Education
Immerse yourself in courses that provide insight at the interface of human sciences and design
Our pioneering online and on-site courses, taught by world-class faculty, support passionate students and professionals to bring the power of scienceinformed and evidence-based design into daily life and practice. In addition to our popular twoweek intensive international on-site courses and workshops, we are adding new professional development programs, retreats in beautiful landscapes, webinars, 10-week online courses, and a rich archive of resources for the community, including course readers, bibliographies, articles, multimedia, MB conference publications, and an exciting library of lecture video recordings, from past events, on our website.
Research & Practice
Integrate knowledge of human sciences and design into your professional life
We cultivate and support new insight, leading to revolutionary applications in design at multiple scales, as well as healthy collaboration with community and culture. In an era of climate crisis, injustice, lack of accessibility, unsustainable building practices and more, our movement offers a way toward a more healthy, humane, peaceful and sustainable built environment. Weaving together individual and collective approaches, your design or research practice can truly become a service to individuals and communities. Our courses all feature practical tools and applications for design, and we can help you to create guides for putting ideas into practice. Our consulting services take the commitment to practice to a new level.
Outreach & Advocacy
Inspire Others and Spread the Knowledge of Humanist Design for a Healthier
World
Humanist architecture, interior, lighting, and urban design promote well-being in every aspect of our lives. Moving Boundaries Collaborative supports and nurtures our alumni community and new participants, connects people and ideas, provides new research and consulting opportunities and empowers many through our generous scholarships program. New initiatives in outreach and a growing archive of publications allow us to inspire others and to spread pioneering knowledge in human sciences applied to design, as we advocate together for a healthier and more sustainable built environment.
Welcome to Portugal
Spring Course and Retreat at Pousada Amares March 22-30, 2025
Innovative Interdisciplinary Curriculum at the Interface of Human Sciences, Architecture and Design
The Spring Course and Retreat 2025, focused on Environmental and Architectural Design and Health offers an 8-day program at the interface between disciplines concerned with design of the built environment and scientific disciplines concerned with human perception and behavior. The course is open to design professionals, including architects, urban planners, interior designers, historians of architecture and design, artists, environmental experts, health professionals, scientists, educators, researchers in neuroscience, and many others.
12th Century Cistercian Monastery
Pousada Santa Maria do Bouro
Pousada de Santa Maria do Bouro, more commonly known as Pousada Mosteiro Amares is located in Northern Portugal. The Pousada is the result of the restoration of a Cistercian Monastery from the 12th century, a work of distinguished architect, Eduardo Souto de Moura, winner of the 2011 Pritzker Prize. Amares offers panoramic mountain views and is ideally located between the historic city of Braga and the Peneda Geres National Park. The Retreat will feature a series of Lectures, Workshops, Tours in the Minho Wine Region and Porto, Dinners, Film Screenings, Poetry Readings and Stone Workshops.
Pousada do Caniçada - Gerês Hotel
Sao Bento
Pousada Caniçada-Gerês is located near the PenedaGerês National Park, the only area in Portugal classified as a National Park. The Hotel is a mountain hunting chalet immersed in the landscape, sitting high in the mountains between forests and waterfalls, with a vista over the Caniçada Dam, in the middle of the Rio Cávado. Beyond the beautiful surroundings, the region is also rich in local traditions. Local crafts, cuisine, vernacular constructions, and folklore contribute to a rich heritage and an idyllic and memorable atmosphere. Half of the MB participants will enjoy their retreat at this famous Pousada.
Experience the Minho region and Gerês National Park
When staying at Pousada Amares, you cannot miss the famous dining room, the “cozinha velha”. In the region, you should also visit the Vilarinho das Furnas, Salamonde and Caniçada Dams. Amares is only 18 km from Braga, and you can visit the city that is one of the main religious centers of Portugal, known for its Baroque churches, gardens and parks. You will be able to see the Caldelas thermal baths, Abadia and other magnificent places during your adventure. We will gather for this forum and “think-tank”, a new format for Moving Boundaries, to live together at the two Pousadas.
Course Highlights
Spring Program: Human Sciences and the Future of Architecture
Held in March 2025 in Northern Portugal, honoring local culture, landscape, and traditions.
This Moving Boundaries 2025 program is dedicated to the work of Portuguese Architects Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura, and to the architectural historian and critic, Kenneth Frampton, whose writings have been a driving force for Moving Boundaries since our opening program. Professor Álvaro Siza Vieira joined our MB Faculty in Porto, in summer of 2022. Together we will investigate human-centered and highly sensitive modern works, inspired by local traditions and landscapes.
World Renowned Architects, Health Professionals, Scientists and Philosophers Teach Together in Amares
Study with some of the most distinguished architects, health professionals, planners, theorists, sociologists, psychologists, and neuroscientists in the world. In all, more than ten lecturers will join the course and retreat in Amares. New experts will join Moving Boundaries for the first time, together with several well-known international faculty and MB alumni. All will have a chance to interact with experts not only during lectures and roundtables, but also during social events, meals and field trips.
Create
Friendships: Opportunities For Collaboration with Diverse International Cohort
Learn together with participants in multiple disciplines from around the globe during the course and grow your network for future collaboration. This course is geared to professionals, educators, administrators in higher education, and upperlevel graduate students. All participants are invited to present and to contribute to the post-program publication: the Moving Boundaries Manifesto for Health and Wellbeing. At least 50 participants will be joining the course from more than twenty different countries.
Experience Minho, Porto and Matosinhos: Architecture, Art, Design,
Experience the rural Minho region, including the Geres Park, and the dynamic and magical city of Porto. Learn about cultural heritage, local crafts, the landscape and geography of Northern Portugal. Visit downtown, Ribeira and Foz districts of Porto. Experience iconic works of architecture in Porto and Matosinhos, including modernist masterpieces of Álvaro Siza Vieira, the Leça do Balio Monastery and Open Sculpture, Serralves Museum, as well as sensitive and humanist work by other local architects and builders. Visit the greatest architectural and cultural association of the north: Casa da Arquitectura in Matosinhos.
Learn About Portugal and Its Building Culture
World Renowned Portuguese Architects Inspire Study of Human-Centered Design
The 5th Edition of the Moving Boundaries Course in Neuroscience, Environmental Psychology and Architecture features a new retreat format, with presentations by faculty and participants, collaboration on a major publication, discussions, workshops, communal meals, morning walks, poetry readings, films, networking and other social activities, day trips and architecture tours. All are invited to present work in interactive morning sessions. In the afternoons, you will have a chance to discuss and work in small groups.
In the luxurious landscape of Northern Portugal and the Minho region, place shapes space for its greatest architecture. Here in Portugal the work of Álvaro Siza Vieira, Eduardo Souto de Moura (both shown above) and other local masters, defines a special, humanistic form of Modernism recognized early in the 20th century as a distinct counterpoint to the universality of the International Style. It is an architecture rooted in Portuguese traditions and local materials, responsive in a most compelling manner to the unique conditions of light near the Atlantic and inland among greenery and vineyards.
Culture and Making Place in Northern Portugal Leça do Balio Monastery and Open Sculpture by Siza
The rural Minho region greets us with its rich vernacular culture, its tradition of building in granite, its handicrafts such as jewelry, linens and traditional dress, its cuisine and vinoculture.
Modern architecture in Northern Portugal is one of carefully modulated light, human scale and of hapticity—truly an architecture of atmosphere, lending itself to investigations psychological, physiological, neural, and biological as well as architectural. An example is Siza’s “Open Sculpture” outside central Porto, one of the new works we will visit on our field trip.
This 2025 edition of Moving Boundaries will explore the phenomenon of Portuguese Architecture, specifically of the so-called “Porto School”, to uncover its paragons, lessons, and inspirations towards a more meaningful—that is to say, humane—architecture and design for the twentyfirst century and beyond.
During the ‘free day’ in Porto on March 26, participants will have a chance to tour multiple works by Siza and Souto de Moura. Lessons from the visits will be integrated in the MB curriculum.
5th Edition of MB
Announcing New Lectures, Workshops, and Architecture Tours
Experience culture, craft and design in the Minho region, as well as in Porto and Matosinhos
The course follows the first edition of our traveling workshop in Iberia, which took place in Spain and Portugal in July and August of 2022, the second edition which took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, the third edition in Italy which featured several new distinguished faculty members, a deeper investigation of two topics studied previously, multiple interactive sessions centered on participants, embodied learning opportunities during tours and sketching workshops in the city, and a focus on teaching practical applications. Recently, we held our fourth edition in Stockholm and Helsinki in August 2024.
Moving Boundaries Course Topics
An Interdisciplinary Conversation About Design
Course topics include: embodiment and multisensory perception in architecture and design; body-conscious and somatic design; dynamic experience and design for movement; architectural atmospheres, emotion and enactivism; relationship of architecture and the natural environment; emotional, material and haptic qualities of light; enriched and restorative environments; placemaking and culture. Lectures will be presented in a dialogical format by several international experts. All participants are invited to present and to contribute to the MB publication.
Theme 1: Embodiment and Multisensory Perception; Body in Space
Theme 2: Placemaking and Culture
Grounded in the culture of the region, participants will experience the rich landscape context of Northern Portugal, including the dynamic cities of Porto and Matosinhos, which hold many treasured works of architecture and landscape design including those by Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura. Participants will be offered tours of work by these two architects and will also enjoy a day trip in the Minho wine region and in Porto and Matosinhos. One of the works students and faculty can visit on their free day, March 26, is the Boa Nova Restaurant and Tea House, shown above.
Moving Boundaries Amares is an Intellectual Forum and ‘Think-Tank’Collaborate on the MBX Publication
At MB Amares, participants will have a chance to present work and receive feedback during morning sessions. In addition to learning from the faculty and from one another during presentations and discussions, they will work in small groups in the afternoons, to integrate ideas and to prepare notes towards specific applications and strategies in design according to the course topics. We will also enjoy a rich cultural program in mornings and evenings, focused on physical and spiritual health and wellbeing for our entire retreat community.
Curriculum
Studies at the Interface of Human Sciences and Design in 6 Sessions
Professors Cranz, Neutra, de Paiva, Ferroni, Colombetti, Othon Villegas, Dorenbaum, Chiba, Palti and Berger
Participants will come away from these engaging and inspiring eight days with a new appreciation for the very fundamentals of healthy, humane design: light and daylight, time, sense of place and space, regional sensitivity, materiality, and atmosphere. At MB Amares we will learn how scientific concepts and methods can help develop new tools and strategies in design and design education. We will also explore the importance of history, regional culture and identity in the making and experiencing of architecture.
Sessions 1 + 2 March 22 - 24
Professors Galen Cranz, Raymond Richard Neutra, Andréa de Paiva, Francesca Ferroni; Supporting Faculty Sophie Schuller and Kate Mishchenko
Embodiment is the topic on March 22nd and 23rd and following the first day’s introduction to body-conscious design, the activities of these first days examine distinctive aspects of the body in space: perception, behavior, dynamic experience, emotion, psychologies, and science. Lectures by a distinguished roster of architects, scientists and health professionals are augmented with discussions, tours, networking sessions and social events. Sub-topics include: peripersonal space and behaviour, methods of design for health, evidencebased design, and more.
Sessions 3 + 4 March 25 - 27
Professors Giovanna Colombetti, Luis Othon Villegas, David Dorenbaum; Supporting Faculty Mark Rego
Sessions 3 and 4 include talks about multisensory experience, emotion, mood, ambiance and strategies for building bridges between disciplines for the benefit of human health. Just after Session 3, we will take a field trip to Porto, to see the restoration of the Mosteiro Leça do Balio and the beautiful Open Sculpture by Álvaro Siza, downtown and Ribeira districts of Porto, the influential Serralves Museum by Álvaro Siza, Foz neighborhood and beaches, ending the day with a visit to Casa da Arquitectura and dinner in Matosinhos. Session 4 will cover connections and interaction between disciplines.
Sessions 5 + 6 March 28 - 30
Professors Andrea Chiba, Raymond Richard Neutra, Itai Palti, Tatiana Berger; Supporting Faculty Luís Carlos Bucha Sessions 5 and 6 are part of our second course theme: Placemaking and Culture. Bridging with nature and biophilic design, followed by regionalism, are the first topics to be explored. Over the next three days, the dialogue of people and place, social and cultural aspects of urban design, and evidence-based restorative design, are considered in multiple talks and workshop. Porto, Viana do Castelo and the Minho region provide a rich source of Álvaro Siza’s and Eduardo Souto de Moura’s work, full of lessons which supplement our learning. Session 6 finishes with a panel discussion and luncheon with the retreat community.
Moving Boundaries
Educational Resources Supporting practitioners, students and alumni of Moving Boundaries programs and all professionals worldwide who are new to MB, our new online Educational Resources collection offers video recordings, lectures by our world-class faculty, articles, multimedia, course readers and research collections conveniently organized by topic, drawn from years of research and teaching.
Lecture Video Recordings Collection
The curriculum of Moving Boundaries Collaborative is built around our popular on-site intensive courses and workshops. We offer lecture video recordings on our website, over 60 lectures in all, delivered at Moving Boundaries events between 2022-2024 by some of the most distinguished architects, designers, scientists, philosophers and historians in the world. This material is unique for the level of expertise and the potential to transform the way design is practiced and taught in coming years.
Course Readers, Lecture Transcripts and Multimedia
The revolutionary potential of lecture recordings in the MB archive is matched by course readers, articles, multimedia, transcripts and research collections also found on the Course Materials pages and in the new Alumni Resources section of our website.
Webinars, Events, Grants and Job Opportunities
Stay tuned for more helpful resources on our website in coming months: announcements of webinars, events, conferences, competitions, grant and job opportunities and more.
Moving Boundaries Scholarship Program
MB gives scholarships to approximately one quarter of the participants in each course. Each on-site course is attended by students and professionals from 35-40 countries around the world, and close to $60,000 is set aside for scholarships each year. The goal of Moving Boundaries Collaborative is to make this education affordable and accessible to all.
Sponsorship
MB was proud to sponsor the EDRA Conference in June 2024, in Portland, and the ANFA 20th Anniversary Conference in September 2023 in San Diego.
“I was delighted and moved to be with my architecture and neuroscience heroes.
Beyond all expectations, the friendships, old and new, all expanded! I had the pleasure of meeting, sharing life and ideas, with so many wonderful people from so many different places and backgrounds.
I have attended hundreds of conferences and courses around the world, and this was the best in terms of both content and ambiance.
Moving Boundaries was an incredible opportunity to attend lectures by scientists, architects and authors whom I have always treasured. Listening to them present their work, that I had read before so many times, brought many unexpected insights - indeed a remarkable experience!
What an inspiring two weeks! Congratulations on putting together an information-packed and fun course. There is nothing better than seeing old friends, making new ones, while sharing knowledge and endless possibilities for future activities.
- Speakers and Participants of Moving Boundaries 2022-2024
For help finding which program or workshop is right for you, please reach out to us at movingboundaries2025@gmail.com
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www.linkedin.com/company/ moving-boundaries-collaborative on the website www.movingboundaries.org
It is rare when a disparate group of experts on several subjects comes together to form a community of like-minded activists who want to improve the world for all people.
Moving Boundaries created such a community: one of the most powerful alliances of scientists and architects ever assembled.
Thank you, Moving Boundaries, for such a transformative experience which helped me to find a new path! This course gave me access to an amazing community of knowledge and exposed me to information and ideas I was longing to hear after decades of practice. It validated the need to bring architecture back to a human-centered practice. I leave this course with a network of outstanding faculty and participants with whom to share common interests and knowledge that will inspire and support me in my future work.
There are few moments in one’s life that rise to the level of unforgettable experiences. Marriage is one, the birth of a child another. Two weeks ago I returned from a conference of architects, scientists, planners, medical professionals and psychologists that will remain one of the truly profound experiences of my life.
See slideshows and videos from our previous courses and events. Study resources and video collections on the Resources page. Moving Boundaries would not happen without the support of our sponsors and donors. Your donation is important and will help to support our initiative!
- Speakers and Participants of Moving Boundaries 2022-2024
Moving Boundaries has erased boundaries for me, increasing the reality of a wider-world community of interest and commitment to making lives better.
MOVING BOUNDARIES
Collaborative
Building a community of researchers and thinkers, in the way that the Moving Boundaries course accomplished it, is indispensable.
The majority of the faculty are absolute world-class academics and leaders in their disciplines. It truly was an honor to watch back-to-back lectures from them.
The course created an incredible sense of community and belonging. A group of talented people came together in two cities, passionate and determined to revolutionize the way architecture is created.
Participation in the Moving Boundaries course was a meaningful and empowering experience. I learned so much in just two weeks!
- Speakers and Participants of Moving Boundaries 2022-2024
Read about Moving Boundaries Consulting Services. We can create an interdisciplinary team to assist with your research or design project. We also mentor students and educators and assist with building a single course or an entirely new design curriculum.
Let us help you to apply ground breaking knowledge from the human sciences to design, at all scales, from furniture to lighting and interior design, from architecture to landscape and urban design.
