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.
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Design for Human and Environmental Health
Education
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.
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.
Course Highlights
Announcing our new Winter Course in India, December 8-20, 2025 Innovative Interdisciplinary Curriculum at the Interface of Human Sciences, Architecture and Design
The Winter Course in Ahmedabad, India will include lectures, masterclasses, roundtable discussions, architecture tours, workshops, field trips, sketching sessions and social events in two locations. Experts in multiple disciplines collaborate to bring you a cutting-edge interdisciplinary program, curated with a dialogical format to explore the interface of sciences and design.This course will cover practical applications to design.
World Renowned Architects, Historians, Scientists and Philosophers
Teach Together for the First Time
Study with some of the most distinguished architects, lighting designers, theorists, ecologists, psychologists, anthropologists and neuroscientists in the world. In all, more than 18 lecturers and 110 participants will join the course. Experts in India will join MB for the first time together with several European and American faculty. You will have a chance to interact with lecturers 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 upper-level graduate students. Participants will be joining the course from more than 35 different countries. A number of needbased scholarships will be offered.
Experience India: Architecture, Art, Design, Culture, Landscape
Experience the city of Ahmedabad and a field trip to traditional villages outside the city, learn about cultural heritage, urban planning, the landscape and geography of these places. Visit iconic works of architecture in Ahmedabad, including modernist masterpieces of Louis Kahn and Le Corbusier, as well as sensitive and humanist work by local master architects and builders, Charles Correa and Balkrishna Doshi. Tours of selected buildings and landscapes, as well as craft and building workshops, will be offered.
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 is proud to sponsor the EDRA Conference in June 2024, in Portland, and the ANFA 20th Anniversary Conference in September 2023 in San Diego.
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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.
For help finding which program or workshop is right for you, please reach out to us at movingboundaries2024@gmail.com
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.
- Speakers and Participants of Moving Boundaries 2022-2024
on Instagram @movingboundaries on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/ moving-boundaries-collaborative on the website www.movingboundaries.org
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.
MB WEBSITE
- Speakers and Participants of Moving Boundaries 2022-2024
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!
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MB EXPERIENCE DONATION
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.
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