Environment… as Medicine? Understanding the Various Ways that Architecture Supports Wellbeing

Recorded April 13, 2023. A lecture by Dr Rebecca McLaughlan (University of Sydney) as part of the Medical and Health Humanities Seminar Series. McLaughlin's research investigates the relationship of the environment to wellbeing; how do healthcare environments make people feel, and how do can they best support staff in the delivery of patient care? Once we have this research, how can it be successfully translated into practice? While evidence-based design has refocused attention on the relationship between the built environment and wellbeing, it also tends to obscure knowledge from other disciplines, and from history, that would otherwise enrich contemporary understandings of this relationship. In this talk, she'll discuss the different theoretical frameworks being used to understand how the built environment impacts wellbeing, drawing upon examples from her own work across various paediatric, palliative and mental health care settings. Rebecca McLaughlan, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, the University of Sydney, Australia. She is also an Australian Research Council DECRA Research Fellow, currently funded to investigate the relationship of palliative care facilities to patient, family and staff wellbeing. Learn more at: https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/