How can body awareness make us better, more inclusive designers? Whether we notice it or not, our offices, homes, and other built spaces greatly impact our overall health and sense of belonging. Many of us spend our entire workday locked in a chair, breathing recirculated air, entirely focused on external demands. It's common to ignore our bodies' signals of discomfort, which can cause negative health impacts. For those whose bodies are considered "non-conforming" - disabled, plus size, non-male, or elder people - these impacts are likely compounded. In this course, we'll learn about universal human needs as a foundation for discussing the historically overlooked spatial needs of certain populations. We'll tap into our own body awareness as a means of becoming familiar with the spectrum of physical needs, and leave with examples of design choices that can improve comfort and access for a wide range of people.

Register through the Architecture Foundation of Oregon’s website: https://afo.ticketleap.com/id2021/details

Qualifies for 1 AIA LU|HSW credit.

Learning Objective 1:
Explain how a "normate template" (from Vitruvian Man to Modulor Man) with idealized proportions has been used as a reference point to shape a built environment that often fails to meet the spatial needs of disabled, elderly, plus size, non-male, and other "non-conforming" bodies.

Learning Objective 2:
Describe the sympathetic (fight or flight) division of the autonomic nervous system, its role in internalizing the environmental stressors of inaccessible or exclusive design, and the long-term health impacts of elevated stress.

Learning Objective 3:
Share examples of inclusive design strategies that support the health, mobility, and comfort of people with a wide spectrum of physical needs.

Learning Objective 4:
Develop personal spatial awareness, one of the crucial tools of a conscientious inclusive designer.