Design research, advise, evaluations and education to improve the design of homes, schools, healthcare, and workplaces

Vision

(Designing) Healthscapes;

Healthscapes are the places where health is created; the everyday spaces, where we live, work, learn and play, that influence human health and wellbeing.

As HealthScapes we focus on the relation between the design of HealthScapes and health-related outcomes for people and the planet. We do design research, advise, evaluations and education to improve the design of homes, schools, healthcare, and workplaces with attention to health for people and the planet. We thereby aim to prevent disease, increase quality of life and equity, and reduce the burden on healthcare.

Services

What can we help you with? Together we have experiences with;

  • Providing advice regarding (re)design of buildings with regard of health-related outcomes, such as heathy offices, healthy hospitals, and healthy homes.
  • Reviewing the literature relating to a specific HealthScapes theme of typology, such as hospitals, hospices, or a primary care unit.

For designers

  • Helping you develop your own research project, formulating research questions, methods, data collection and analysis.
  • Evaluating existing buildings (Post-Occupancy Evaluation), develop tools for data collection specific to your context based upon validated methods.
  • Support with tenders; e.g. developing design ambitions with your team in relation to health-outcomes
  • Monitor – correct implementation of design guides into design and construction

For researchers

  • For / with Researchers – We conduct, analyse, translate, and disseminate your research to be usable for practice and the public.
  • Develop holistic research tools for post occupancy evaluations
  • Conduct systematic reviews
  • Develop proposals, design principles and project ideas

Please let us know if you are uncertain, we can easily discuss what we can and cannot help you with a (video) call.

Projects

Build 2.0

ARCH(i)ZOND

Social Sustainable Senior Housing

About us

Elke is a Dutch building engineer, architect, teacher and researcher with experience in Netherlands and Sweden. Her work focused on (building) design processes for human and planetary health which is combined as part of health-promoting design. while she mainly focused on healthcare buildings, she also researched workplaces such as offices and universities. She is known for her work on building design for health promoting healthcare.

Besides her work at HealthScapes she works as researcher at Proof of the Sum and the TU Delft. At Proof of the Sum, she is

At the TU delft she is the main supervisor and course co-developer of Designing for Health and Care as part of Master studio Global Housing.

[Journal paper] Weber, C., Flores, V. M., Wheele, T. P., Miedema, E., & White, E. V. (2022). Patients ’ Health & Well-Being in Inpatient Mental Health-Care Facilities : A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychology12 (January), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.758039 

[Journal paper] Miedema, E., Lindahl, G., & Elf, M. (2021) The Swedish Health Promoting Healthcare Network and the Built Environment. Health Promotion International 0(0) https://academic.oup.com/heapro/advance-article/doi/10.1093/heapro/daab101/6318106 

[Journal paper] Forooraghi, M., Miedema, E., Ryd, N., & Wallbaum, H. (2021). How Does Office Design Support Employees’ Health? Case Study on the Relationships among Employees’ Perceptions of the Office Environment, Their Sense of Coherence and Office Design. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), 12779. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312779

[Journal Paper] Forooraghi, M., Miedema, E., Ryd, N., & Wallbaum, H. (2020). Scoping review of health in office design approaches. Journal of Corporate Real Estate22(2), 155–180. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRE-08-2019-0036

[Peer-reviewed Conference Paper] Dumitrache, O., Miedema, E., & Dobre, C. C. (2020). Active Care – Building Design for Habilitation Centers. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science588https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/588/3/032078

[PhD Thesis] Miedema, E. (2020). Health-promotive building design [Chalmers University of Technology]. In doctoral thesis. https://research.chalmers.se/publication/515674/file/515674_Fulltext.pdf 

[Journal Paper] Marco Adelfio, Iqbal Hamiduddin & Elke Miedema (2020) London’s King’s Cross redevelopment: a compact, resource efficient and ‘liveable’ global city model for an era of climate emergency?, Urban Research & Practice, DOI: 1080/17535069.2019.1710860

[Peer-Reviewed Conference Paper] Miedema, E., Lindahl, G., & Elf, M. (2019). Health promotion and the built environment – views from Swedish care organisations. Paper presented at the Building for better health, research & innovation in architecture & urban design for care & health., Trondheim, Norway. https://research.chalmers.se/publication/510797/file/510797_Fulltext.pdf

[Peer-reviewed Conference Paper] Roupé, M., Johansson, M., & Miedema, E. (2019). Exploring different design spaces-VR as a tool during building design. Pdfs.Semanticscholar.Org, 94–102. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9314/795274e6b89162543cdf3e749f747d1f4709.pdf

[Journal Paper] Miedema, E., Lindahl, G., & Elf, M. (2019). Conceptualizing Health Promotion in Relation to Outpatient Healthcare Building Design: A Scoping Review. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal12(1), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586718796651

[Conference Paper] Miedema, E.; Lindahl, G.L.; Elf, M. (2017) Health-promotive ambitions related to the built environment – the case of Angered Närsjukhus. ARCH17 Conference, April 26-28, 2017 Copenhagen, Denmark. https://research.chalmers.se/publication/248712/file/248712_Fulltext.pdf

[Licentiate Thesis] Miedema, E. (2017) Health Promotion and Healthcare Architecture. (Licentiate), Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg. https://publications.lib.chalmers.se/records/fulltext/250520/250520.pdf

[Conference Poster] Miedema, E.(2015). Engaging stakeholders in Complex Design using Symbiosis in Development method. Design 4 Health Conference, July 13-16, 2015 Sheffield UK.
[Conference Presentation] E. Miedema (2012). “How can Architecture contribute to the re-socialization process of forensic psychiatric patients?” In the proceedings of the IAPS conference on Humans Experience in the Natural and Built environment: Implications for research, policy, and Practice.

Jodi Sturge (she/her) is a health geographer and design researcher living in the Netherlands. Jodi has a PhD in demography from the Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen. Her mixed-method research focused on the mobility, social health and well-being of people living with memory problems and dementia in public spaces. This research has been published in academic journals and presented at international conferences.

On a part-time basis, Jodi is a research associate with Adema Architecten, where she translates scientific research and international best practices on the design of healthcare facilities and other social infrastructure. Previously, Jodi worked in the affordable housing sector for over ten years in British Columbia, Canada. She led teams and initiatives that supported vulnerable populations, including individuals struggling with poverty, homelessness, mental health or addiction. Further, she has participated in a variety of participatory research projects, program design and evaluations and projects with multi-stakeholder committees to improve public health and community outcomes. 

Jodi is interested in conducting mixed-method research and evaluations, consulting with stakeholders and developing knowledge translation tools to build environments that are inclusive, accessible and support social sustainability and well-being.

Sturge, J., & Starrenburg, F. (2022). The Reorganization of a Psychiatric Unit During COVID-19: A Reflection for Psychiatric Hospital Design. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 19375867221098982.

Sturge, J. (2022) The social health and well-being of people with memory problems and dementia: exploring mobility in public space in the Netherlands. PhD Thesis. University of Groningen.

Sturge, J. (2022) Promoting social sustainability through dementia-informed public space. In A. Bailey and K. Otsuki (Eds.) Inclusive cities in times of global urban transformations: Intersectionalities, infrastructures and sustainable development. (in press)

Simonsen, T., Sturge J., Duff., C. (2022) The spatial orderings of healing architectures: a scoping review Health Environments Research and Design 19375867211072513.

Nordin, S., Sturge, J., Ayoub, M., Jones, A., McKee, K., Dahlberg, L., … & Elf, M. (2022). The Role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Older Adults’ Decision-Making Related to Health, and Health and Social Care Services in Daily Life—A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 151.

Sturge, J., Klaassens, M., Jones, A., Légaré, F., Elf, M., Weitkamp, G., & Meijering, L. (2021) An asset- approach to inform dementia inclusive communities: a qualitative exploratory study Wellbeing, Space and Society, 100063.

Sturge, J., Nordin, S., Patil, D.S., Jones, A., Légaré, F., Elf, M. and Meijering, L. (2021). Features of the social and built environment that contribute to the well-being of people with dementia who live at home: A scoping review. Health & Place, 67, p.102483.

Sturge, J., Meijering, L., Jones, C.A., Garvelink, M., Caron, D., Nordin, S., Elf, M. and Légaré, F.(2021). Technology to Improve Autonomy and Inform Housing Decisions for Older Adults With Memory Problems Who Live at Home in Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands: Protocol for a Multipronged Mixed Methods Study. JMIR research protocols, 10(1), p.e19244.

Sturge, J., Klaassens, M., Lager, D., Weitkamp, G., Vegter, D., & Meijering, L. (2020). Using the concept of activity space to understand the social health of older adults living with memory problems and dementia at home. Social Science & Medicine, 113208.

Stockwell T, Buxton J, Duff C, Marsh D, Macdonald S, Saewyc E, Richard K, Hanson R, Cohen I, Corrado R, Chow C, Ivsins A, Michelow W, Nicholson D, Pakula B, Puri A, Rehm J, Sturge J, Tu A, Zhao J (2007) The BC Alcohol and Other Drug Monitoring System: Overview and Early Progress. Journal Contemporary Drug Problems. 36(3-4): 459-484.

Stockwell, T., Peden, M., and Sturge, J. (2007) Surveillance and monitoring alcohol-related injury in the ED, In: Alcohol and Injuries: Emergency Department Studies in an International Perspective, Cherpitel, C., Pozynyak, V., Borges, G., Giesbrecht, N., Hungerford, D., Peden, M., Room, R., and Stockwell, T. (Eds.)

Macdonald S, Csiernik P, Dooley S., Durand P., Rylett M., Sturge J., Wells S., Wild T.C., (2006) Changes  in the prevalence and characteristics of Ontario workplace health programs: 1989 to 2003; Journal of Workplace Behavioural Health 22(1): 53-64.

Stockwell T., Sturge J., Jones W., Fischer, B., Carter C., “Cannabis Use in British Columbia: patterns of use, perceptions and public opinion as assessed in the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey”; Bulletin no.2 (2006).

Stockwell T, Sturge J, Macdonald S. “Patterns of Risky Alcohol Use in British Columbia – Results of the 2004 Canadian Addictions Survey” Bulletin no.1 (2005)

Stockwell, T., Leng, J and Sturge, J. (2005) Alcohol pricing and public health in Canada: issues and opportunities. CARBC Technical report, Vancouver, BC.

Toumbourou, J.W, Stockwell, T., Neighbours, C., Marlatt, G.A., Sturge, J., Rehm, J. (2006)

“Interventions to reduce harm associated with adolescent substance use: an international review”; Lancet 369 (9570):1391-401

Contact us for more information

Use the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible