2002 - Issue 2

Green environments around schools, such as green playgrounds and window views, might help ADD children, or even all children, function more effectively.

Kristen Day, Daisy Carreon, and Cheryl Stump (University of California, Irvine) reviewed 71 research studies, almost all since 1980, to determine research findings that have a bearing on the physical design of facilities for those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

Tove Fjeld  and his associates looked at how plants affected the health of office workers, while Larissa Larsen and her associates examined how indoor plants affected students in an office setting.

Graham Brown and Robert Gifford investigated how architects and non-architects rated colored slides of late-twentieth-century office buildings.

A report from the Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE) and the Federal Highway Administration, titled Traffic Calming: State-of-the-Practice, covers a number of methods that can moderate street traffic. A related paper, also written by Reid Ewing (Rutgers University), concentrates on physical measures, since these are generally most effective.

Design suggestions for child-safe environments are shared not only to aid designers in their current projects, but with the hope that they may someday be incorporated into a more comprehensive set of standards for safety in children’s facilities.

Several studies examined plants' ability to remove gasses from the air, particularly some troublesome gasses that can contribute to substandard indoor air quality.

Highlights of volume 1, issue 2.

Designing for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease naturally share some common principles, but a successful design solution can arise from different viewpoints. That idea highlights the strengths of these three books.