2002 - Issue 3

Awareness of the value of designers’ use of visual and audio natural fractal patterns is growing among scientists and informed design clients.

Researchers in England report that smelling rosemary oil increases alertness and improves long-term memory.  Their work also confirms previous research findings that the scent of lavender is relaxing.

Recent research in retail environments indicates that high-image interior designs may create the impression of high quality and value, although monetary prices in these spaces are also perceived as high.

In recent years, employers have begun to offer “napping rooms” with couches or cots at their facilities or to allow employees to sleep at (or under) their desks. The number of these rooms in workplaces is expected to increase in the years ahead.

Open workplaces appear to increase beneficial and appropriately timed inter-employee communication. Becker and Sims found cubicle workspaces to be the least productive of today’s workplaces.

Gary Siebein and Martin Gould, both from The University of Florida at Gainesville, and Glenn Siebein and Michael Ermann (Siebein Associates) investigated typical classrooms to determine how architectural changes can improve a student’s acoustical situation.

Some general—but frequently overlooked—principles of wayfinding are examined in three recent articles. 

According to Benyamin Schwarz and Ruth Brent, a newer model for long-term care is emerging, patterned on residential environments.

Dean Thompson , Joseph Weber and Kevin Juozapavicius reviewed studies and interviewed residents of an assisted living facility to better understand the residents’ visitors, their pattern of activities, and how those patterns affected the residents’ well-being. 

School acoustics is only one aspect of a successful school plan. Three web sites provide additional useful information to inform school, playground, and outdoor space design.