The College of Art + Design and the School of Interior Design sponsored an Evidence-Based Design Faculty Workshop, facilitated by the Center for Health Design, on February 26, 2018 at the Hilltop Arboretum.

Workshop experts/coaches included Donna Deckard (Center for Health Design), Frank Zilm (University of Kansas), Margaret Calkins (Mayer-Rothschild Foundation), and Rosalyn Cama (CAMA Design). Workshop participants included: Alkis Tsolakis, dean of the College of Art + Design; Marsha Cuddeback, director of the School of Interior Design; interior design faculty members John Campbell, Matthew Dunn, Dru Lamb, TL Ritchie, Phillip Tebbutt, and Jun Zou; School or Architecture assistant professor Robert Holton; School of Landscape Architecture professional in residence Kathleen Bogaski and graduate student Claremai Nguyen; School of Art graduate student Meghan Saas; and E.J. Ourso College of Business instructor Thomas Karam.

“The workshop brought together faculty members from different disciplines to explore the process of evidence-based design,” said Cuddeback.

EBD is defined as “a process for the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence from research and practice in making critical decisions, together with an informed client, about the design of each individual and unique project” (Stichler & Hamilton, 2008). This process is an informed approach to design where decisions are based on quantitative and qualitative research (Nussbaumer, 2009).

The workshop explored the question: Why Does Evidence-Based Design Make a Difference?

The interdisciplinary workshop featured multiple presentations about the history and theory of EBD. Participants had the opportunity to work with EBD experts/coaches to address specific questions about the EBD process and how to apply it to coursework, curriculum and/or research. They also reviewed the tools and resources available from the Center for Health Design that can be utilized to teach students about the EBD process.