edra webinars

Every year, EDRA produces knowledge that is relevant to our membership of professionals, academics, students and partners of the Environmental Design field. 

EDRA Members have access to recordings of webinars and other EDRA events (keynotes, lectures, symposia). Visit this page often to view our member's-only offerings!

MEMBERS CAN ACCESS  WEBINAR RECORDINGS HERE.   IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, SIGN UP HERE.

EDRA WEBINAR | Sustainable Construction for People and Planet with Mass Timber | May 05, 2026

Sustainable Construction for People and Planet with Mass Timber

Sustainable construction by definition should provide for the needs of present-day occupants while minimizing resource use to provide for future generations. Among the most pressing resource use issues is the reduction of carbon emissions associated with buildings throughout their life cycles, and not only reducing energy use attributed to operations. Mass timber construction for mid-rise and now taller buildings has emerged in recent years as a green and an attractive alternative to conventional concrete and steel. Among its attractions is the potential for such buildings to benefit their occupants using biophilic design principles. Biophilia is the name given to the idea that humans respond positively to the natural environment, including to natural elements in the constructed environment. Biophilia might mean that an interior with a large amount of exposed wood could increase comfort, enabling the thermal setpoints to be changed to increase energy savings (i.e., cooler in winter, warmer in summer); there is also some evidence that exposed wood might facilitate recovery from stress. This webinar will combine consideration of the occupant experience of wood in interiors with evidence that mass timber construction can lead to lower whole-building carbon emissions throughout the building life cycle. Taken overall, mass timber construction can contribute to achieving sustainability in the built environment.

• Jennifer A. Veitch, Ashley Nixon, and Davoud Heidari
  National Research Council of Canada, Construction Research Centre

REGISTER HERE

EDRA GPA WEBINAR | place research | April 23, 2026

Transforming Passenger Experiences: A Data- Driven Journey Map at Ontario International Airport

Join us for a special 5-part virtual series celebrating the winners and honorable mentions of the EDRA Great Places Awards. This session overviews the Research winners. Hear from our winner, Transforming Passenger Experiences: A Data- Driven Journey Map at Ontario International Airport, submitted by Melissa Hoelting, Samantha Flores, Mahdi Afkhamiaghda, Kevin Sloan, Arezoo Zeinali Kalkhoran, Yashaswini Karagaiah & Weijia Wang, and our honorable mention winner, Visibilizing African American Heritage in Fayetteville, Arkansas: the Spout Spring Neighborhood (1837-Present), submitted by Stephen Luoni.

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EDRA CYE COmmittee | Webinar | April 22, 2026

Children's Right to Play in Times of War and Crisis

Bernwart (Bernie) Engelen is the founder and Chief Executive of Kukuk Box. Kukuk Box uses shipping containers to build mobile playgrounds and has created one specifically for children living in war zones or crises. In 2022 and 2023, Bernie and his team provided playgrounds to communities in Lviv and Charkiv, Ukraine.

KuKuk Box Check the website here: https://kukuk-box.com/en/idea-2/

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EDRA WEBINAR | April 8, 2026

Architecture as Biological Exposure: Neurophysiological Pathways Linking Form and Health

Architecture is often discussed in terms of aesthetics, function, or cultural meaning. Yet buildings are also long-term biological exposures that continuously interact with the human nervous system. This lecture introduces the emerging field of architectural neuroimmunology, which investigates how architectural form and environmental stimuli influence neurophysiological stress regulation and downstream immune processes. Drawing on recent experimental, computational, and theoretical work, the talk examines how features such as visual complexity, composition and perceptual load shape neural and autonomic responses. Methods including computational visual analysis and physiological measurement (e.g., EEG, HRV, and fNIRS) are used to identify architectural conditions associated with increased or reduced physiological stress. The lecture argues that architectural environments can contribute to cumulative regulatory strain, conceptualized as architecturally mediated allostatic overload. Understanding these mechanisms has implications for design practice, public health, and the development of evidence-informed building standards that better support long-term human wellbeing.

• Cleo Valentine, Sr. Design Researcher, Neuro ‑ Architecture  Associate

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EDRA GPA WEBINAR | place planning | March 18, 2026

Mexico City's Green Infrastructure Special Program

Join us for a special 5-part virtual series celebrating the winners and honorable mentions of the EDRA Great Places Awards. This session overviews the Planning winners. Hear from our winner, Mexico City’s Green Infrastructure Special Program, submitted by Maritza Hernandez Solis, Diana Hernandez Lugo, Erika Belen Villagomez Flores, Ana Karen Villalba Aguilera, Jorge Carlos Badillo Suarez, Lizette Fernanda Romero Moncada & Alberto Antonio Dias Galindo, and our honorable mention winner Breaking Cycles: Reenvisioning a Health, Housing, and Justice Continuum, submitted by Cathi Schar.

Speaker

• Cathi Ho Schar, FAIA, MArch, BA
  Associate Professor and Director, University of Hawai‘i Community Design Center

EDRA WEBINAR | March 5, 2026

Innovative Architecture: Lessons Learned in Extreme Conditions

How do you measure the success of innovative pilots in restricted settings? This talk
examines practical tools for evaluating the effectiveness of integrating salutogenic and biophilic design in controlled environments, exploring a case study focused on taking measurements during a pivotal pilot project in the U.S. Department of Defense. In controlled settings, security is paramount, and it governs all aspects of a project, from the architectural design to the collection and distribution of measured outcomes. This talk explains salutogenic design, an evidence-based design strategy to improve health and well-being in the built environment, and a keystone pilot project in the DoD, including the survey-based metrics developed and deployed
that led to new building guidelines, a global design innovation program, and a 700% increase in salutogenic design projects across the DoD. A central component of this talk reflects on lessons learned through the real-world process of developing tools and collecting results. The talk concludes by offering recommendations for refining survey-based evaluation frameworks to better capture the lived experience of design innovations and support evidence-based design practice in contexts outside of the commercial norm.

Speaker

• Stephanie Brick, RA, WELL AP, LEED GA, MDS, BArch

Moderator

• Sally Augustin, PhD, MBA
  Principal, Design With Science

Duration

• 1 hr

EDRA GPA WEBINAR | Place Book | February 24, 2026

Outdoor Environments for People: Considering Human Factors in Landscape Design

Join us for a special 5-part virtual series celebrating the winners and honorable mentions of the EDRA Great Places Awards. This session overviews the Book winners. Hear from our winner, Outdoor Environments for People: Considering Human Factors in Landscape Design, submitted by Yiwei Huang, Patsy Owens & Jayoung Koo, and our honorable mention, The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook, submitted by Nico Larco & Kaarin Knudson.

Speakers

• Nico Larco, AIA
  Professor, Univ. of Oregon -- Director, Urbanism Next Center -- Co-Director, Sustainable Cities Institute, Principal, ELEMENT/UD -- Strategic Advisor, TNO

• Patsy Owens
  Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis

• Jayoung Koo, Ph.D., MEM, MLA
  Associate Extension Professor & Director of Undergraduate Studies, University of Kentucky
  

• Yiwei Huang
  Assoc Prof of Landscape Architecture, Purdue University

Moderator

• Dr. Bo Zhang
  Associate Professor, Oklahoma State University

Duration

• 1 hr 14 min

EDRA GPA WEBINAR | Place Design| November 20, 2025

Join us for a special 5-part virtual series celebrating the winners and honorable mentions of the EDRA Great Places Awards. This session overviews the Design winners. Hear from our winner, Nodeul Island, submitted by Donghwan Moon and honorable mention, Healing through Placemaking: Designing and Constructing a Memorial Garden, submitted by Scott Lawrence.

Speakers

• Donghwan Moon, AIA, Assistant Professor of Architecture, NC State University | College of Design
  

• Scott Lawrence, Associate Professor, Architecture University of Idaho
  

   

Moderator

• Helen K. Ho, PhD, EDAC

Duration

• 1 hr

EDRA WEBINAR | october 23,2024

EDRA CYE Network Webinar with CYE Journal Editorial Team

The Children, Youth & Environments Journal has been looking to (re)connect with the EDRA CYE Network, plus they have some important initiatives and updates about the journal to share with CYE-focused researchers and practitioners. This will be a great opportunity to hear about current and future directions for the journal, new journal metrics that have been developed and their new (very economical!) open access option. Especially if you would like to publish a research- or practice-focused article in the CYE Journal, consider joining and have an opportunity to talk to the Editorial Team. You’ll also hear details about the CYE Journal Special Issue for 2025 related to the EDRA56 conference theme. 

Speakers

• Victoria Carr, Ph.D.
  Editor, Children, Youth & Environments Journal

Moderator

• Janet Loebach, Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor,  Cornell University

Duration

EDRA WEBINAR | September 19,2024

EDRA Widsom of Great Places Series |  From Place Research to Recognition 

Dr. Galen Newman and Dr. Vikas Mehta offer invaluable insights into the world of research, writing, and publishing. They engage in an in-depth discussion about conducting rigorous and impactful research, honing their writing skills to effectively communicate complex ideas, and navigating the publishing process with confidence. Through the shared experiences and expertise of these award-winning authors, attendees gain practical tips, best practices, and valuable lessons that can elevate their own academic pursuits. 

Speakers

• Dr. Galen Newman
  Professor, Texas A&M University
  

• Dr. Vikas Mehta
  Professor, University of Cincinnati
  
  Moderator

• Dr. Bo Zhang
  Co-Chair of the EDRA Recognitions Committee
  Associate Professor, Oklahoma State University

Duration

EDRA WEBINAR | November 21, 2022

Building resilient neighborhoods in the post-covid city: bridging social and ecological perspectives

The research project ‘From Prevention to Resilience’ explores how public space and civic engagement can contribute to more resilient urban neighborhoods. In this first webinar, we present and discuss one central outcome of this project: a framework that challenges and enables urban designers to not only contribute to more resilient human communities, but also non-human communities. The framework proposes three qualities for designers to pursue — i.e., agency, connectedness, and diversity — and provides various strategies and examples on how to do so. The framework was applied in three design cases that took place in Amsterdam neighborhoods, in collaboration with design professionals and social housing organizations. What value was created by integrating human and non-human perspectives? What obstacles and challenges emerged while doing so? And what lessons were learned that can inform future design practices for more resilient neighborhoods? In this webinar, three design researchers address these questions by presenting and discussing their experiences and findings from the design cases.

Speakers

• Boudewijn Boon
  Design Researcher @Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Civic Interaction Design Research Group, Netherlands

• Giulia Gualtieri
  Junior Researcher @Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Civic Interaction Design Research Group, Netherlands

• Sába Schramko
  Researcher @Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands

• Luisa Bravo (Moderator
  Founder and president @City Space Architecture

Participants in this webinar wilL:

Duration

EDRA Webinar | March 3, 2020

Understanding Sensory Stress within Healthcare Environments: Human-centered Tools for on-site data collection

Environmental conditions impact human health and behavior through stress and are of particular concern within healthcare facilities. Sensory stress may prevent or prolong recuperation for patients and manifest in anxiety, depression and reduced task-performance for staff. In order to mitigate sensory stress, healthcare systems are partnering with evidence-based design teams to understand elements within the environment that impact sensory stress. This webinar provides evidence-based design examples of on-site tools useful in the measurement of human-centric data within the healthcare environment

Speakers

• Lesa Lorusso,
  EDRA Board Member
  Gresham Smith, Healthcare Director of Research & Innovation
  

• Elisa Worden-Kirouac
  Gresham Smith, Sr Interior Designer

• Carolyn Blake 
  Gresham Smith, Sr Interior Designer

Learning Objectives

• Understand design factors that contribute to elevated stress in healthcare settings
  

• Learn how to use on-site research methods to gather data from healthcare staff, patients and family members
  

• Develop strategies that inform evidence-based healthcare design to minimize stress

Duration

• 57 minutes, 43 seconds
  

EDRA Webinar | October 15, 2020

Virtual Visioning: Effective Online Methods to Inform Environmental Design

Moderator

• Cynthia Milota, CID, LEED AP, FMP, Director Workplace Strategy Ware Malcomb
  

Panelists

• Michelle Ossmann, PhD, Director Healthcare Knowledge & Insights, HermanMiller

• Lesa Lorusso, PhD, Healthcare Director Research & Innovation, Gresham Smith

• Lizzie Gerock, NCIDQ, LEEDAP ID+C, WELL AP, Interior Designer, Corporate+Urban Design, Gresham Smith

• Michele McMinn, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C, EDAC, WELL AP, Studio Design Leader, Corporate+Urban Design, Gresham Smith

Learning Objectives

Duration

EDRA Webinar | November 10, 2020

Investing in our future: how school modernization impacts indoor environmental quality and occupants

Speakers

• Sean O’Donnell FAIA, LEED AP
  Principal @Perkins Eastman

• Heather Jauregui, LEED AP BD+C, O+M, CHPC, Assoc. AIA
  Director of Sustainabilit and Senior Associate @Perkins Eastman

• Emily Chmielewski, EDAC
  Former EDRA Board Member and CORE Certificate Chair
  Design Research Director and Senior Associate @Perkins Eastman 

Learning Objectives

Duration

• 50 minutes, 44 seconds

EDRA WEBINAR | MARCH 18, 2021

Environmental Strategies to Mediate Stress in the Post Pandemic Workplace

Speakers

• Rex Miller Founder, mindSHIFT 

• Mike O'Neill, PhD, MArch CEO, Founder, HumanSpace
  

• Charlie Grantham, PhD Founder and Teacher, Community Design Institute

Learning Objectives

Duration

• 1 hour