Evidence-based design
An approach that bases design decisions, especially for buildings, on the best available research and that measures the results to learn from them.
What it’s for
It avoids deciding only by habit or intuition when design affects people’s health, safety or well-being.
Principles
Look for evidence
Before deciding, review what studies and similar projects say.
Form hypotheses
Each important decision is framed as a bet that can be checked.
Measure and share
The result is evaluated and published so others can learn.
How it’s done
Review the existing research on the problem.
Design with clear hypotheses about its effect.
Measure what happened afterward and share it.
Applications in design
When to use it
In hospitals, schools or workplaces, where decisions affect health or performance.
Avoid
Citing an isolated study as if it were a law.
Don’t fall for it
What worked in one place may not work in another: measure in your project too.
8.70 → 7.96 days
What the research says
Gallbladder surgery patients in a Pennsylvania hospital spent fewer days in hospital in rooms with a view of trees than in rooms facing a brick wall (Ulrich, 1984).
Connections
Authors and works
- 1984
Roger S. Ulrich
Showed that the view from the window could influence patients’ recovery, a key study for this approach.
- 2009
D. Kirk Hamilton and David H. Watkins
Explained how to apply evidence-based design in different building types.
Sources
Original sources
- Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420–421.
- Hamilton, D. K., & Watkins, D. H. (2009). Evidence-based design for multiple building types. John Wiley & Sons.
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