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© FPInnovations 2014!
�The Wood Products Council� is a Registered Provider with The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems (AIA/CES), Provider #G516.
Credit(s) earned on completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.
This course is registered with AIA CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product. _______________________________________
Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.
Course Description
! Recent studies, along with evidence emerging from Europe and Asia, suggest that the use of wood indoors lowers stress reactivity of the sympathetic nervous system—which is associated with lower blood pressure, lower heart-rate, lower psychological stress, lower susceptibility to illness, and a better ability to focus attention. This is relevant both in the context of evidence-based design, which studies the effects of building design on occupants (among other things), and biopholic design, which considers the general affinity humans have for nature and addresses it through design elements and materials. This presentation will provide an overview of the evidence and mechanisms through which wood can affect human health, and its increasing use in educational, office and other environments.
Learning Objectives
! Understand the mechanisms by which building design and material selection affects human health on a psychological /physiological level.
! Understand the effects of wood and non-wood materials on stress reactivity.
! Explore the differences between cognitive perceptions of health and pre-cognitive physiological indicators of stress. (Does the thinking mind know best?)
! Discuss the rationale for and potential outcomes of increasing the use of wood in educational, office and other environments.
Why do you like to see wood used in buildings?
Warm
Calming
Healthy Natural
Photo: UBC Forest Sciences
Research Results: Health Effects of Outdoor Nature
! Lower blood pressure Ulrich et al. (1991), Parsons et al. (1998) ,Hartig et al. (2003)
! Lower heart rate Laumann et al. (2003)
! Faster recover from illness Ulrich (1984)
! Lower pain perception Lohr and Pearson-Mimms, 2001
! Better creative task performance Shibata and Suzuki, 2004
! Better concentration task performance Hartig et al. (1991), Cimprich (1992)
! Greater focused attention Tennessen and Cimprich (1995), Hartig et al. (2003)
! Lower aggression Kuo and Sullivan, 2001
Evolutionary Theories: Complexity theory
! Kazimir Malevich (1979-1935)
! White on White, 1918
! Suprematism, 1916
! Bureau and Room, 1913
Evolutionary Reponses and Urban Living
" Urban living is very new to humans on an evolutionary scale
" Innate responses to environments are not adapted to urban living
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
1800 1900 2000
Year
RuralUrban
Source: US Dept. of the Census
Milestone Research
" Ulrich (1984)
" Hospital patients with view of park rather than of buildings: " Shorter hospital recovery (0.74 day) " Lower use of strong analgesics after first
day of recovery
Benefits of Nature Indoors - Plants
" Lower blood pressure " Lohr et al., 1996
" Lower pain perception " Lohr and Pearson-Mimms, 2001
" Fewer health conditions " Fjeld et al., 1998, 2000
" Better task performance " proofreading " Lohr et al., 1996
" creativity " Shibata and Suzuki, 2002
Can wood in the built environment provide some of the health benefits as outdoor
nature?
Photo: Prince George Airport
Wood Visual Response
! Pilot studies in Japan
! Lower blood pressure ! Sakurgawa et al., 2005; 2008
! Tsunetsuga et al., 2002; 2007
! Lower heart rate
! Tsunetsuga et al., 2002; 2007
! Austrian wood classrooms
! Lower heart rate (6 bpm)
! Increased HRV ! Keltz et al., 2011
Wood Tactile Response
! Contact with wood produced no increase in systolic blood pressure
! Acrylic surface
! Raised BP when room cold
! Aluminum
! Raised BP at room temperature and when cold
Sakurgawa et al., 2008
Study Setup
! Office environment context
! Wood and plant manipulations
! Physiological measurements
! Introduced stressor
! Undergraduate student sample
! n = 119
Office Design
! Same office used for all setups
! Identical furniture
! Birch wood veneer
! White melamine and white painted
! Blocked design
Wood White Total
Plants 30 30 60
Artifacts 30 29 59
Total 60 59 119
Operationalizing Stress
! Autonomic Nervous System
! Sympathetic Nervous System ! prepares the body to react to stress ! �fight or flight� response
! Parasympathetic Nervous System ! relaxes the body and promotes
maintenance and recovery functions ! �rest and digest� response
Wood and Plant Effects - SCL
Baseline Test Recovery Baseline Test Recovery
Wood Effects Plant Effects
Skin Conductance Level Wood / Non-wood
! Largest difference in baseline period during apprehension stress
! High stress makes environment irrelevant (test)
! Rooms diverge as recovery progresses
Baseline Test Recovery
Skin Conductance Responses Wood / Non-wood
! Normal rate is 2 per minute
! High level of apprehension stress in non-wood room in baseline period
! Note the responses in recovery when apprehension is alleviated
Baseline Recovery Te
st
Does the application of wood in the built environment reduce stress?
Wood Effects
Nervous System Measure Baseline Test Recovery
Sympathetic SCL p< 0.05 p< 0.10
SCR p< 0.05 p< 0.05 p< 0.05
Parasympathetic HRV
Answer: Yes
What does all this mean?
! Wood visual surfaces reduce sympathetic nervous system activation in occupants of built environments.
…..WOOD REDUCES STRESS
Actually, wood reduces the added stress load of being in a built
environment.
! New attribute for wood = Health ! Wood as a biophilic material
! Wood is a tool for practitioners of evidence-based design
Measures
Affective
! Sympathetic activation
! Skin conductance level
! Mixed Autonomic
! Interbeat interval
Cognitive
! 1-5 agreement scale
! Artificial
! Distracting
! Happy
! Healthy
! Natural
! Simple
! Warm
Method
Recruitment
! Age: 25-35
! Male / Female quota: 15 /15
! N=29
Data collection
! Curtain closed 30s
! Curtain open 120s
! Questions 45-60s
! Curtain closed
! Change sample (and order)
! Repeat x 7
Sample Diversity
! Light and dark
! Wood vs. bamboo
! Wood vs. faux wood
! Wood vs. solid colour
! Presence of knots and grain
Limitations
! Low sample size
! Short exposure (2 minutes vs. 10)
! Response conditioning after multiple samples
Lightness/Darkness (L*)
0 +100
Wes
tern
larc
h
red
alde
r
Asp
en
Dou
glas
fir
broa
dlea
f map
le
red
oak
Wes
tern
hem
lock
W
hite
birc
h
amab
ilis
fir
lodg
epol
e pi
ne
tam
arac
k
suba
lpin
e fir
suga
r map
le
Mean = 67.3 Range=26.7 Low= 57.0 High=83.7
Redness/Greenness (a*)
Whi
te b
irch
-100 +100 0
Mean = 11.6 Range=16.4 Low= 2.9 High= 19.3
Asp
en
red
alde
r
Doug
las
fir
broa
dlea
f map
le
red
oak
Wes
tern
hem
lock
amab
ilis fi
r
lodg
epol
e pi
ne
tam
arac
k
suba
lpin
e fir
suga
r map
le
Wes
tern
larc
h
Architectural Psychology �Materials� Toolkit
" Colour
" Plants
" Light " Natural " Planned
" Water
" Fabrics
" Wood
" Biomimicry
" Views
Photo: Mount Pleasant Community Centre
Are these properties desirable for your clients?
" Lower blood pressure
" Lower heart rate
" Fewer colds
" Faster recover from illness
" Lower pain perception
" Better creative task performance
" Better concentration task performance
" Greater focused attention
" Lower aggression
Questions? This concludes The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education
Systems Course
David Fell FPInnovations [email protected]
This presentation was developed by a third party and is not funded by WoodWorks or the softwood lumber check-off.
Acknowledgements
! Dr. Robert Kozak
! Dr. David Cohen
! Dr. Russ Parsons
! Dr. Mike Meitner
! University of British Columbia
! FPInnovations
! International Environmental Institute, Hokkaido, Japan
! Natural Resources Canada