A mission of academics in design fields should be to conduct and disseminate research that facilitates design practice. Every research inquiry I craft has the ultimate goal of informing the design and construction of the built environment. My efforts in design research inform practice in 3 main ways:
- Dissemination. I currently disseminate research for practitioners through presentations and consulting but plan to expand into trade publications. The article in topos, Gather Together, was my first foray into non-academic writing. I look forward to pursuing more opportunities to disseminate research in a format easily accessible to practitioners.
- Conceptual design. In my work with children's environments, I have experience in assisting licensed landscape architects in creating inclusive, child-friendly designs. I develop designs to a conceptual level of detail that demonstrates how research can inform the built environment through evidence-based design. I work with landscape architects to develop the work into schematic designs and construction documentation.
- Behavior mapping. Behavior mapping is a powerful research method that elucidates the relationship between the built environment and behavior. With my work with behavior mapping, I have experience in evaluating how a renovation influenced behavior changes.