ABC PhD DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN ARCHITECTURE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING ABCPhD CALL4SCHOLARSHIP 33 Research topic: Design for All in Healthcare Facilities (33 - Annex 1.2)
Funding and management of the thematic scholarships Number of scholarships: 1 (one) Monthly net income:. 1.012,00 (max 36 months) [In case of a change of the welfare rates during the three-year period, the amount could be slightly modified] Additional support: Funding for educational activities (*) : 1.370 per student [for the 2 nd and 3 rd year] Starting of PhD activity: 1/11/2017 Deadline for application to the call: 11/09/2017 Research Director: Stefano Capolongo Research Group: Funding and cooperating Institutions: the scholarship is co-funded by Politecnico di Milano, Department ABC and Mr. Rodrigo Rodriquez (*) (purchase of study books and material, funding for participation in courses, summer schools, workshops, conferences)
Context of the research activity Design for All (DfA) is design for human diversity, social inclusion and equality. It is the design approach, whereby the interventions on the built environment, objects and services aim to enable a greater number of people to participate in every aspect of society, with an equal opportunity in the economic, social, cultural and ludic activities, all with the greatest possible autonomy. In these terms, DfA can be a strategic methodology to apply in the design project, in order to improve the quality of the space and to satisfy the unexpressed needs of the greatest number of people together with their wishes, through a holistic and inclusive approach, moving away from the focusing just on disability or the overcoming of architectural barriers. Furthermore, DfA is a recent discipline developed in the last 20 years, through the activities of different associations, as EIDD Design for All Europe founded in 1993 thanks to the Horizon program in Dublin. Different factors as the aging of the population and its multi-ethnic composition are prompting to the design of cities, public spaces, work places, public transport, services, which allow people to live a longer, more flexible and a more satisfying life. In this way, creating spaces that all people can use independently and ensure them to participate actively in the society, must become a normal practice, following the purpose of DfA. Finally, DfA strategy could be related to the healthcare facilities design, in order to improve the quality and comfort of indoor and outdoor spaces addressed to a wide diversity of users, with different needs.
Motivation and objectives of the research The objective of this PhD position is to deepen the knowledge in the field of Design for All with special attention for designing of public buildings and complex constructions, as hospitals. The PhD Candidate will investigate different aspects in this field, such as: existing theoretical studies of DfA perspective in order to formulate a solid background on topics as the multisensorial design and the users inclusion in design process existing technologies and applications, including their market diffusion, limitations, etc.; current legal framework on accessibility and its comparison to DfA principles; development of a descriptive and performance-based approach in DfA investigation, in-stead of prescriptive models and inclusion of qualitative-quantitative methodologies in the research work; DfA strategies have to be actively applied to existing cases study of public buildings, especially in situations where a plurality of users needs are involved, such as in healthcare facilities; proposal of design indications and tools which can be used to apply DfA methodology in designing of inclusive spaces, which meet the needs of all users with special attention to technological innovation.
Educational objectives At the end of the PhD Programme, the Candidate will have a deep knowledge of the DfA strategies related to the architectural practice for designing environments in which people with a broad range of capabilities can function properly but without them being stigmatizing. In particular, the PhD Candidate will be required to develop qualitative-quantitative indicators applicable in real cases studio, in order to support the design of accessible and inclusive environments and for the audit of space qualities for diversity if users, referred in particular to the healing environment of healthcare facilities. Furthermore, the expected result is the proposal of a smart tool able to perform the previous purposes in a flexible and innovative way. At last, the relation with complementary knowledge partners (both academicals than professionals), innovators and people with care needs (user-experts) is crucial. The collaboration with companies, especially healthcare facilities, and the interaction with international experts in DfA will form a PhD Candidate with solid and practical preparation able to propose himself/herself in a plurality of working contexts.
Methods and techniques that will be used to carry out the research The research will include different activities in collaboration to the Dept. ABC and, probably, others departments of Politecnico di Milano as i.e. Dept. DESIGN, in order to apply in the academic context the learned notions and the new expertizes acquired. Furthermore, it is desirable to make consistent scientific relationship with experts of the others Universities and Research Centres. The research work will be characterized by interdisciplinary experiences, for instance the interaction with companies and producers will be a fundamental aspect of the research process, together with simulations on case studies as healthcare facilities in order to audit the real applicability and the results of the research.
Skills of the candidate At the end of the research project the candidate will have acquired skills and expertise to operate in the fields of: 1. Theoretical and methodological research abilities 2. Knowledge about building accessibility and inclusiveness within a human-centered and performance-based approach 3. Knowledge of the architectural design analysis for the topics investigated 4. Knowledge of the design dynamics in healthcare facilities integrated with DfA strategy 5. Attitude of interaction with Companies and Industries in research activities Job opportunities This research proposal offers to the PhD candidate a broad knowledge in the field of DfA, with special attention to designing by following the needs and wishes of users and more specifically of patients in healthcare facilities, which can be used afterwards in academia or the professional market. In the first place, the skills of the PhD candidate will be connected to research Centres, which prototype smart tools, due to the request to study and elaborate similar instruments for the application of DfA within all the research process. Secondly, a wide range of possibilities is connected through the collaboration with companies and architectural firms, which promote healthcare facilities projects. Furthermore, the candidate will be proposed for the participation to international research call for crowd funding on these scientific themes. Regarding the academic field, it will be possible to participate actively to national and international conferences. Finally, the development of a smart tool to improve the accessibility and the quality of public environments, will give the opportunity to the candidate to collaborate with public administrations and with scientific associations, which promote this approach.