Daphne Chilaka

High-density intermodal terminals can overwhelm users, creating stress, confusion, and inefficiency—this research offers an evidence-based framework to address these challenges.

As cities expand and transportation systems become increasingly interconnected, intermodal passenger terminals, where rail, bus, and ferry transportation systems converge, pose significant challenges for users navigating complex interior spaces. Confusing layouts, inefficient circulation, and congestion create stressful environments that compromise comfort, safety, and operational efficiency.

Improving User Orientation Through Circulation Planning in Intermodal Passenger Terminals is a thesis research and design project that investigates how interior environmental design and circulation planning can enhance user orientation, spatial legibility, and overall well-being. Using Marina, Lagos State, Nigeria, in West Africa, as a case study, the study applies pedestrian flow mapping, functional zoning, and vertical and horizontal circulation analysis to examine passenger movement in real-world conditions.

Key challenges include conflicting pedestrian and vehicular movement, inefficient spatial hierarchies, and unclear transitions between functional zones. The resulting hierarchical circulation framework separates pedestrian and vehicular pathways, organizes functional zones, and clarifies movement sequences, projected to reduce congestion, improve wayfinding, and enhance passenger comfort and safety.

This research uniquely integrates interior environmental design, behavioral science, and operational planning, producing an evidence-based, human-centered framework for improving orientation, efficiency, and well-being in high-density transportation hubs. It provides actionable guidance for designers and planners, with the potential to inform interior and operational standards for transportation terminals globally, demonstrating both originality, broad applicability, and measurable impact.

Aatika Hayat, Honorable Mention

By 2050, one in four adults will be over 65. Yet mainstream interiors remain calibrated for younger bodies. Noise, glare, thermal shifts, and ambiguous wayfinding extract a metabolic tax on the aging body. The same demographic holds more than two thirds of disposable income in the United States, and its quiet withdrawal from public life is a social and economic problem.

This thesis proposes the Holding Container, a post-clinical framework for reducing that tax. It draws on environmental gerontology, cognitive psychology, social neuroscience, and design phenomenology to orchestrate six spatial strategies: acoustic calibration, lighting, thermal regulation, wayfinding, material haptics, and threshold conditions. The central contribution is an orchestration logic that absorbs the metabolic cost carried by the body. The Friction Atlas maps where strategies conflict, reinforce, or compound. One finding is that most conflicts resolve through spatial geometry alone: threshold depth, compression and release, path curvature, and material gradient. Because the resolutions are spatial rather than technical, the framework travels at any budget and in any building type.

The framework is tested through The Augustine, a design simulation in the adaptive reuse of Church Missions House in Manhattan, where an app-guided workflow applies the Friction Atlas across arrival, circulation, recovery, and social space. The same method transfers to restaurants, hotels, libraries, museums, and housing commons.

The contribution is not new component systems. It is a framework for orchestrating and calibrating mainstream interiors to the aging body, research-through-design rather than clinical proof.

Xu Jin, Honorable Mention

Integrative lighting has advanced significantly in supporting both visual and non-visual human responses across built environments. This study examined how integrative lighting influences physiological responses, emotional states, and cognitive performance among 80 day-active participants in a virtual reality workplace. A two-by-two experimental design manipulated melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance and spectral qualities, producing four lighting scenes in addition to a baseline condition. Five research questions were addressed: how participants perceived the four lighting conditions; how these conditions influenced emotional states; how they affected physiological responses; how physiological and emotional measures related across conditions; and how integrative lighting shaped cognitive performance. Participants first viewed the baseline scene and were then randomly assigned to one of the four lighting conditions.

Scene 4 (blue-enriched, high-melanopic lighting) yielded the most beneficial outcomes, including the highest subjective vitality, elevated heart rate variability, lowest stress index, reduced neural activation, and the fastest Stroop test completion times. Several significant correlations emerged between psychometric and biometric measures: subjective vitality was positively associated with heart rate variability and negatively associated with stress index; Karolinska Sleepiness Scale scores were negatively related to vitality and arousal; and skin conductance level showed no meaningful alignment with psychometric data, suggesting temporal divergence between physiological and self-reported measures.

This research expands the understanding of integrative lighting by using a rigorous VR-based methodology to identify lighting conditions that enhance well-being and cognitive performance. Methodologically, combining psychometric and biometric approaches could support future research and design applications aimed at optimizing integrative lighting for health and productivity.

Lisa Platt

Interior designers now operate where climate volatility, public health imperatives, and material complexity converge, yet the profession has lacked a systematic, evidence-based framework for forecasting how materials perform when resilience matters most. The Sustainable Adaptive Material Performance Level (SAMPL) framework was developed to meet that need directly.

SAMPL organizes material evaluation across three composite domains. Strength captures properties foundational to occupant safety, including durability, cleanability, and flame resistance. Symbiosis measures adaptive performance over a material's full use-life encompassing responsiveness, sound absorption, luminance, R-value, and circularity potential. Sustainability aligns selections with regenerative principles through embodied carbon analysis, ingredient transparency, ethical supply chains, and low-emission standards.

A defining contribution of this research is recognizing that performance data, while abundant, remains largely inaccessible to practitioners in decision-ready form. SAMPL's AI-powered Material Intelligence Dashboard addresses this gap by transforming technical measures from ASTM, UL, ISO, and sustainable building standards into dynamic resilience scores and clear KPI visualizations translating complexity into actionable clarity at the point of specification.

Pilot implementation in university design coursework produced measurable gains in students' understanding of material resilience, validating both the framework and its pedagogical utility. Ongoing collaboration with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation extends SAMPL into risk modeling and insurance affordability  positioning material intelligence as a critical lever for climate adaptation, public safety, and health equity at community scale, and establishing a new standard for evidence-based practice in an era that demands it.

Amy Huber, Honorable Mention

After ten years teaching a healthcare studio with regular provider interactions and clinic tours, I noticed many underrepresented students experienced heightened “white coat anxiety,” expressing fears about attending their own medical visits. Their experiences raised a central question that has guided my recent work: How can healthcare environments better foster trust, particularly for those who have historically experienced inequitable care?

As the child of two nurses and someone living with an autoimmune disease, I understood the stakes of healthcare trust personally. Six years ago, I began an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Communication to investigate this issue empirically. Drawing from communication, design, and healthcare literature, I conducted three mixed‑methods studies with over 1,600 participants, including a recent sample of 343 African American and Hispanic women.

This research has produced a set of evidence-based trust factors—some universal and others culturally specific. Notably, findings reveal that African American women place heightened value on identification and transparency in healthcare environments, insights that are especially urgent as maternal mortality rates continue to rise disproportionately among women of color.

Results have been published in Health Environments Research and Design Journal (HERD) and the Journal of Interior Design, with additional manuscripts in press. To ensure the findings reach practitioners, I have also presented this research at NeoCon, helping translate evidence into actionable design strategies for healthcare environments. Overall, this research provides actionable insights that can be shared with a broader range of practitioner groups through Polsky funding, enabling the findings to be put into practice in healthcare design.

Frank Koe, Honorable Mention

Fabric for the Designed Interior, Third Edition is published by Bloomsbury. The illustrated 12-chapter volume with Instructor’s Guide and STUDIO covers content that would be expected of a university text. However, the chapters are also intended for established designers, architects, fabric editors, manufactures, and others with more than a casual interest in the vital role fabric plays in humanizing residential and commercial spaces. The role of fabric is shown to have a profound impact on human civilization in defining cultural identity, economics, and globalization.

The Third Edition, details the fabric story explaining its origins, creation of fibers, how fabric is produced, sold, and converted into furnishings and floor coverings. Special emphasis is placed on environmental considerations, safety, codes, and the increased role of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative AI, and Machine Learning (ML). The book pairs content with NCIDQ standards.

The text also address fabric for travel and leisure including space exploration. The concept here is that students are given the opportunity to learn that professional interior designers can design interiors beyond residential and/or commercial. This notion is reinforced in Chapter 9 where many modes of transportation are highlighted. One inspiring interview (all chapters contain interviews with practicing experts) was conducted with Zaniz, an accomplished international designer based in London with considerable experience designing yachts. Her comprehensive experience with Luminosity serves to inspire students to widen their perspective and scope on what the profession of interior design can offer.

William Mangold, Honorable Mention

“The Interiors Theory Primer” addresses a central question: how can interior design be understood as a coherent field of knowledge that connects human experience, material environments, and social meaning? In response, the book maps the intellectual terrain of interiors, offering a structured framework for interpreting how people perceive, inhabit, and are shaped by interior space.

Organized into three parts, the book begins with foundational concepts—place, identity, materiality, and atmosphere—before examining the boundaries, methods, and expertise of the discipline, and concluding with emerging and critical topics such as biophilia, virtual environments, and social justice. Each chapter synthesizes key scholarship through focused literature reviews and pairs these ideas with design precedents, translating theory into practical insight for designers and educators.

A primary contribution of the work is the articulation of interiors as a distinct yet interdisciplinary domain, bridging environmental psychology, architecture, and critical theory. The book advances the insight that interior environments are not neutral containers but dynamic systems that shape behavior, perception, and cultural values. By foregrounding atmosphere, experience, and spatial identity, it reframes interiors as active participants in the construction of everyday life.

Designed to be accessible to students, useful to practitioners, and generative for scholars, The Interiors Theory Primer provides a shared conceptual foundation for the field, supporting more reflective, socially responsive, and theoretically grounded approaches to design.

Lindsey Walker

“Examining Project Communication within Design Teams Operating in Hybrid Work Environments” is a dissertation that explores communication dynamics and wellbeing in a U.S.-based architecture and design firm. The study analyzes how teams collaborate using physical and digital tools to enhance interaction and workplace efficiency in hybrid settings, focusing on interior designers and architects.

The research investigates how communication evolved during the pandemic, considering design tasks, generational differences, and time pressure. A central finding is that intentional communication—rather than casual, post hoc interaction—is critical for high-performing teams. The study highlights the role of homophily, where individuals with shared traits and experiences communicate more effectively, reflected in communication behaviors across generations.

High-performing teams favored synchronous communication methods (e.g., video calls, in-person meetings) over email or instant messaging when generational differences existed, particularly in early design phases. This behavior supports proximity theory while acknowledging that some tasks can be effectively performed away from the office.

The dissertation emphasizes the impact of time pressure on communication choices and the pivotal role of project managers in shaping communication strategies. It offers practical recommendations for optimizing collaboration and performance in hybrid environments.

By extending theoretical insights and offering actionable guidance, this study provides valuable implications for design firms navigating the complexities of hybrid work—particularly in fostering stronger communication, cross-generational collaboration, and more effective project outcomes.

Fatemah Dianet, Honorable Mention

In hot and dry climates, educational buildings often face significant thermal stress due to high temperatures, and low humidity. Ensuring thermal comfort in these environments is essential not only for energy efficiency but also for student health, concentration, and learning outcomes. This study investigates the effectiveness of two passive ventilation strategies stack ventilation and cross ventilation in enhancing indoor thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption in educational buildings located in hot and dry climates.

The main research question guiding this study was: How can the design strategies that incorporate cross ventilation and stack ventilation in a courtyard-integrated school building improve thermal comfort and reduce energy consumption? To investigate this, a sustainable art school was designed by incorporating central and peripheral courtyards as the outdoor learning environment and by laying out the orientation and openings based on local wind direction and sun patterns.

High-resolution Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted using Butterfly and Eddy3D to evaluate airflow behavior under two scenarios: one using only cross ventilation and the other integrating stack ventilation through courtyard openings. Results demonstrated that the mixed strategy improved airflow uniformity and raised the acceptable temperature range by up to 4°C (39.2°F) in key interior spaces. Stack ventilation, in particular, contributed to more balanced air distribution, reducing stagnation zones and enhancing comfort without increasing energy demand.

This study contributes to evidence-based strategies in sustainable design and offers a scalable model for architects aiming to design healthier, low-energy educational environments in climate-challenged regions.

Tamie Glass

People and Spaces: Experience, Ethics, and Intent is an interdisciplinary volume that explores how design influences health, wellbeing, and the human experience. Co-edited by interior designer Tamie Glass and social psychologist Lindsay T. Graham, the book brings together contributors from interior design, psychology, neuroscience, environmental studies, anthropology, and more. Published by Routledge (UK) in their Psychology division, it reflects a growing recognition of the built environment’s role in shaping behavioral, emotional, and planetary outcomes.

Structured around three core themes—Shaping Experience, Considering Ethics, and Crafting Intent—the book presents essays, interviews, and case studies that examine the spatial dimensions of the human condition. Contributors explore how design affects perception, emotion, behavior, and social connection, and how ethical and intentional approaches can support human health, inclusion, accessibility, and ecological resilience.

At the heart of the book is the Framework for Positive Person–Space Relationships, a conceptual model that guides designers and researchers in shaping environments that promote physical, psychological, and environmental wellbeing. The volume concludes with a set of Universal Truths—timeless principles distilled across the chapters—offering grounding in an era of complexity and change.

Designed to bridge theory and practice, People and Spaces invites students, educators, researchers, and practitioners to see interior environments as vital mechanisms for improving lives and advancing wellbeing. Its interdisciplinary lens and actionable tools support collaboration across sectors and disciplines. The book’s emphasis on intentional, ethical, and experience-driven design makes it a valuable resource for shaping healthier, more responsive environments—for both people and the planet.

Ladan Khalvati, ASID

My name is Ladan Khalvati, and I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Interior and Environmental Design at Texas Tech University. Beginning with a Bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering from Shiraz University, my educational journey has encompassed a diverse exploration of design principles, computational techniques, and environmental considerations. Graduating to graduate studies in Computational Design at Pars University, I honed skills in computational techniques and digital tools, laying the groundwork for my future endeavors in design. Continuing my academic pursuits, I obtained a Master of Science in Environmental Design from Texas Tech University, specializing in design for health, sustainability, and education. During this time, I focused on creating inclusive spaces for individuals with learning and developmental disabilities, emphasizing accessibility and user-centered design principles. Throughout my journey, marked by academic accolades, including awards, scholarships, and grants, I've developed a profound sense of responsibility as a designer. Through teaching, research, and professional practice, I am dedicated to advocating for design solutions that prioritize the well-being and experiences of individuals and communities. As I continue my Ph.D. journey, I am driven by a profound eagerness to make a positive impact as an interior designer. My ultimate goal is not just to create aesthetically pleasing spaces but to design environments that enhance the quality of life for diverse populations. With a keen focus on accessibility, sustainability, and inclusivity, I am eager to leverage my multidisciplinary background and practical experience to innovate and push the boundaries of interior design.

This research delves into a comprehensive examination of an innovative sustainable hotel design situated in Shiraz, Iran, showcasing three pioneering concepts: a dynamic Voronoi façade, inspired by the adaptive nature of morning glory flowers; the strategic implementation of Voronoi patterns in both façade and landscape design; and the seamless integration of solar energy through the installation of solar panels on the hotel's building and parking roofs. Drawing inspiration from the responsive characteristics of morning glory flowers, which dynamically adjust their shape in response to sunlight, the application of biomimicry principles enriches the hotel's environmental adaptability. The utilization of Voronoi patterns plays a pivotal role in optimizing the hotel's functionality, addressing aspects such as natural light distribution, airflow management, and structural efficiency. Furthermore, the integration of solar panels not only enhances the hotel's energy efficiency but also aligns with its overarching sustainability objectives. Simulation results underscore the system's efficacy, revealing an annual energy production of 4,281,172 kWh, leading to a significant reduction of 9,418,578 pounds of CO2 emissions. This multifaceted approach not only propels the hotel's environmental performance but also sets a precedent for sustainable architecture. The innovative combination of biomimicry, Voronoi patterns, and solar energy systems establishes a benchmark for creating buildings that harmonize with their surroundings, prioritizing environmental responsibility, energy efficiency, and user well-being. Ultimately, this research contributes valuable insights to the discourse on sustainable design, fostering a paradigm shift towards a more resilient and eco-conscious future.

Rudy Dieudonne

Sabah Mohammed

Mohammed is an architectural designer and researcher at Perkins&Will. Mohammed is passionate about addressing healthcare challenges through the lens of human-centered design. Previously, Mohammed was an E. Todd Wheeler Health Fellow at Perkins&Will, Atlanta where she conducted research on healing environments for patients with behavioral health needs. Her background in evidence-based design informs her interest in creating better, more equitable environments and services that are grounded in research. Mohammed serves as a member of the Health Guideline Revision committee for the 2026 Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) cycle. Mohammed graduated with a master’s in design and health from the Department of Human-Centered Design at Cornell University and holds a bachelor’s in architecture from the National Institute of Technology, India. At Cornell, she was the recipient of the Patricia J. Harris Scholarship; the Epperson Entrepreneurship Fellowship; the K.C. Mahindra Scholarship and was honored as the 2022 Cornell University Graduate School Degree Marshall.

Rana Hassan Bazaid, Student ASID 

Thesis: Exploring the Connection Between the 14 Patterns of Biophilia and their Potential Restorative Effects on ICU Nurse Burnout and Stress Levels

Oliver Vallerand

Book: Unplanned Visitors: Queer Subversions of Domestic Space

Roshni Parthasarathy

Roshni Parthasarathy is an architect from the city of Mumbai, India. Her interests in architecture and design began at a young age with a fascination in the configuration of spaces and the environments around them. Parthasarathy is currently getting her master’s in interior design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Her MFA graduate thesis is on the impact that interior design has the potential to create and the design and creation of spaces that focus on the physical and psychological well-being of individuals.

Adeleh Nejati

Adeleh Nejati, AIA, PhD, LEED AP, WELL AP, EDAC is an Associate Principal and Senior Healthcare Planner and Researcher with HMC Architects in San Francisco. Driven to enhancing the human experience in healthcare environments for patients, families, and staff, Dr. Nejati received a doctorate in healthcare architecture from Texas A&M University. Her doctoral dissertation on “Restorative Design Features for Hospital Staff Break Areas” is published in numerous peer-reviewed journals receiving awards by the International Academy for Design and Health, and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Previously with architecture firms HKS and HOK respectively, Dr. Nejati served as a healthcare planner and researcher on a variety of projects including Stanford Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, USC Norris Cancer Center, and a 1.5 million square-foot cancer hospital and specialized outpatient clinic facility in Hong Kong.

Crystal Martin, Student ASID

Crystal Martin is an innovative designer focusing on creating interior spaces that have balance. She is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) as well as the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art Southeast Chapter (ICAASE) and is earning her Master of Fine Arts interior design degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She also has an undergraduate degree with minors in drawing and architectural history. As a student, she has won numerous design awards from the ASID community as well as several International Design Awards for Institutional, Hotels & Resorts, as well as Retail projects.

As an interior designer, her design philosophy relies on juxtaposition; balancing history, the present and future in order to create timeless sustainable designs that can be coveted through the tests of time. Her design process starts by looking at the bigger picture down to the fine details, concentrating on wellness for the users, psychologically, physically, as well as an expression for evoking knowledge through the spaces. Her inspiration derives from her experiences growing up in New York City and living in Florence, Milan and Seoul, embodying American, European and Asian influences.

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​Madison Sacramone, Student ASID

​Madison Sacramone is an Interior Design student on a mission to change the world by design. Growing up in New York, she wanted nothing more than to share her compassion and channeled this through storytelling in her art. When the question of college came about during her junior year of high school, she began a journey to discover what she wanted to do. Assisted by her mother, she started an online Fair Trade & Handmade boutique to work with global artisans worldwide. Her passion for human connection and wellbeing led her to pursue her undergraduate degree in Interior Design at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where many of her projects evaluated sustainability and people-centric design. Through her experiences at SCAD, Madison grew as an artist and designer, especially from her time studying in Lacoste, France. During her time abroad she found a new appreciation for travel and began to look at the natural and built environment differently. 

Madison will be pursuing her second degree at the University of Edinburgh: a Master’s degree in Advanced Sustainable Design.

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