HEDQF Fifth Annual Conference: Design for Wellbeing in Higher Education

The fifth Higher Education Design Quality Forum (HEDQF) Annual Conference will be held at The University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum on the 18th June preceded by a reference visit to the Bayes Centre on 17th June.

The conference will be based in the Informatics Forum by Bennetts Associates adjacent to the newly-opened Bayes Centre, also designed by Bennetts Associates, which brings together academic staff and students working in the fields of Data Technology, Design Informatics, Maths and Robotics with start-up / spin-out companies and industrial collaborators and acts as a gateway into the university’s campus at George Square.

Throughout the day we will consider why wellness is important in higher education and the role that design has to play, and wellness tools being used by universities, and in other sectors.

Programme (may be subject to change)

17th June – Bayes Building, University of Edinburgh

18:00   Pre-conference registration and Drinks Reception – to include talks from:

• Gary Jebb, Director of Estates at the University of Edinburgh on the masterplan and philosophy behind the Informatics and Bayes Buildings
• Rab Bennetts, Founding Director, Bennetts Associates, on the design of the Informatics and Bayes Buildings
• Karen Pickering, Page & Park, on the design of the new Student Centre at the University

20:00   End

18th June – Main Conference: Informatics Forum, University of Edinburgh

09:00   Registration & Coffee

10:00   Welcome and Introduction – Julian Robinson, LSE Director of Estates & HEDQF Chair

10:05   Keynote talk – Why wellness is important, and the role of the built environment, drawing on the Health Education and Higher Education sectors by Jim MacDonald, Chief Executive of Architecture and Design Scotland

10:25   Keynote talk – How individuals and organisations can bring about change in the way we live, work and create the built environment by Marie Dariel, Coach and Consultant for Wellbeing

10:45   Discussion

11:00   Client perspective ‘Different perspectives from university and other clients’ – Interactive Discussion session

• Helen Groves, Architect Director, Atkins Global (Chair)
• Eleanor Magennis, Senior Project Development Manager, University of Glasgow
• John Curry, Capital Projects Manager, SRUC Property and Estates Group
• Henry Pelly, Max Fordham
• William Poole-Wilson, Will & Partners on the recent BCO Wellness Guide

What are other people/sectors doing?

12:00   Recent research in wellness and what others are doing, e.g. in the USA by Oliver Milton, HawkinsBrown and Andy Parker, BuroHappold

12:20   The new Kantor Centre of Excellence for the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families and the new eye care, research and educational facilities for Moorfields Hospital and the UCL Institute Ophthalmology by Ian Goodfellow, Penoyre and Prasad

12:40   Lunch in the Informatics Forum, optional visit to McEwan Hall

Student Perspectives

13:40   Update on HEDQF research and outcomes of the 2019 HEDQF research survey results on student views of Student Life by Caroline Paradise, HEDQF Research Group Chair and Head of Design Research, Atkins

14:00   Student Panel from the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA) presenting recent work with discussion around the theme of ‘Design for Wellbeing’

• Catharine Ward Thompson, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA), and Director of the OPENspace research centre (Chair)
• Daryl Law, MA Architecture
• Oana Gavris and Peter Wheatcroft, MArch
• Song Zhao, MSc Landscape & Wellbeing

15:00   Tea/Coffee

Designers Perspectives

15:20   How can designers help? An interactive discussion, chaired by Mike Entwisle, Project Principal, Buro Happold, with short presentations focussed on different aspects of design for wellbeing including masterplanning, sports facilities, residences and art in the built environment.

• Peter Fisher, Director, Bennetts Associates
• Jamie Anderson, Senior Sustainability Consultant, BuroHappold
• Andy Simons, Director and Co-Founder, KSS
• Ian Pratt, Director, Scott Brownrigg
• Tazie Taysom, Lead Art Consultant, ARTIQ Art Consultancy

16:20   Conclusion – Where next? What should HEDQF do?

16:35   Close

This event has now taken place.  Full post-conference report available here