Design students contribute to Easter Seals initiative

Guest speakers from Kentucky, Colorado and California will address the link between health and design with Washington State University Spokane Interdisciplinary Design students and area architects on Friday, Sept. 20.

In conjunction with the Northwest Architecture for Health Panel and the Easter Seals Society, WSU Spokane will host the seminar on Multigenerational Wellness Design. This is “an all too often overlooked critical relationship,” according to Keith Diaz Moore, assistant professor of architecture and landscape architecture. Diaz Moore is a nationally certified architect with expertise in the design and performance of gerontological and other life-care environments.

Diaz Moore built this semester’s studio class on the Easter Seals national initiative of intergenerational day care/wellness facilities. The WSU Spokane students will take an interdisciplinary approach to designing such a facility in the Lincoln/Monroe Corridor on the north bank.

Funding by the Northwest Architecture for Health Panel allows this seminar to be offered to the students, which includes site visits to some of the cutting edge health facilities recently built in the region. Several leading health-care architects have pledged to participate interactively with students several times during the semester, flying in at their own expense.

While this is an education project for Spokane, Easter Seals will disseminate the final products via their website, providing international exposure of the resulting solutions.

Agenda for Friday, Sept. 20:
11:30 a.m. On the Boards: Potawot Health Village, Arcata, CA — Bob Weisenbach, AIA
12:45 p.m. WSU Spokane Studio Kickoff: Keith Diaz Moore, Ph.D.
1:00 p.m. Multi-Generational Wellness Center — Issues and Opportunities
3:00 p.m. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification and Health-Care Design
4:30 p.m. Adjourn

Featured speakers:
Bob Weisenbach, Mulvany G2 Architects
Keith Diaz Moore, Ph.D., NCARB, Washington State University Spokane
Kathleen Kolenda, Regional Director for Easter Seals Southern California
Tara Beyer, Easter Seals of Western Kentucky
Kristi Ennis, AIA, Boulder Associates, Inc.
Caroline Clevenger, Architectural Energy Corporation (AEC)
Child Life Specialist from Shriner’s Hospitals for Children

All presentations will take place in the Phase One Classroom Building, 668 N. Riverpoint Blvd, Spokane. Presentations from 11:30 – noon will be in Room 118 and presentations from 1 – 4:30 p.m. will be in Room 147.

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