ACTIVE ARCHITECTURE
Location: Generic
Status: Research 2014
Task: Design & Project management
“Its about changing the environment to reshape the available choices (you’ll want to walk because it is easier, cheaper, faster, or more enjoyable).” - Jack L. Robbins
Social Problem
An increasingly number of scientific research reveals the health threat of living sedentary. Sitting is already called ‘the new smoking of our generation’ and together with inactivity it is pointed out as the two major contributors for the huge rise of chronic diseases worldwide such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and (some) cancers. For human society it is of a great importance to find preventive solutions and alternatives. Increasing physical activity is the most likely strategy.
Research methodology
Active Architecture is a research by design project in which the relationship between the daily environment, physical activity and (general) health are examined. ‘Possible’ interventions within the living (apartment)and working environment (office), which facilitate an increase of physical activity, are firstly designed. The impact of those spatial interventions are tested afterwards on calorie expenditure (kcal), active time (min) and distances (m and steps) through the simulation of a ‘sedentary’ persons daily routine. This allows for quantitative comparison and conclusions between different spatial interventions and eventually ensures for an estimation of possible health improvement and efficiency.