Teaching and Research Area Healthy Living Spaces

People spend 90 percent or more of their time working and living inside buildings and are exposed to indoor thermal, visual, olfactory and acoustic conditions. Numerous studies report building-related health disorders, such as irritation of the eyes, nose and/or throat, skin irritation, and nervous system associated symptoms. Additional stress is caused by thermal, visual, acoustic and/or olfactory stimuli outside individual comfort zones, which vary with the architectural and social context as well as with the characteristics of the individual. Of interest in this context are thresholds between exposures that are considered to be supportive, affect well-being or performance, or ultimately lead to a health impairment or disease. The investigation of these thresholds for a significantly improved prediction of healthy conditions in the context of dynamic and changing boundary conditions, such as climate and demographic change, requires interdisciplinary approaches in combination with international cooperation. In addition, transdisciplinary approaches are required for the transfer of findings into medical and planning practice.

Topics of the teaching and research area newly established by the foundation VILLUM FONDEN are the prevention of so-called building-related health disorders, innovative approaches to the design of living spaces and buildings, analysis of sources of disturbance as well as development and establishment of preventive measures. One focus will be on the further development of methods for recording individual stress thresholds in the context of multi-modal and dynamic exposures together with existing adaptation potentials. To this end, experimental studies in the „Aachen Workplace Simulation Lab“ will be carried out in the future. On the other hand, knowledge is to be gained on how adaptation potentials can be improved and existing sources of disturbance can be minimized by inter- and transdisciplinary approaches during the planning and operation of buildings.

In addition to its own research work, the group sees itself as an inter- and transdisciplinary link between medical research and relevant research activities in the fields of architecture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, psychology, natural and social sciences, electrical engineering and information technology, and aims for appropriate cooperation.

Team
 

Head

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Marcel Schweiker


Assitant

Sinje Küff


Scientific Staff

Kimberly Afamefuna

Reem Al Sayed

Janine Bardey

Evelyn Chan 

Dr. Rania Christoforou

Jacob Eilts

Dr. Jan-Frieder Harmsen

Mina Moayyedi

Dr. Hannah Pallubinsky

PAN, Jian

Bhavya Swapneel Pathak

Dr. Peiman Pilehchi Ha

Suraksha Vegad

Lucy Wiedermann

 

PhD Students

Dalal Abdulhadi  

Jakob Glawe

Maren Hawighorst

Lena Hestermeyer

Tamila Ignatyeva

Vijeesh Kadukkatti

Camilla Kainz

Svenja Lange

Lina Möller  

Nadine Nebel           

Anna Theresa Schubert

 
Guest Scientists

Mateus Bavaresco

Abdelkader Elkounni

Camilla Massucci


Student Research Assistants

Mohammed Aouad  

Christina Braun De La Cruz

Alida Eschenlohr

Janina Körner

Pelin Takimcilar


Alumni

Rudy Assaad (WHB, 2022-2023)

Dr. rer. nat. Simon Barton (Wiss. Mitarbeiter, 2020)

Joelle Bauer (WHB, 2022)

Meta Blomeyer (WHB, 2022)

Neel Dunung (WHB, 2022-2023)

Paula Brumer Franceschini Kagan (Guest Scientist, 2022–2023)

Daniela Kempe (SHK, WHB, 2022-2023)

Anton Mack (WHB, 2022)

Leticia de Oliveira Neves (Guest Scientist, 2022–2023)

Shaomi Rahman (WHB, 2021-2023)

Laura Marín Restrepo (Guest Scientist, 2023–2024)

Shoaib Sarwar (WHB, 2021)

Benjamin Sehring (WHB, 2020-2021)