Cognition and the Built Environment
Many researchers study the built environment and the ways in which it can impact accessibility, engagement, and quality of life for different populations. However, not much of this research has focused on the experience of individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). MCI is a relatively new diagnosis and is characterized by difficulties in memory and reasoning beyond the expected effects of aging.
Through a collaborative project with Emory University, the SimTigrate Design Lab is studying individuals with MCI, many of whom might go on to develop Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Many of these individuals are losing their ability to function independently at home and in the community; our goal is to develop ways to make everyday life easier and more joyful for individuals with this diagnosis.
Home Design Guidelines
The SimTigrate Design Lab team has developed a Home Design Guidelines booklet that is designed to support individuals experiencing cognitive decline so they can safely, independently, and comfortably live at home.
It provides home design strategies based on evidence, best practices, and expert recommendations to inform individuals with MCI and their care partners of effective, user-friendly design suggestions to be implemented in home environments.
These suggestions are classified into different levels of effort, ranging from relatively simple do-it-yourself strategies to major home renovations.
Cognitive Empowerment Program
This project, funded by the Cox Foundation, is a collaboration between Emory University and Georgia Tech. The project consists of a number of initiatives:
- Therapeutics Core
- Built Environment Core
- Technology Core
- Innovation Accelerator
These components are intended to work together to build an evidence base for behavioral therapies and built environment and technology interventions for people living with MCI, with the goal of improving the everyday lives of people with MCI in the Atlanta area and around the globe.
The Empowerment Center in Executive Park in Atlanta provides an innovative setting for the day program for people with MCI. Using an open, nature-like design with lighting that can change in brightness and color, the center is a living lab that supports empowerment — not just therapy, but agency and joy — and allows the ongoing study of how people use and respond to the design of the center and for the center to be constantly improved.
The SimTigrate Design Lab runs the Built Environment Core and the Innovation Accelerator. The Built Environment Core team uses co-design and research methods such as spatial analysis and functional scenarios. We informed the design of the Empowerment Center and are expanding the focus to the design of homes and community settings.
The Innovation Accelerator works across all three CEP cores, allowing ideas to be tested quickly so they can be turned into viable solutions. For example, the IA provides annual seed grants to quickly fund and test proposed strategies, allowing some to fail quickly and the most effective to be disseminated and implemented.
