A Gresham Smith-led research study has earned a Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE) with Merit Status from the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA). EDRA CORE is a professional certification that recognizes rigorous, valuable and impactful practice-based research that sparks innovation and promotes best practices in environmental design.
The study, “On the Restorative Break: Understanding the Role of Break Room Design on Nurse Engagement and Satisfaction,” was authored by Gresham Smith’s Lesa Lorusso, Ph.D., MBA, MSArch, RID, Allied AIA, Carolyn Blake, IIDA, LEED AP, EDAC, and Penny Houchens, NCIDQ, IIDA, LEED AP, Lean, alongside University of Florida Health North’s Linda Lawson, DBA, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, and Steelcase’s Robin Maddalena. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the built environment may reduce staff burnout in healthcare settings. The research examines how the design of nurse break rooms at UF Health North’s 92-bed inpatient tower impacted staff wellbeing and turnover.
“Researching how the built environment impacts human behavior and applying that research is imperative for maximizing the impact of our design solutions,” said Gresham Smith Executive Vice President of Healthcare Jim Langlois, AIA. “Achieving EDRA CORE certification is an incredible accomplishment and our team should be proud. Not only will this effort help advance our client’s goals, but by sharing the data and insights we can benefit staff and patients everywhere.”
EDRA CORE’s evaluation framework identifies practice-based environmental design research that is not only rigorous, but also offers measurable value, meets industry challenges, and advances design thinking; recognizes the importance of research in practice; provides a compass to guide designers, researchers, organizations, and manufacturers; and builds on EDRA’s tradition of inquiry, reflection, and collaboration and its commitment to innovation. The 2022 projects met the CORE criteria and were selected for recognition based on the review of a cross-disciplinary panel of reviewers consisting of academic researchers, practice-based researchers, designers, and industry thought leaders.
