Evidence-based design, which bases design decisions on the best available current research evidence, is gaining traction among architects. Expanding the field from its origins in healthcare to other building types such as education, criminal justice, commercial, industrial, and places of worship, this book introduces design professionals to the concept of evidence-based design and its use in the creation of high performance environments. It focuses on the methods by which design professionals and their clients can create better buildings by critically interpreting the implications of credible research and careful observation of completed projects. Drawing a direct link between evidence and application, the authors provide examples of credible research that supports evidence-based design are presented, as well as specific applications and case study examples.

D. Kirk Hamilton, FAIA, FACHA, is associate director of the Center for Health Systems & Design and associate professor of architecture at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on the relationship between evidence-based design of health facilities and measurable organizational perform-ance. A founding principal emeritus of WHR Architects, Hamilton is a board-certified healthcare architect with thirty years' experience in hospital design. Currently on the board of The Center for Health Design, Hamilton has served as president of both the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health and the American College of Healthcare Architects.

David H. Watkins, FAIA, is chair-man and founding principal of WHR Architects in Houston, a nationally recognized firm specializing in high- performance buildings for healthcare, science, and higher education. A longtime advocate for advancing the knowledge resources available to the profession of architecture, Watkins served as a vice president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and inaugural chair of the AIA board's knowledge committee in 2004. He serves on the advisory boards for the architectural programs at Rice University and The University of Texas at Austin, and from 2005 to 2007, he was a director of the National Architectural Accrediting Board.