HEMAC Follow-on activities

Funder:    
Arts and Humanities Research Council
Principal Investigator:
Prof Tim Sharpe, Department of Architecture, Strathclyde University
Co Investigators:  
Dr Grainne McGill, MEARU, Glasgow School of Art
Prof Graham Devereux, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Project partner:  
Chris Morgan, John Gilbert Architects

The purpose of the follow-on project is to disseminate knowledge gathered from the HEMAC network to wider groups of stakeholders. The network brought together a range of international and interdisciplinary researchers to examine interactions between design and health arising in modern houses. However, it is clear that much of this knowledge remains in academic silos and given current issues on indoor air quality and government targets for housebuilding, there is an urgent need to translate this into information that can be accessed and utilised by a wider range of participants in order to improve public health. The project will therefore gather the academic and clinical knowledge gathered in the network about the effects of IAQ, ventilation and health and use this to produce accessible information and guidance for building users, building designers and building legislators.

This includes:

Home user-guide
Information for occupants about sources of pollutants and effective ways of ventilating homes

Patient focus groups
Specific information for particularly vulnerable occupants, through engagement with patient groups

Design Guidance
Design advice and guidance, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) content for building designers and client groups

Policy roundtable event
Synthesis of research knowledge into advice and recommendations for policy advisors, design legislation and advocates