The CHRD is housed within the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis.
We focus on short- and long-term research projects using the following methods.
Research to evaluate the effectiveness of design
- In-depth case studies on design innovations or hot topics, such as telemedicine
- Multi-site studies to identify the most cost-effective design solutions
- Controlled comparative research studies focusing on the impact of environment design on health (cause-effect relationships)
- Experiment or quasi-experiment
- Before-after
Research to inform/facilitate design decision-making
- Literature review focused on selected design topics (e.g., decentralized nursing)
- Evaluation of building performance (post-occupancy evaluation)
- Evaluation of design innovations in small scale before wide application
- Development of research-based standards, guidelines, tools, and databases