Spaces communicate a lot about how you are supposed to behave. In a library, everything about the lighting and the furniture tells you to be quiet and contemplative. Or a conference room indicates where to sit and where to look.

Dr. Upali Nanda has done a lot of work around the intersection of architecture and neuroscience. And she’s figuring out how to create workplaces designed to make our brains healthier.

We first caught up with Upali in New York where she presented her team’s work at the United Nations General Assembly's "Brain Capital Alliance" summit hosted in the Steelcase New York City WorkLife. She is Global Practice Director of Research and a Partner at HKS, and executive director of the Center for Advanced Design Research and Evaluation which is a non-profit founded by HKS. She also teaches at the University Michigan in the school of architecture and urban planning.

She has extensive experience leading research projects in design practice, focusing on the impact of design on human health and perception. She was awarded the Women in Architecture Innovator Award and sits on the board of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture.

In this episode, learn about a living lab in Atlanta that’s creating a workplace designed for brain health and helping people learn how to make the most of it to create joy and happiness at work.

Additional resources:

Read Getting to a Brain Healthy Workplace to download the full report Upali Nanda talks about https://www.hksinc.com/how-we-think/reports/getting-to-a-brain-healthy-workplace/

Read insights about how to design moments of joy at work www.steelcase.com/WBnew

Get the latest workplace design, insights and research: www.steelcase.com/subscribe

Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.