Saúde, Bem-Estar e Arquitetura

Health is determined by where a person lives. Worldwide, a fourth of annual deaths is associated to environmental factors. Poorly ventilated spaces potentiate the dissemination of airborne infectious diseases. Unsafe water supply is still one of the major causes of infant mortality among children, worldwide. Extreme temperatures and humidity importantly contribute for the onset of chronic diseases and death, and Portugal is one of the European countries with highest excess winter mortality rates. Thus, from the choice of building materials to the design of public spaces, health professionals and architects are important stakeholders for health promotion. The United Nations 3rd Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for 2030, “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” is intrinsically related to the 11th SDG, “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable”. Both, together, contribute for the 10th SDG, “Reduce inequality within and among countries”.

This Curricular Unit aims to contribute for these Goals by looking at the intersection of health and architecture, unveiling the health impact of (un)healthy living private and public spaces while fostering the transdisciplinary dialogue between architecture and medicine students, faculty and researchers for the discussion of future healthier environments. Crossing sustainable building practices with awareness for health-promoting environments and exploring how to develop healthier and more sustainable spaces may promote collaborative teaching and research between both organic units and research centers, which have faculty and researchers interested in this theme. This evidence-based, person-centered and holistic approach may contribute for generating consciousness on medical students of the impact of the living contexts on health for more adequate diagnosis and treatment plans, and on future architects for the role of design for the development of healthy living environments, creating a transdisciplinary and multilevel approach for a more equitable, efficient and sustainable promotion of health through the spaces where people live in.