Modern Design for Human Health

We are always interested in the future of design. In this case the future is – invisible. Our bodies, homes, and everything we touch are covered with microbes – some are good for us, others not so much. What is really going on in the rooms, offices, and hospitals in which we spend our lives?

Jessica Green, TED 2011 Senior Fellow is an engineer and ecologist who specializes in biodiversity theory and microbial systems. As a professor at both the University of Oregon and the Santa Fe Institute, she is the founding director of the innovative Biology and Built Environment (BioBE), which bridges biology and architecture. Green envisions a future with genomic-driven approaches to architectural design that promote sustainability, human health, and well-being. She is spearheading efforts to model buildings as complex ecosystems that house trillions of diverse microorganisms, interacting with each other, with humans, and with their environment.

Can we design buildings that encourage happy, healthy microbial environments? Watch Jessica Green's TED Talk to learn more.