There is research. There is practice. Both have an important place in the totality of a design professional's work. The purpose of research is to inform the design. A design that is informed by research is presumably better than one that is not. Unfortunately, it is rare that design is informed, and in many cases when it is, the quality of the research or the latitude of its interpretation offers little more than a shaky foundation for the design to be built upon.

A responsible design professional will conduct research -- or investigations -- to ascertain vital parameters for a given project, such as code data, user requirements, physical properties of certain materials and budget constraints. This information will be used to inform the development of the design.

Beyond these pragmatic project design criteria, an enormous body of research is based more in theoretical issues of design. Typically, but not always, this research is conducted in academic settings as dissertations or funded studies.

To utilize this information, one must first be aware that it exists. Second, one must figure out how to obtain the specific material that is useful to a particular project. Third, one must be able to critically evaluate the quality of the material. Fourth, one must be able to appropriately apply the material to the needs of the project.

To determine what is available in this field, an easy way to get started is to become acquainted with the proceedings of regular conferences. For example, The Center for Health Design provides proceedings of its annual Symposium on Healthcare Design as the Journal of Healthcare Design, research reports and technical assistance at no charge. An ambitious sleuth will discover many more sources, particularly with the assistance of on-line data searches.

The utility of research to inform design is not limited solely to the field of environment-behavior studies within the area of health care design, a substantial body of research can be found on the relationship between environment and medical outcomes. Additionally, completed research studies can be obtained on functional analyses, aesthetic investigations, ergonomic evaluations, etc.

Perhaps even a better method is to engage the services of a researcher to conduct research that is specific to the needs of a particular project. A benefit of this approach is the opportunity for collaboration, interaction and a more rigorous testing of proposed design solutions as a response to the stated program requirements. Of course, the additional project time and cost might be a disadvantage, although excellent research has been conducted in tandem with design work with notable success.

We are rapidly entering an era when design professionals will be held accountable for the performance of their design solutions. Already, today, the more sophisticated clients use performance capability as criteria for professional selection. For example, retail clients seek specified revenue per square foot in sales, while hospitality clients want predetermined occupancy levels. Health care clients now understand that quality health care design can:

• enhance designed therapeutic outcomes;
• improve staff satisfaction and performance;
• increase visitor and family participation;
• and encourage additional community support.

Performance-based design is the wave of the future. The only way that a design professional can deliver design service at this level of rigor is by employing appropriate research to inform the design, and then measure the results with a post-occupancy evaluation. Currently, the architectural firm of HLW in New York, NY, is involved in a project with a $3 million fee. Depending upon the performance of the staff in the completed building, the architects can receive anywhere from a $100,000 bonus to a $300,000 penalty.

If I were a client today, I would be looking to invest my capital dollars in a project where I had reasonable assurance of a high level of return on my investment based on predetermined performance milestones, a design professional capable of employing current research to accomplish my goals, a measuring system to evaluate performance and a professional relationship that was structured around balanced incentives and risk sharing.

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