ICAT Playdate: Enhancing Living Environments: Immersive Biophilic Spaces for Older Adults

Term: Fall 2025

Date: September 5th, 2025

Time: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Location: Community Assembly in the Creativity + Innovation District Living-Learning Community

Instructor: Phyllis Newbill

Presented By: Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT)

Description:

Biophilic design is an architectural and interior design approach that aims to enhance the connection between people and nature within the built environment. It has been shown to benefit the well-being of older adults, a population that is growing in the United States. This project seeks to integrate the indoor environments of senior living facilities with virtual experiences of the natural world by creating a immersive biophilic space through mobile augmented reality (AR).

Speakers:

Ruichuan Zhang, Assistant Professor, Myers-Lawson School of Construction;

Pamela Teaster, Professor, Center for Gerontology;

Tanyel Bulbul, Associate Professor, Myers-Lawson School of Construction;

Faraz Khojasteh Far, Graduate Student, Architecture (Now at Georgia Tech);

Akash Reddy Mallepally, Graduate Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering;