WELab

Goals

The mission of the Workplace Ecology Lab (WELab) is to create sustainable and healthy human-centered environments. Our team conducts research on the interdependent relationship between human outcomes and the built environment in various settings, such as workplaces, university campuses, homes, and communities affected by climate-related displacement. To achieve this, we employ a diverse array of mixed methods, encompassing data analytics, sensors, wearables, climate migration mapping, participatory design, and image generation AI. This multidisciplinary approach allows us to comprehensively understand and improve the spaces where people live, work, and learn—especially in the face of environmental and societal stressors.

Issues Involved or Addressed

Our research on Cognitive-Aging-in-Place evaluates the efficacy of home interior designs in supporting the functional independence and cognitive health of aging individuals with cognitive decline. We focus on designing and modifying homes to meet their changing needs, using a mix of real-world and virtual experiments, wearables, eye tracking, and AI design analysis to enhance safety, ease of navigation, and cognitive stimulation for older adults. Another focus is the Thermal Comfort Prediction Model, aimed at optimizing indoor climates for occupants’ varying thermal preferences. It involves developing a predictive model using personal and environmental data, integrating individuals’ thermal sensations and comfort, skin and core body temperatures, thermal imaging, and ambient thermal conditions. This research can help develop HVAC systems that are energy efficient and responsive to individual needs, which is critical for older adults facing reduced thermal regulation with extreme weather conditions. We are also deeply invested in Indoor Environmental Quality and Human Outcomes, examining how indoor environments affect human health and performance. Our research in this area examines the thermal, visual, and acoustic conditions, as well as indoor air quality, to understand their impact on human well-being and performance and ultimately identify and promote design and operational strategies that improve IEQ. In addition, our work on Climate Migration and Community Resilience explores how the built environment can respond to both acute and chronic forms of climate displacement. This research includes the development of educational frameworks, climate migration mapping, stakeholder interviews, and participatory resilience design. These efforts aim to inform policy, design, and humanitarian strategies that support displaced populations in vulnerable regions around the globe. Students will take a module-based research approach called Global

Perspectives in Climate Migration: Resilience, Relocation and Sustainable Futures, guided in part by UN Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this initiative, the WELab team is developing EVAC+, a research-based tool that leverages data analytics, participatory mapping, and resilience design to support evacuation planning and climate migration adaptation. EVAC+ is designed to address both acute events such as hurricanes and floods, as well as chronic challenges like heat stress and sea-level rise, ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to safer, smarter, and more equitable relocation strategies.

Partners/Sponsors

Cognitive Empowerment Program (2024) Sustainability Next (BBISS) Center for Teaching & Learning (USEI Grant