The Better Buildings for Humans podcast, powered by Advanced Glazings Ltd., has officially launched its third season, marking a significant milestone for the show that explores the intersection of human wellness and the built environment. The podcast has become a trusted resource for architects, designers, builders, and policy leaders seeking insights into how buildings influence health, dignity, and daily life. Season 3, episode 122, features internationally acclaimed architect Alison Brooks, who discusses housing, beauty, and the cultural power of home. Brooks, the only practitioner to receive all three of the Royal Institute of British Architects' highest honors, emphasizes how architectural elements like deeper windows and thoughtful proportions can reconnect people to light and sky, reinforcing architecture's role in elevating the human experience.
Another notable episode in Season 3 includes a conversation with Thierry Paret, FAIA, Vice President of Architecture and Engineering at the New York City School Construction Authority. Paret provides a large-scale perspective on designing healthy, high-performing buildings across one of the world's largest public building portfolios, overseeing approximately 1,500 school buildings serving nearly one million students. He discusses sustainability in public-sector projects and the responsibility architects have in shaping environments for future generations, drawing on his international career that includes roles in New York State, Qatar, and at the LEED Platinum KAUST campus. This episode offers a grounded view of architecture as civic infrastructure, highlighting the importance of design excellence at scale.
Rounding out the recent episodes is a discussion with Yiselle Santos Rivera, architect, educator, and incoming President-Elect of the American Institute of Architects. Santos Rivera explores how architecture intersects with neuroscience, public health, climate resilience, and economic mobility, advocating for buildings as tools for healing, justice, and joy. She makes a case for a future of architecture rooted in collaboration and community, emphasizing culturally responsive design and healthcare environments. This conversation underscores the podcast's mission to question assumptions and follow evidence in understanding how buildings affect people, as detailed on www.newmediawire.com.
Looking ahead, Season 3 will expand its focus on emerging research and under-examined forces shaping human health inside buildings. Upcoming episodes will explore partial spectrum light and its potential impacts on circadian health, cognition, and long-term well-being, examining how common building technologies like certain LED lighting systems and low-emissivity glazing may alter indoor light quality. The podcast will also delve into the rapidly expanding world of metal buildings, investigating their use in commercial, industrial, educational, and civic applications. These structures can be paired with advanced daylighting strategies, such as translucent glazing systems like SoleraWall® by Advanced Glazings Ltd., to improve occupant comfort, visual quality, and energy performance at scale. These themes reflect the show's core mission to elevate conversations about building impacts on human well-being, ensuring that design decisions are informed by evolving evidence and research.
