What Design Can Do: Bridging Human Experience, Neuroscience, and Architecture

Join us for the second event in the three-part series, What Design Can Do for Human Health and Community Wellbeing, presented by the AIANY Social Science and Architecture Committee. This event invites designers, engineers, architects, students, and anyone interested in the built environment to reflect on how design shapes our daily lives and overall well-being.

Building on the short film What Design Can Do, the guest panelists will discuss the importance of how design impacts human experience, and the challenge of integrating evidence-based design and neuroscience insights into architectural education and practice.

Representing diverse fields including design, development, academic research, and government agencies, the panelists will examine the critical role of architects, social scientists, and allied professionals in centering the human experience within the design process. The discussion will address current challenges, uncover opportunities for innovation, and offer actionable strategies for creating healthier, more equitable environments through collaborative design.

Speakers:
Mariana G. Figueiro, Ph.D., Professor, Mount Sinai
Suchi Reddy, FAIA, Founding Principal, Reddymade Architecture
Milton Shinberg, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Milton Shinberg Architect
Margaret O’Donoghue Castillo, FAIA, LEED AP, Chief Architect, New York City Department of Design and Construction

Moderator:
Margaret O’Donoghue Castillo, Chief office Architect, DDC

About the Speakers:
Mariana G. Figueiro is Mount Sinai Professor of Light and Health Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of the Light and Health Research Center (LHRC). Dr. Figueiro is well known for her research on the effects of light on human health, circadian photobiology, and lighting for older adults. She holds a bachelor's in architectural engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and a master's in lighting and a doctorate in multidisciplinary science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her master's and Ph.D. dissertation research focused on the human circadian response to light.

In addition to performing basic research investigating the impact of light on physiology, Dr. Figueiro conducts field studies examining the impact of circadian-effective lighting in office spaces and works in nursing homes and assisted living facilities to use light to improve sleep, mood and behavior in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment patients. She also works with Mount Sinai physicians to improve the lives of those undergoing cancer treatments and who are suffering from Parkinson’s disease and other neurological diseases. Among many other projects, she is field-testing novel lighting systems to reduce falls.

Suchi Reddy is an architect and designer exploring neuroaesthetics—the impact of design on perception and well-being. As founder of Reddymade, she integrates neuroscience and architecture to create environments that foster connection, rest, and empowerment. Guided by her philosophy, “form follows feeling,” her work spans public art, healthcare, and research on neurodiversity. Notable projects include A Space for Being, an installation with Google demonstrating consciousness. A professor at Columbia University and frequent lecturer on design and wellbeing, she champions design’s role in shaping empathetic, equitable, and enriching environments.

Milton Shinberg is Principal Emeritus at Shinberg Levinas Architects and an Adjunct Associate Professor at The Catholic University of America. A graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University, he has over 45 years of experience designing public and private schools, religious spaces, and institutional buildings. His work has been nationally recognized and published, with numerous AIA design awards across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Shinberg is also the author of People-Centered Architecture: Design, Practice, Education and has served on prominent design review boards including the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. 

Margaret (O’Donoghue) Castillo is the Chief Architect of the New York City Department of Design and Construction. A first for the agency, the Office of the Chief Architect was created to assure that the ideas of Design and Construction Excellence factor into all DDC projects. She also works across multiple agencies in collaboration to advance design excellence in equity, sustainability, resiliency, and health. Currently, she is working on the new Active Design Guidelines 2.0 with DOHMH and other city agencies.

Castillo served as 2011 President of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and was 2016 President of AIA New York State. An expert on energy policy, she organized the Buildings = Energy exhibition at the Center for Architecture and brought its case studies to Tokyo in 2011. In previous private practice, Castillo specialized in sustainable design and historic preservation projects and was responsible for the design of many public buildings, including libraries and schools. She has been on the Board of Directors for various institutions such as the Fine Arts Federation, the Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization, and New York Building Congress.