WellSpaces Forum

Neuroarchitecture, conscious design and wellbeing in hospitality

18.11.26 / 15:00h - 19:00h / WELLSPACES FORUM
Session language: Spanish & English

Curated by Alba Méndez (Qualia Estudio)

Less Hype, More Method

For years, designing for wellbeing was a matter of intuition. Today, it is a matter of evidence. WellSpaces Forum is interihotel’s space dedicated to neuroarchitecture and evidence-based design, where scientific knowledge becomes a tool for making project and business decisions.

How does the built environment affect people? How can we measure that impact and turn it into design decisions? The forum brings research and professional practice together to explore the possibilities and limits of evidence, its relationship with profitability, and its role in investment decisions.

WellSpaces Forum brings together professionals from architecture, interior design, development, hotel operations and investment. A keynote by Bill Browning opens the programme, followed by Design in Action: six questions, six specialists and fifteen minutes per presentation. An opportunity to understand how to design spaces that care for people and assess whether they achieve that goal.

Programme

15:00 · Arrival and attendee registration
15:30 · Welcome by AMBIT Cluster

Toni Zaragoza · Director of interihotel
15:35 · Forum opening

Less Hype, More Method
Alba Méndez · Qualia Estudio
15:40 · Keynote

Biophilic design and the built environment
Bill Browning · Terrapin Bright Green

Includes 10 minutes for questions.
16:30 · Coffee break
Design in Action: Six Questions for Evidence-Based Design

Six specialists explore how to connect neuroscience, professional practice and investment: from people’s needs and the evaluation of spaces to the economic and social value of wellbeing.
1. 17:00 · What can neuroscience contribute to the world of design?
  
  María Araya · Qualia Estudio
2. 17:15 · What does it really mean to design based on evidence?
  
  Juan Luis Higuera · University of Cádiz
3. 17:30 · Design is a hypothesis: how do we know if we got it right?
  
  Julia del Río · Locus
4. 17:45 · How do we bridge the gap between neuroarchitecture, evidence and the real world of design?
  
  Natalia Olszewska · IMPRONTA
5. 18:00 · Can we prove that caring for people is profitable?
  
  18:15 · Who is willing to invest in spaces that care for people, and why?
  
  Sophie Schuller · Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and Delft University of Technology
18:30 · Audience Q&A

An open discussion between the audience and speakers to explore the topics covered during the forum in greater depth.

Moderated by: Alba Méndez · Qualia Estudio

Provisional programme, subject to change.

Participants:

Bill Browning

PARTNER, TERRAPIN BRIGHT GREEN
Julia del Río Fernández

ARCHITECT, PHD RESEARCHER & EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN CONSULTANT, LOCUS
María José Araya León

DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, QUALIA ESTUDIO
Juan Luis Higuera Trujillo

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR (PROFESOR TITULAR DE UNIVERSIDAD), UNIVERSIDAD DE CADIZ
Alba Méndez García

CEO & FOUNDER, QUALIA ESTUDIO
Natalia Olszewska

CO-FOUNDER, IMPRONTA
Sophie Schuller

RESEARCH MANAGER & PHD RESEARCHER, TECHNICAL UNIVERSITIES OF DELFT & EINDHOVEN

Register to attend the forum

To attend the forum, you must register for interihotel. Registration does not guarantee a seat: admission is on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to capacity.

We recommend arriving at the forum space at 10:00 for morning sessions or 15:00 for afternoon sessions to improve your chances of getting a seat.

Register for interihotel