An interview with Lisa Finlay, Group Leader and Partner at Heatherwick Studio, is featured on the latest BBC Radio 4 show and podcast ‘What’s Up Docs?’,
on the subject of how buildings affect our health.

Lisa met the presenters of the popular health and well-being show – the twin-brother doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken – at Coal Drops Yard in London’s Kings Cross. The public space and retail destination, designed by Heatherwick Studio and completed in 2018, is one of Chris’s favourite places in the city. As he explains in the episode, “the reason the space has those happy associations is I think a lot to do with the way the space was designed… a space that you could come with your partner and your children to relax”. 

As well as talking about the studio’s approach to Coal Drops Yard, Lisa described 
the health benefits of joyful architecture.  

“There is growing evidence about how buildings really engage us – they can uplift us, they can change our emotions, they can make us feel more positive,’ she said. “As you walk past an uninspiring building, what is your body doing? And if you walk past a much more engaging building, how does your body react? And those are things like stress levels, blood pressure,
even how you move.” 

In an accompanying extra podcast ‘Doctors’ Notes’, the Van Tulleken brothers and Lisa dived deeper into how human-centred architecture aids health. Subjects included the science of how buildings both delight and repel us, the importance of visual complexity, and what doctors can learn from architects. 

 

You can listen to the episodes here:

Apple Music: Episode 126 / Episode 127

Spotify: Episode 126 / Episode 127

 

Image: BBC