Ellerbe Becket has undertaken a number of initiatives to make practice-based research an integral part of the firm’s culture. Among them:

In-House Healthcare Research Database: Accessible to all employees, this database contains over 200 peer-reviewed research articles and healthcare-related websites, and provides “one-stop research shopping” for employees.

Funded Research: practice-driven research funded or co-funded by Ellerbe Becket. The goal is to promote the role of practice-based research; to explore the role of research in understanding the world of healthcare design; and experiment with research methods most appropriate to the complex social science world of healthcare. This is the firm’s way of using its assets to promote research and development in our field.

Healthcare Connection: monthly firmwide meetings, held via Webex, used to share healthcare project information, current research in a particular topic area or updates on healthcare conferences attended by employees. All employees of the firm are invited to participate. On occasion, clients are invited to participate as well.

Speaker Series: employees share their integration of research within the firm and experiences with using research in projects at conferences throughout the world. We are also co-sponsors (with the University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality and Healing) of a speaker series on Optimal Healing Environments, which brings leading thinkers in healthcare research to the Twin Cities for public lectures.

Research Used in Projects: client-driven requests to integrate research into the design decision-making process.

Mock-Ups: study of the effect of full-scale mock-ups on facility users, both functionally and aesthetically. A variety of methods can be used to study the questions at hand.