Healing Spaces: Designing Physical Environments to Optimize Health, Wellbeing, and Performance.

This Special Issue on Healing Spaces includes eight articles consisting of studies at the interface between design and health. The articles address some of the latest findings using state-of-the-art technologies, important outcomes for human health and wellbeing, and suggest exciting directions for the future of this research field.

Designing Interiors to Mitigate Physical and Cognitive Deficits Related to Aging and to Promote Longevity in Older Adults: A Review.

Background: With the increasing global population of older adults, there is a need for environmental interventions that directly affect their physical, psychological, and emotional well-being to help them maintain or regain their independence and autonomy - all of which promote longevity.

Methods: To better understand potential opportunities and challenges associated with interior design and "future homes" that may promote well-being, aging in place, and independent living in older adults, the authors reviewed relevant literature and included their own expert opinions from a multidisciplinary point of view including interior design, wellness, and engineering.

Results: After summarizing existing environmental interventions for the aging population and their effectiveness, this review reveals knowledge gaps in interior design for the well-being and longevity of older adults followed by a discussion of opportunities for future research that may fill these gaps.