| Motto | Indoor Health Begins Here |
|---|---|
| Established | 2014; 10 years ago (2014) |
| Field of research | Health, Wellness, Design, Real Estate, Technology |
| Director | Barbara Spurrier, MHA |
| Location | Rochester, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States |
| Affiliations | Mayo Clinic, Delos Living |
| Website | welllivinglab.com |
The Well Living Lab is a scientific research center that uses exclusively human-centered research to understand the interaction between health and well-being and indoor environments. Its design incorporates a large degree of control over research variables through a modular, reconfigurable space that simulates real-world environments. The Well Living Lab was founded a collaboration between real estate firm Delos Living LLC and Mayo Clinic. It is located in Rochester, Minnesota.
History
The Well Living Lab was first announced on September 9, 2014, at Mayo Clinic's Transform 2014 conference. The official launch of the Well Living Lab occurred on September 30, 2015, at Mayo Clinic's Transform 2015 conference.
Lab Facility and Capabilities
The Well Living Lab comprises 5,500 square feet of research space that is designed to accurately simulate real-world environments while also being embedded with a wide array of environmental and biometric sensors. The lab's facility is also highly modular, allowing for rapid reconfiguration between studies. This allows researchers to specify exactly the environment they wish to study. The lab's control center is designed to allow researchers to view and analyze data in real time during a study and to conduct real time analytics.
Research Agenda
The Well Living Lab's research agenda is focused on studying the effect that buildings, and the things in them, have on human health. This will include environmental factors such as lighting, temperature, air quality, furniture, design, and more. Health outcomes that the lab will study include sleep quality, productivity, stress levels, cardiovascular health, and more. Mayo Clinic researchers from many disciplines will serve as the principal investigators in these studies. Researchers intend to combine environmental sensors, wearable and other biometric sensors, as well as observation.
References
- "Mayo Clinic and Delos®, the Pioneer of Wellness Real Estate™, Announce Agreement to Establish the WELL Living Lab" (Press release). Mayo Clinic. September 9, 2014. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
- "Well Living Lab Opens During Mayo Clinic Transform 2015" (Press release). Delos Living. September 29, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
- Segran, Elizabeth. "Mayo Clinic Launches Ambitious Study On How Being Indoors All The Time Affects Us". Fast Company. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ^ Stinson, Liz (October 4, 2015). "Why the Mayo Clinic Modeled Its New Lab on a Stuffy Office". Wired Magazine. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- Hedgecock, Sarah. "With High-Tech Apartment Block, Mayo Clinic Wants Volunteers To Live The Lab Rat Life". Forbes. Retrieved 9 October 2015.