Thomas Heatherwick's Humanise Launches £1.5m Research Partnership to Fight UK's "Blandemic"
The Humanise campaign, led by Thomas Heatherwick, in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has introduced a £1.5 million research project titled Delivering Humanised Places. This initiative will investigate the effects of building and streetscape design on wellbeing in the UK, assessing whether aesthetic enhancements contribute to health, pride, and a sense of belonging, along with analyzing socio-economic advantages. Launched in 2023, Humanise seeks to address the "blandemic" associated with uninspired development. Research indicates that 76% of UK citizens feel that the appearance of buildings influences mental health. The project will emphasize local input and offer resources for mayors and developers. Heatherwick criticized previous design trends, while writer Owen Hopkins deemed the campaign "an incredibly reductive way" to evaluate architecture.
Key facts
- Delivering Humanised Places is a £1.5 million research project led by Humanise, the University of Glasgow and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
- Humanise was established by Thomas Heatherwick in 2023.
- The research will examine how external building and street design affects wellbeing, pride and belonging, plus socio-economic benefits.
- Humanise says its own research found 76 per cent of people in the UK believe building appearance affects mental health.
- The project aims to influence policy by offering resources to mayors and developers for regeneration and development projects.
- Heatherwick said the UK government's plan to build new towns in England is "a rare opportunity" for human-centred design.
- Heatherwick criticised decades of building design driven by efficiency and cost and focused on interior users.
- Writer Owen Hopkins has criticised the Humanise campaign as "an incredibly reductive way of assessing the built environment".
Entities
Artists
- Thomas Heatherwick
- Owen Hopkins
- Artur Kraft
Institutions
- Humanise
- University of Glasgow
- UK Research and Innovation
- UKRI
- Dezeen
Locations
- United Kingdom
- England
- Glasgow
- Scotland
Sources
- Dezeen —