Hospitals are a not only full of patients and clinicians, but they’re also incubators and living environments for entire microbe ecosystems. Jessica Green, an engineer and ecologist at the University of Oregon and the Santa Fe Institute, wanted to look into the nature of the microorganisms around a hospital and how the design of the building promotes or impedes the formation of a healthy environment. Turns out that the biomes of various areas are significantly different from each other, falling into groups, and the building’s ventilation system can be implemented intelligently to create a proper balance. In addition to being concerned with only comfort and efficiency, engineers can also be trained to get into the business of “structuring biomes in a building.” Here’s the entire talk from TED 2013:
Link @ TED: Jessica Green: Good germs make healthy buildings…