Health and Well-being

IFI seeks to foster research and teaching on the multiple aspects of health and wellbeing in the built environment with a goal of understanding the determinants of health and wellbeing, and the role that design advocacy plays in shaping the quality of people’s lives.   

Resiliency

IFI stands to contribute to the concept of resiliency in public discourse by examining the risks facing our built environment through the lens of sustainable development, disaster planning and climate change (adaptation). 

Social Responsibility/Humanitarianism

IFI proposes that environments create better places, affect society, influence social conditions, and make a community more livable by contributing positively to our social fabric and improving quality of life. 

Economic Viability (Live Well, Live Small)

IFI seeks to increase the overall value of the built-environment over its lifetime; therefore, to fully understand the power of good design as it provides an opportunity to reduce the ultimate cost of any built-environment project through long term efficiency and viability, and also to generate real value across all aspects of society.

Environmental Stewardship 

IFI’s stewardship is to influence ethical and socially responsible development: to plan and design sustainable, resilient, carbon-neutral and healthy built environments that protect and enhance natural resources and wildlife habitats, provide clean air and water, generate on-site renewable energy, and advance more livable buildings and communities.

Universal Design 

Universal Design (UD), or Inclusive Design, is “design for all people”. It seeks to create an environment with the widest possible use, addressing the needs for all age groups and people of different abilities including temporary disability. The move towards UD has developed in part due to the expanding aging population with varying degree of abilities, their demands for recognition and desire for independent living.