From 9-13 February, 2026 the Joint Laboratory of Healthy Space a collaborative project established between the School of Design and Art at Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and OPENspace Research Centre and Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at ECA, held an exhibition of student research and design work at Matthew Gallery in Edinburgh.
The exhibition featured results from the 2024 summer school in BIT, where designs were intended to improve a blue space in Beijing, outputs from the MArch programme at ESALA which feature the design of edge structures along blue spaces, results of the Landscape and Wellbeing programme course on “Landscape design for health and wellbeing” featuring the Union Canal in Edinburgh and doctoral research in landscape architecture which focused on various types of green and blue spaces and their health and wellbeing potential.
Join us at the exhibition launch of the Joint Laboratory of Healthy Space student research and design work followed by a seminar from Dr Mo Han
From 9-13 February, 2026 an exhibition will be held in the Matthew Gallery in Minto House, Chambers Steet, showcasing three different sets of work associated with the Joint Lab of Healthy Space established between the School of Design and Art at Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and OPENspace Research Centre and Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at ECA. This joint lab was set up in early 2023 and collaboration has included summer schools, doctoral seminars and joint publications.
This exhibition features results from the 2024 summer school in BIT, where designs were intended to improve a blue space in Beijing, outputs from the MArch programme at ESALA which feature the design of edge structures along blue spaces, results of the Landscape and Wellbeing programme course on “Landscape design for health and wellbeing” featuring the Union Canal in Edinburgh and doctoral research in landscape architecture which focuses on various types of green and blue spaces and their health and wellbeing potential.
The curators of the exhibition are Professor Simon Bell, co-director of OPENspace, Iain Scott, Senior Lecturer responsible for the MArch course which is showcased, and Dr Mo Han, Associate Professor of BIT and organiser of the summer schools.
Following the opening, Dr Han will present some of her work at an OPENspace seminar, to take place in Seminar Room 4 at Minto House.
Exhibition launch details
Date and Time: Monday 9th February 2026, 12pm
Location: Matthew gallery, Minto House, Chamber Street (In-Person only)
To Register to view the Seminar online please sign up for an online admission ticket through the exhibition event and a Seminar link will be sent to you.
Title: Integrated Strategies for Rural Landscape Planning and Sustainable Development based on Landscape Character Assessment and Cultural Ecosystem Service.
China is currently facing a comprehensive undertaking of rural revitalization. In order to continue the Chinese agricultural civilization and explore the profound rural civilization of our country, it is necessary to base on the historical heritage of rural civilization and the deep value of rural landscapes, and promote the organic unity of rural culture with agricultural economy, ecological environment, and social value. This study is based on the theory of Landscape Character Assessment, deeply analyzes the essence of rural landscape features in China and their Landscape Capacity in response to transformation, and incorporates artificial intelligence technology to carry out scientific and precise pre-planning for rural development, aiming to organically integrate the protection of rural historical value with the development of rural ecological civilization.
Speaker Bio:
Mo Han is an Associate Director of BIT-UoE Joint Laboratory of Healthy Space and Associate Professor at the School of Design and Arts at the Beijing Institute of Technology.
The inauguralPeter Aspinall Memorial Lecture was held on 26th November 2025, marking an opportunity to reflect on the work and legacy of Professor Peter Aspinall and his pioneering contribution to restorative environment research.
The lecture was delivered by Professor Jenny Roe, Mary Irene DeShong Professor of Design & Health and Director of the Centre for Design & Health at the University of Virginia. A former PhD student and long-standing collaborator of Professor Aspinall, Professor Roe explored his influence through the lens of their shared research and mentorship.
Drawing on empirical work developed with multidisciplinary teams at the Universities of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and other UK institutions, Professor Roe highlighted the new paradigms they helped establish and the lasting global impact of this research on the field of environmental psychology.
The recording of the lecture is now available to watch below.
Professor Simon Bell visited the Beijing Institute of Technology Joint Lab of Healthy Space in early January. One of the main activities was the launch of the Chinese translation of the book Urban Blue Spaces, originally published in 2022.
An audience of professors and students attended and the book was presented by Dr Mo Han, the translation editor who not only explained the book but also illustrated how its messages could be and already are being applied in research at BIT and in China.
The launch was followed by a panel discussion and presentations of research by BIT PhD students who are working on aspects of blue spaces.
A delegation from the Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) – Professor Yang Yu, Associate professor Qi Guo and two PhD students Keli Wang and Yuxin Huang – visited ECA, ESALA and OPENspace on the 26 and 27 of November. They toured the architecture and landscape architecture studios with Iain Scott and Simon Bell, met ESALA staff to discuss cooperation and joined a research seminar with landscape architecture PhD students. Simon Bell has been teaching at HIT since 2015 and has built strong connections with the staff and students.
Prof. Catharine Ward Thompson gave a speech at last years FOLAR annual symposium on Ecological Public Health – the future of salutogenic landscapes, which is now available to view online.
The direction Catharine Ward Thompson takes in her research is based on salutogenesis, an approach to human health that examines the factors contributing to the promotion and maintenance of physical and mental well-being rather than disease. Having the types of environment that support good health makes much better economic and cost effective sense for public health. Landscape architecture and management can do a lot to support people in good health through planning, designing and managing the outdoor environment.
Green space is eugenic – it is associated with reducing the difference in health and life expectancy between the most economically deprived people and those better off. There is a need to prove the link between landscape and improved health, and also to determine the mechanisms behind access to green space and health. And this is what Catharine Ward Thompson quietly shares with us here. A lifetime’s research and collaborations with others looking at different age groups, over different time periods and their interaction with a range of landscapes reveals many exciting conclusions, instinctively known and understood by Paxton and Olmsted and Geddes and many others, and here based on peer reviewed evidence. There is huge opportunity with this to fight for and protect the role of landscape anew.
Public Health Scotland hosted the Green Health Learning Network (GHLN) event on Tuesday 16th December, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and community organisations to explore the theme of Blue Health: Research, Practice and Innovative Partnerships.
We’re pleased to share that Prof Simon Bell, Co-Director of OPENspace, spoke at the session, offering insights from ongoing research into the value and potential of blue spaces.
The online session will highlight leading academic research on the wide-ranging benefits of blue spaces, alongside real-world examples from community groups using water-based activities to support healthier lives. Strategic leaders will also share emerging opportunities for collaborative partnership working in this area.
The event was for anyone interested in health improvement, community engagement, or environmental wellbeing.
If you would like to view the event recording and presentation slides, you can request access to the GHLN MS Teams channel below:
Join us as OPENspace honours the remarkable legacy of Professor Peter Aspinall with the first Peter Aspinall Memorial Lecture, taking place on Wednesday 26 November at 6pm in the West Court lecture theatre, Edinburgh College of Art.
Professor Jenny Roe will deliver the lecture, exploring Peter’s pioneering impact on restorative environment research and its global legacy.
This first memorial lecture will highlight Professor Peter Aspinall’s contribution to the field of restorative environment research as viewed through the empirical research of his former PhD student, Jenny Roe, the inaugural Mary Irene DeShong Professor of Design & Health and Director of the Centre for Design & Health, School of Architecture, University of Virginia, USA.
Professor Roe, whom Peter tutored, mentored, and collaborated with from 2005 onwards, will highlight the new paradigms they developed together, in conjunction with multi-disciplinary teams at the Universities of Edinburgh, Heriot Watt and other UK research institutions. She will reflect on the global impact of this collaborative research and how it has changed the discipline of environmental psychology.
The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception at 7pm.
The latest HAPPI Hour webinar, Towards Age-Friendly Futures: Local Practice and Perspectives, brought together academics, practitioners, and policy experts to discuss how we can create inclusive, age-friendly communities, a key recommendation of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce.
Hosted by the Housing Learning and Improvement Network (Housing LIN), the session explored what it truly means to develop age-friendly futures, bridging the gap between research, policy, and everyday experience. The discussion featured a dynamic mix of perspectives, highlighting innovative practice and the latest applied thinking on designing places that support healthy and connected ageing.
Iain Scott from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Architecture, reflected on his Housing LIN guest blog, ‘What Makes a Good Place for Healthy Ageing: Developing a Tool to Assess Ageing in Place‘, and Dr Hannah Marston of The Open Universityshared insights from her recent Housing LIN Viewpoint on affordability and its role in shaping age-friendly cities and communities.
The International Journal of Healthy Space has officially launched, with its first issue now available here. Featuring editorial contributions from Professor Simon Bell, Chief Editor, and Ziwen Sun, Executive Editor, the journal marks an important step in advancing research and practice at the intersection of design and health.
The International Journal of Healthy Space aims to bridge design with the disciplines of health and wellness, fostering collaboration between researchers and practitioners across fields.
Focusing on the core theme of healthy living environments, the International Journal of Healthy Space explores the crucial role of design in promoting health, improving healthcare settings, and enhancing quality of life. The journal places particular emphasis on innovation and application of design in the health field, addressing not only human-centered healthy spaces but also the design and understanding of non-human health environments.
The journal is also inviting submissions for a special issue on the theme of ‘Healthy Urban Landscapes: Designing for Well-being through Evidence and Practice.‘ Aligned with the IFLA Urban Health and Well-being Working Programme 17, this special issue will explore topics including:
Urban environmental stressors and well-being
Lifestyle, behaviour, and urban form
Blue and green infrastructure for health and well-being
