If so you already know it is a great resource. If not, you need to check it out. The Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) is a major sponsor and contributor to this robust resource, enabling healthcare architects to perform rapid literature searches for research findings to inform their project work.
The Knowledge Repository is a searchable database of research studies, articles, and scholarly papers hosted and maintained by the Center for Health Design. The AAH provides ongoing financial support. AAH Research Initiatives Committee members sit on its advisory team to guide its structure and content to ensure that it is developed as a significant and usable tool for architects.
It is a ‘bridge’ between the research community and architects and designers by providing summaries of studies in the database identifying key findings, limitations, and applicability. In addition, full citations and abstracts are included, and in many cases, the entire paper is linked to the entry. The information is searchable by topics or keywords.
Since launching in 2012, it has grown to have over 600 key point summaries. Eventually to be included are all AAH Foundation research grants, the Academy Journal archives, over 3,000 papers collected by CHD over several years, and continued annual additions as new research is created.
To access it, visit aia.org/aah and the information is towards the bottom of the homepage on the left-hand side.
If you haven’t used it, we invite you to take a look—you will find it to be a powerful collection of studies, easily accessed, downloaded and printed. Also, later this year, in order to learn how it is being used by you, a brief survey will be sent to you to learn more about architect’s usage patterns. Stay tuned!