Re-envisioning Neonatal Intensive Care through an Interdisciplinary Pedagogical Studio

Abstract

At Rensselaer, an interdisciplinary research team and collaborative studio course with architects and biomedical engineers have coalesced to re-envision the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in order to improve health outcomes of infants. Rensselaer's development of cross disciplinary programs such as its NSF funded: Product Design and Innovation (PDI) – linking Architecture, Engineering and Social Sciences; and Design as a Creative Model for Technical Inquiry – national interdisciplinary workshop dissemination, responds to the mounting concern for the future of professional education. Traditional practices have intensified disciplinary insularity through barriers of language, values, prestige, and proprietary interest. As an alternative to normative practice, we look at the potential for complex problem solving through team based interdisciplinary design, specifically in reconceptualizing neonatal intensive care.