Research Summary
Valerie Greer’s research investigates the intersections of design and health, and examines how places construct platforms for equity and wellness across the lifespan. She uses participatory research methods to focus on place-based issues related to aging and health.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, Northwestern University. Project: Representations of Obeah in Post Colonial Literature - Honors Thesis
- Master of Architecture, Architecture, Washington University in St. Louis. Project: Warehousing Landscapes - Degree Project; Reimagining Post Industrial Landscapes - Fellowship
Biography
Valerie Greer is an architect whose experience in practice has focused on the design of complex building types, including internationally award-winning airports, laboratories and hospitals. Greer was a senior designer on the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the first co-ed research university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that was honored the Chicago Athenaeum Award, the AIA COTE Top Ten Green Award and Research & Design Magazine’s Laboratory of the Year Award.
As a licensed practitioner, Greer is committed to being actively involved from early phases of design through the close of construction on projects, working with cross disciplinary teams to translate ideas, concepts and needs into built environments.
Drawing from her background in practice, Greer focuses on health environments, resilient places and aging in her research and teaching. She has served as Principal Investigator on IRB-approved research at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Utah. Her work is published in international journals including HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, Ageing & Society and the Journal of Applied Gerontology. Her work focuses on interactions that people have with their environments, and draws on lived experiences, observational data and thematic analysis to inform future design thinking about the relationships between place and health.
Greer’s experience bridging between academics and practice has uniquely positioned her to build innovative disciplinary collaborations. She has created workshops and on-site learning opportunities for students who are interested in health environments and design, with topics ranging from mental health to aging. Greer has been awarded with funding to document creative work and research on these topics. Additionally, she has served as an advocate for women in design, having been invited to serve as the faculty advisor by the Women in Architecture and Design (WIAD), where she hosted a speaking event with the internationally acclaimed designer Maya Lin.
Greer is an affiliate member of the University of Utah Center on Aging, a founding member of National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA) Utah, the Vice President of the Community Design Center ASSIST, and a peer reviewer for journals including Health Environments Research & Design Journal and the Gerontologist. She teaches design studios and seminars at the undergraduate and graduate level.