On October 14, 2015, Metropolis magazine publisher and editor-in-chief Susan S. Szenasy led a panel at ZGF’s Seattle office as part of the Metropolis Think Tank series discussing the benefits of circadian lighting strategies for workplace and health care facilities. An edited transcript of the conversation is now available at the Point of View section of the Metropolis website.

The panel featured ZGF designers Mark Gesinger and Kari Thorsen alongside Lisa Reitzes and Susan Geiduschek of ZGF client Seattle Children’s Hospital, as well as ZGF research collaborators Dr. Judith Heerwagen of the U.S. General Services Administration and Dr. Mehlika Inanici of the University of Washington. The presentation also included ZGF designer Ed Clark and architect Marty Brennan, who discussed their circadian research and the application of Lark, an open source software plug-in collaboratively designed by the UW and ZGF. The program allows designers to control the color and intensity of light from spectral data to inform environmental design that supports inhabitants’ healthy circadian rhythms. Studies show that circadian health improves productivity, increases rates of healing, and suppots overall well being.