AccelNet Implementation Phase 1: IN2WIBE 2.0: An International Network of Networks for Well-being in the Built Environment 2.0

The objective of this project is to establish and operate an Interdisciplinary Network of Networks for Well-being in the Built Environment (IN2WIBE 2.0) to advance research where human health, building design, and performance intersect. To move beyond siloed efforts, a unifying platform is critical to connecting diverse perspectives and translate them into integrated, scalable solutions. Building on the success of IN2WIBE 1.0, which engaged engineers, architects, and designers, IN2WIBE 2.0 seeks to expand to include cognitive scientists, neuroscientists, environmental psychologists, ergonomists, healthcare professionals, and others whose joint efforts are essential to understanding and improving humans’ well-being in the built environment. By integrating 10 core networks and 21 supporting partners, this network of networks aims to catalyze cross-disciplinary collaborations, support evidence-based design, and inform future standards and policies for healthier, more resilient, and human-centric buildings and livable communities. It embarks on a suite of coordinated activities, including TEDx events, Pecha Kucha research exchanges, roundtables, and thematic workshops. The project looks to raise awareness of the importance of healthy built environments, educates building occupants and professionals, and supports long-term improvements to public health and quality of life. IN2WIBE 2.0 seeks to generate new scientific knowledge by advancing understanding of how individuals perceive and process spatial features, multisensory cues, and social affordances in the built environment, and how these shape mental models, risk awareness, and interpersonal interactions. More broadly, it looks to serve as a scientific accelerator that integrates diverse disciplinary insights, from cognitive science to engineering to public health, to develop holistic frameworks, methodologies, and tools. Focusing on health, comfort, and work performance, the network intends to drive innovation that improves productivity, cognition, convenience, and well-being across populations and contexts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.