Budding architects tailor their designs to public health UNL students will display 13 master's level projects in Old Market

The future of public health could include building electronics-free sanctuaries on busy sidewalks, or tailoring offices for workers with autism.

Architecture students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will display today 13 projects from their master's level Speculative Research Studio class focused on the future of health and wellness.

The exhibit, part of the First Friday art walk, will be displayed at Omaha By Design, 618 S. 11th St., from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event ties into the nonprofit's goal of engaging the public in urban design and policy. The organization moved to its location in the Old Market this spring in part to host exhibits like this.

The speculative nature of the class sets aside the traditional architecture proposal, with specific locations and dimensions, in favor of the freedom to innovate. Chris Turner, a studio class instructor and an architect at the Omaha-based HDR engineering and architectural firm, said his students were able to explore a "range of possibilities" of design that wouldn't otherwise be entertained.

Jeff Day, director of the UNL Architecture Program, said the "future of health (architecture) isn't just designing hospitals."

One of the projects, "Digital Sanctuary," is a four-story structure free from electronics and built on top of a New York City sidewalk. The architect, Meghan Janousek, chose the location to confront people with the space and make it unavoidable. Her proposal aims to bring awareness to the mental health effects of a dependence on technology.

In her research, Janousek found that people disconnect from their electronics in religious spaces. So she incorporated into her space features such as an organ, an altar and a cloister, a courtyard with a covered walkway.

Janousek said the class allowed her to create "provocative solutions" to public health problems.

Another project, "Syntax: Autism" by Luke Abkes, presents specialized work spaces for people with autism. Abkes tried to design places that would address specific needs of people on the autism spectrum.