Healthy Buildings
EH 252
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
The way we design and operate buildings plays a central role in our health, due to both the time we spend indoors and the climate-impact of the energy used to power our buildings. This course, cross-listed between Harvard Graduate School of Design and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, seeks to leverage the science and approaches from each discipline to find building-related solutions to the public health challenges of our time. Students will explore building strategies that can improve indoor air quality, help prevent the spread of airborne infectious disease, reduce exposure to toxic materials, improve thermal resilience, and support overall well-being, while also examining the role buildings play in our energy system, the cascading health impacts of associated air pollution and climate change, and building design and technologies that can support climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and climate resilience. Through a mix of lectures, case studies, hands-on workshops, real-world building assessments, and a final project pairing students from each school, students will engage deeply in a solutions-focused course at the intersection of public health, environmental health, architecture, and design.
Students outside of HSPH (including GSD students) must request instructor permission to enroll in this course.
Class Notes
Course will meet in Healthy Buildings space, Building 1, G33
THIS CLASS HAS PRIORITY ENROLLMENT
Priority Wave Groups
Wave 1 | EH Department Students
Wave 2 | Open Enrollment
Wave 3 | Open Enrollment
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Priority Wave Timing
Wave 1 | 1/7/2027 11:00 AM - 1/17/2027 11:59 PM
Wave 2 | 1/18/2027 12:00 AM - 1/20/2027 11:59 PM
Wave 3 | 1/21/2027 12:00 AM Enrollment Deadline (varies by session)
Any student who does not meet the Wave 1 or Wave 2 criteria can add themselves to the waitlist (if enrollment requirements are met) at any time during the enrollment period. At the beginning of each priority wave, students on the waitlist who meet the Wave’s criteria will be automatically enrolled into any remaining seats in the course (pending no time conflicts)
**Cross-Registrants and Non-Degree Students will be enrolled on a space available basis after the enrollment deadline for the course
This course is jointly offered by HSPH as EH 252 and the GSD as SCI 6361.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
