The Power of Design: Architecture’s Role in Helping People Heal

Imagine a pathway surrounded by yellow, red, and orange flowers. It leads to a house made of reclaimed, soft-brown wood with large, welcoming windows, where the sun peeks through. Inside, natural light fills every corner. On the first floor, there is a craft room for creative activities like painting and knitting. Upstairs, there is an area for physical movement. An inviting vegetable garden sits in the backyard.

Every space in this home is intentionally designed to provide comfort and care—to be a respite from the bustling world outside. And that’s important for the individuals who would live there. “We created a sober living home [model] for six students in recovery,” said College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) student Summer Svedlow, who designed the rendering and model of the home. “It’s all about healing.”

The project was part of CAP’s first-ever DESIGN/HEALth Initiative Studio, which was a collaboration with the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at CU Anschutz. The fall 2025 course focused on how the built environment affects health and well-being, specifically for those in recovery from addiction.

The 12 master’s degree students who participated not only had direction from Professor of Architecture Julee Herdt, they also received vital input from students who are part of Auraria Recovery Community (ARC), which serves individuals from CU Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Community College of Denver. “Your environment really affects you,” said Chase Jurgaitis, who is part of ARC. “It’s very difficult to make life changes when there is a toxic or unstable environment.”

Through their work, Herdt and her students hope to change that.

Response to a Need

Herdt knows from experience how important a person’s surroundings are. Born and raised in farmland Kentucky, she found her creative outlet at a young age by exploring nature—and a few construction sites. “My dad wanted a boy, so I got to be the tomboy, and I got to learn how to use tools at a very young age,” she said. “I played on brick piles and wood. … I learned what different nails do and how to use a hammer.”

That sense of wonder about the things that make up her surroundings eventually led to her robust career as a licensed architect. She worked in cities across the U.S. and Europe, including in Vienna and Venice, before landing at CU Denver, where she’s taught architecture for more than 30 years. She’s also dedicated her work to sustainable design. “In the ’90s is when I started seeing so much waste and leftover materials going to landfills, and that’s when I started thinking, ‘Well, I’ve got to do something here,’” Herdt recalled. Through her research, she created patented, building materials called BioSIPs® using recycled waste fibers, like hemp and flowers.

Fifteen years ago, Herdt noticed a shift in the classroom. Early in her career, she said, students seemed well equipped to handle the burdens of life—but those burdens have mounted in recent years. “I’ve seen a growing need to nurture the students in a different way than before,” she explained. “They are independent, but they are bearing a lot of loads for what is happening in the world.”

That led her to investigate how architecture could foster a sense of well-being. Her research revealed that the buildings people inhabit—everything from the landscape, shapes, colors, and more—can be linked to the way they manage life’s challenges and stress.

She discovered that some of her colleagues at CU Denver and CU Anschutz were interested in the topic as well, and that a health and healing discipline was in progress. Herdt’s DESIGN/HEALth Initiative Studio would become the discipline’s inaugural course. “I’ve seen a need to teach a course like this,” she said. “What we focus on is how to elevate the practice of designing buildings, so it infuses people with hope, energy, and relaxation.”

Attention to Detail

In Herdt’s studio, students were each asked to design a model of a 10,000 square foot, solar-powered, sober living home for a group of six students in recovery. The theoretical plot of land was located southwest of campus. Students who lived in the home would pay their way by cultivating an organic food garden for Milo’s Market, which is CU Denver’s free, on-campus food pantry.

The assignment came with parameters—students had to “design without mining” and avoid using any synthetic polymers that are linked to disease. The homes had to be designed in a way that could be replicated at other sites. To sum it up, students had to get creative, which is important for Herdt. “Creativity is what separates a building from just a building,” she said.

Svedlow was drawn to the class for its focus on helping people heal. Through her research, she learned about the power of color theory, which looks at how colors contribute to feelings, emotions, and moods. Certain hues, like green and blue, are more calming, whereas red and orange can be stimulating for the mind and even appetite. She used this knowledge to design several gardens around her sober living home, from the flowers adjacent to the entry pathway to the plots of vibrant hues on the rooftop. “I focused on how people will feel moving through the space,” she said.

Each area in Svedlow’s model serves a purpose. The craft room is therapeutic in the sense that “you can use your hands and get out of your head,” she said. The first floor has a kitchen and communal space for residents to connect over a meal. Upstairs there is an open space for recovery meetings. “There is natural lighting, running water,” she said. “This is how you make the space feel good.”

A New Level of Care

CAP student Timoteo Mason was interested in the course because of its focus on sustainability, health, and wellness. His inspiration stemmed from research on garden therapy as a method for healing. He found that a single, 30-minute session of gardening could reduce stress, which he used as the basis for his entire design.

There are gardens throughout his model for students to grow vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes, as well as houseplants. After tending to the garden, the residents would travel two miles north by bike, foot, or electric vehicle (EV) powered by the home to deliver the fresh produce to Milo’s Market—to be of service to their peers.

The ARC students told Mason that privacy was important to them. But, as some of those in recovery may say, the opposite of addiction is connection. For that reason, Mason’s design gave each resident a bedroom that was comfortable enough to sleep in but small enough that they would want to spend more time in the communal areas, like the gardens. That attention to detail made all the difference for the individuals in recovery who the CAP students worked alongside. “Seeing rooms that look over gardens … using nontoxic materials, those [things] all contribute to recovery,” Jurgaitis said. “You can tell that every student who created these [models] actually cares.”

As Herdt’s students prepare to graduate in spring 2026 and launch their careers in architecture, they will take with them a meaningful experience—and a new perspective on the impact of design. “We are always told that architecture influences people’s emotions,” Svedlow said, “and this studio has really focused on how architecture is healing for people.”