“In his book, architect Alex Caruso offers a profound autobiographical lesson on the role of lived experience in shaping the built environment. Sharing his first-hand experience of spending six weeks as a hospital patient following a serious accident, Alex provides a rare and powerful awareness of how spaces can harm and can heal.
Recent neuroscience studies have shown the potential of enriched environments to support brain health and recovery during neurological decline and rehabilitation. While this is promising for how we can design environments such as hospitals and memory care residences, a major blind spot overlooked by science to date has been understanding human experience. As he endures a painful healing process while confined to a hospital bed with only a distant, small window to the outside world and constant disruption from hospital sounds, Caruso found his physical pain exacerbated by the impersonal, sterile nature of healthcare spaces. Using his own body as a sensitive instrument to test everything he has come to know about design and science, he arrives at a greater empathy for, and mastery of, how designing the built environment can benefit others.
Caruso’s life journey offers a personal and touching provocation to designers to take a more empathetic approach to their work and to elevate the role of lived experience in our design process—one that truly considers “the needs, desires, and habits of the people who use these spaces”, especially in environments where individuals are suffering or particularly vulnerable, so that “no one is left behind”.
A key feature of Design & Meditation its reflective journaling prompts and meditations, which guide readers through a process of introspection. These exercises encourage readers to explore their own human experience, cultivate a deeper understanding of others, and foster an empathic curiosity that can enhance their design practice. Caruso’s message is clear: to truly elevate the quality of life through the built environment, we must integrate empathy, understanding, and experience into the creative process.
Overall, design & meditation: improving health, healthcare and quality of life is both a personal memoir and a call to action for designers. Caruso’s account is a powerful reminder of the profound impact that thoughtful, human-centered design can have on our lives, and his insights offer valuable guidance for anyone looking to create spaces that support well-being and healing.”