Vital Support for Health Equity

For the past three years, Ballinger Senior Principal and Kansas State alum Louis A. Meilink Jr., FAIA, FACHA, ACHE and his wife, Janetann, have sponsored Vital Design Studio, an interdisciplinary 5th year studio course that explores the relationship between population health and the built environment and brings together architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design students to work collaboratively in a dynamic setting. 

Students enrolled in the course work in interdisciplinary teams, research real world locations, visit them, connect with community members, and develop projects that aim to improve community health outcomes. The studio’s innovative pedagogical approach not only mirrors professional project delivery but also fosters a rich exploration of diverse design and technical perspectives, culminating in deeply developed project proposals that prioritize equity, inclusion, and good health for all. The concept was developed and is led by Kendra Kirchmer, IDSA, Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture & Industrial Design . “The Vital Design studio was born out of a perfect synergy between my own scholarly interests and experiences that I had where I really got to understand the impact of the built environment on population health,” stated Kirchmer, “Then I had this fantastic opportunity to meet Lou and talk with him about these goals of bringing that understanding into the design studio.”

Lou, who has spoken about population health at national and international conferences for the past 20 years, was on board with Kirchmer’s idea from the beginning. “It didn’t take long for me to realize this would be special,” he said.

In its first year, Vital Design students focused on sites in Denver, Colorado. For the last two years, the studio focused on Ballinger’s hometown, Philadelphia. Students had the opportunity to visit sites throughout the city and participate in charrettes in Ballinger’s office with members of our healthcare studio, including recent Kansas State University graduates and alumni of Vital Design Studio, Morgan Garrett and Julia Suarez.

Morgan pointed to Vital Design Studio as the most influential course she took in college. Meeting Lou and being exposed to the work done at Ballinger changed the trajectory of her professional interests. Julia had similar feelings about the course, “I think you get something magical out of it,” she said. “One of the most important opportunities is this idea that we can help students become advocates for change and show them ways in which they can really make an impact as designers.”

At a wrap-up dinner in Philadelphia for this year’s visiting students, Lou acknowledged the creativity of the student’s work, “Of course, this is exciting for me and my family, but the true pleasure of participating in the experience is the quality of the work,” he said, “It is absolutely stunning.”

Learn more about the Vital Design Studio by watching this video: