A new Utzon lecture will examine the influence of good design on happiness, wellbeing and health.

To be delivered by the Associate Dean Education at UNSW Built Environment and Associate Professor in the Industrial Design Program Oya Demirbilek, the lecture, Colliding Worlds: Health, Well-Being, Design and Built Environments, on Wednesday, 27 July will focus on how advances in technology are offering designers unprecedented opportunities to develop products, apps and software with the potential to increase happiness.

Demirbilek explains that technology is rapidly changing the way one interacts with products and environments. With everything interconnected, there is potential for chaos and stress; however, good design can play a critical role in harmonising those connections.

According to Demirbilek, digital designers, virtual reality designers, app designers and 3D designers can’t work in isolation anymore and need to join forces. In her Utzon lecture, Demirbilek will discuss examples of future technologies that can enhance well-being, happiness and health.

Colliding Worlds: Health, Well-being, Design and Built Environments will be held on Wednesday, 27 July 2016, 6.30pm at the UNSW Ainsworth Theatre, Kensington campus.

Officially launched in 2010 by Jan Utzon, the son of the renowned Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Utzon lecture series is a monthly event at the UNSW, featuring the presentation of ideas from leading contributors of international significance in the design, delivery and management of the built environment.