Erin K. Peavey
I’m a believer in the power of places to heal, connect, and serve vulnerable people — from hospital patients and staff, to people struggling with loneliness, social isolation and mental health challenges. I am driven by a commitment to help others and the joy of working together to solve complex problems with shared purpose.
Erin is an architect, author, and facilitator bridging the gap between research and practice with a focus fostering human health and well-being by design.
Trained in architecture and psychology, Erin’s passion for creating environments that help people live well has driven her evidence-based, user-centered approach to design. Erin is a vice president and health and well-being design leader at HKS, where she helps advance design for health and well-being across the globe. Before joining HKS, she was a senior researcher and medical planner at HOK in New York, a research consultant with the Center for Health Design and Georgia Institute of Technology, and a research fellow with the Center for Advanced Research and Evaluation.
She is active in giving back to the design for health community as a speaker, mentor, teacher and board member, and was adjunct faculty at The Pratt Institute, and New York School of Interior Design, where she still serves on the Advisory Board. She is a Cornell Institute for Health Future’s industry scholar, and serves as an advisor for the WELL building standard. She was recently appointed as a board member of the City of Dallas, South Dallas Fair Park Opportunity Fund. Board She served as trustee and research chair for the Academy of Architecture for Health Foundation for close to a decade. Her research has been published in international scientific journals and industry publications, including Fast Company, Psychology Today, Environment & Behavior, Health Environments Research & Design, Journal of Nursing Administration and The Architects Handbook of Professional Practice. Erin was awarded the AIA Henry Adams Certificate for excellence in architecture, and the AIA-AAH Arthur N. Tuttle Fellowship for her work on design for healthcare teamwork. She was named Best Under 40 in Architecture for Health by the American Institute for Architects (2015), 40 Under 40 by Building Design and Construction (2020), a Top Young Professional by Engineering News Record (2021), and a Rising Star by Healthcare Design Magazine (2019).
Erin’s work on how architecture and design can combat loneliness and foster health and social interaction has been featured in TEDx, SXSW, Business Insider, Metropolis, Curbed, Bisnow, NPR-KERA, Dallas Morning News, Architect, and Healthline, among others. Her podcast, Shared Space, explores how architecture and design can help us live healthier, happier and more connected lives. Outside of work, Erin enjoys time with her husband and young daughter in their small craftsman home in Old East Dallas, Texas. She is an avid swimmer, NPR listener, and gardener, who recently discovered the joy of “yes, and” through local improv classes. Erin is always on the look out for good local coffee shops and real talk and wants to hear from you!
