Talks & Workshops

As a national and international keynote speaker or small group presenter, Dr. Toby Israel presents her interactive, CEU accredited lectures and workshops at:

Architecture, planning and interior design conferences and firms

Homebuilder, schools, healthcare, corporate and other gatherings

Lectures: (Click on each title for full descriptions)

Using Design Psychology to Create Ideal Places

How can Design Psychology be used to create authentic, fulfilling places for designers, clients and users? Dr. Israel introduces this new field, defined as “the practice of architecture, planning and interior design in which psychology is the principal design tool.” She gives examples of how Design Psychology is applied to real projects including residential, institutional and corporate projects. Participants complete hands-on exercises from the Design Psychology Toolbox that they can apply to the everyday practice of creating homes, communities and public places.
(One hour lecture accreditation for IIDA, ASID, AIA, IDC, IDEC certification)

Using Design Psychology to Match People and Place

How does a designer's environmental autobiography lay the foundation for their design work? Dr. Israel discusses how designers, often unknowingly, rework their past history of place when creating their own homes as well as their influential public buildings/interiors. Showing case study examples of key thinkers/designers such as architect Michael Graves, Dr. Israel describes how she used the Design Psychology process to uncover with them their trove of past place experience. Through hands-on participation, she provides audience members with “design insight” they can use to help match people and place.
(One hour lecture accreditation for IIDA, ASID, AIA, IDC, IDEC certification)

Using Design Psychology to Create Ideal Schools

All of us suffer from “early childhood amnesia”—we lose conscious memory of our most intimate connection with childhood experience of place. Dr. Israel engages participants in exercises that help open their environmental treasure chests. She shows how past experiences of place can be used to envision ideal school spaces—spaces that consider the social and psychological aspect of design, not just square footage requirements and aesthetics. Dr. Israel presents case study examples of schools that used this holistic design approach to increase participation in the school planning and design process.
(One hour lecture. Workshop also available)

Planning from your Treasure Chest: Design Psychology for Planners

How does a planner's environmental autobiography lay the foundation for their planning schemes? Dr. Israel discusses how planners and designers, often unknowingly, rework their past history of place when envisioning and creating our dwellings, towns and cities. Showing case study examples of key planners/designers such as Andres Duany, Dr. Israel describes how she used the “Design Psychology Toolbox” of exercises to uncover with them their trove of past place experience. Through hands-on participation, she helps audience members open their own environmental treasure chests, providing them with innovative planning tools they can use to more consciously match people and place.
(One hour lecture)

Using Design Psychology to Create Healing Environments

How can you use Design Psychology to create home, community and/or healthcare settings that enhance healing? Dr. Israel discusses the important role environmental design can play in healing during illness or following personal or catastrophic disasters like 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina. She describes ways her Design Psychology exercises can result in a “Design Psychology Blueprint” for a healing home, hospital or community setting. Case study examples provide insight into this unique approach that can be used by designers, healthcare professionals and homeowners seeking to create healing places.
(One hour lecture)

Workshops: (Click on each title for full descriptions)

Using the Design Psychology TOOLBOX to Create Ideal Places

In this hands-on workshop, participants learn how to use a variety of exercises from the “Design Psychology Toolbox” to explore their own and their client's intimate connection with place. By mastering exercises exploring past, present and future sense of place, participants learn how to successfully “design-in” social and psychological space-use requirements. Those taking this workshop gain a meaningful and rigorous programming method that they can use the next day in their own architecture, planning and interior design projects.
(Four hour workshop accreditation for IIDA, ASID, AIA, IDC, IDEC certification)

Scholar-In-Residence

Dr. Toby Israel presents a series of seminars, workshops and public lectures “in residence” at institutes and university departments of interior design, architecture, planning and psychology around the USA and abroad.

Contact Toby Israel Consulting, Inc. for further information.