04/24/2026
I had the pleasure to meet and to learn from Anka Duer, Architect and Midwife, based in Switzerland, and Architect Esben Bala Skouboe, PhD, from Studio Poesis in Denmark, at the Transforming Birthspace Global Colloquium, sponsored by OCAD University in Toronto last fall. They will present their work at a Birth Place Lab, The University of British Columbia Justice and Equity in Perinatal Services (JEPS) webinar on April 30th, 2pm ET. Please join me! Link to register (free) is below.
Anka’s seminar explores the role of the built environment in shaping childbirth as a complex neuropsychosocial process. Moving beyond a purely clinical understanding, it investigates how space, architecture, and institutional structures influence physiology, perception, and decision-making during labour. Drawing on diverse birthing cultures, including Indigenous perspectives, it presents a relational framework connecting architecture, birth, and context, showing how these elements shape birthing environments across cultural and institutional settings.
Dr. Skouboe will speak about Transforming Birth through Architecture and Design, emphasizing the critical role of design and art in humanizing birth environments. Drawing from his own practice and research, he will share diverse case studies, innovative methodologies, and design exemplars, showcasing how immersive and responsive architecture can enhance birth experiences and outcomes. With poetic clarity, he invites attendees to envision a paradigm shift, where architecture harmonizes with human needs to foster sensorial and existential qualities, empowering spaces for one of life’s most profound moments - birth.