Designing Delivery: An Examination of the Intersection of Design and Birth

One of the founders of SHoP Architects, Kim Holden established her own practice, Doula X Design, after own own experience giving birth led her to becoming a doula. In this lecture, Holden will discuss how design can facilitate better birthing experiences, in particular by creating positive environments that support labour rather than inhibit it.

Kim Holden is currently the William Henry Bishop Visiting Professor of Architectural Design at Yale School of Architecture. A registered architect, trained birth/postpartum doula, and lactation counselor, Holden's practice is focused on the intersection of design and women’s health. Through her work and examination of the role that design plays in shaping the physical, physiological, and psychological experience of birth, Kim seeks to improve outcomes and experiences for women, birthing people, and their families. Championing safer, more respectful, and equitable care, her work seeks to reframe childbirth not as a women’s topic, but rather a societal one.