Human Health & Performance Laboratory

NASA's Human Health and Performance (HHP) Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center (JSC), is a human health and environmental sciences laboratory, think tank, inventors’ workshop, and outreach center all rolled into one. It is a place dedicated to maintaining human health – on Earth, in low-Earth orbit, traversing deep space, and landing on Mars. With the unifying and inspiring goal of maintaining human health and performance, the design of the HHP Laboratory puts people at the center, enhancing interdisciplinary integration by bringing together groups that had formerly been distributed across campus in different buildings. To create a place that fosters new emotional connections that lead to mutual respect, the design was developed to align a top-down operational strategy to connect formerly independent groups in ways that were mutually beneficial to all. Organized around a new central courtyard, a symbolic and literal place of respite, the building form intentionally creates a framework to connect the past, present and future. The courtyard features native drought-tolerant trees, groundcovers and shrubs and the design includes circular, communal outdoor meeting spaces along an orbital radial sweep, originating from a circular low-walled exhibition area. The building and courtyard is oriented around views to the surrounding west prairie open to the horizon, which creates a serene and fitting setting from which to pursue knowledge about the life sciences, unknown natural world, terrestrial and extraterrestrial. On both building wings, open office space lines the interior courtyard and includes touch-point collaboration spaces, such as huddle rooms and break areas. The glass courtyard facades are transparent – with views to the courtyard, opposing offices, and lobby – and shaded to eliminate unwanted heat gain and glare. As for the laboratories themselves, the design made the vast majority of laboratories open and flexible, with as few permanent walls and as little fixed furniture, as possible. Throughout the building, the design is infused with natural light, views, places of respite and visual delight, to create a cohesive, intuitively understood place that naturally connects people. NASA leaders are also seeing a cultural shift with the new “people-at-the-center” approach. They comment on how they see people talking in the break room, sharing personal experiences, offering support, and caring for one another. These leaders believe that through access to light, views, and connections to others, the new environment is about more than work; it’s about the whole person—and that fosters generosity and mutual understanding.