Catherine Henebery 

Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Master of Architecture
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#HealthbyDesign is...

Health is not a flawless body or a mind untouched by struggle. It is wholeness. I think of
health less as a static condition and more as a living process. It is the ongoing work of weaving together
the body, mind, and spirit into a life that holds integrity and fulfillment. Caring for our health means
tending to each of these dimensions in balance: nourishing the body with good food, movement, and rest;
cultivating the mind through learning, conversation, and critical thinking; and nurturing the spirit through
stillness, time in nature, and working on our relationships.
While I believe in caring for our mental, physical, and spiritual health in equal measure, I also
know that it is not all about happiness and comfort. Health also makes room for brokenness and
imperfection. It is not the absence of pain or limitation, but the resilience and adaptability to live with
what is unresolved and continue to find meaning and beauty in the lives we live.
Health also involves coherence between our inner lives and our outer lives. When we are able to
cultivate healthy practices in our own lives we can carry these virtues forward to express them in the
world. Health is both a private practice and a civic virtue. It begins with steady care in our own lives, but
then extends outward, shaping how we contribute to the well-being of others.

Design is the practice of intention, whether we notice it or not. Every space we enter, object we
touch, and system we encounter has been shaped by human intention. Design is a quiet framework of our
daily lives, often remaining invisible until it fails, yet always guiding how we move, act, and relate to the
physical world.
Every design, from a cellphone to a city park, influences how we interact with our surroundings
and with one another. The apps, tools, and built environments we surround ourselves with every day guide
our behavior, attention, and habits. In this way, design is never entirely neutral. There is always an
intention embedded within it.
When I think about architectural design, the same quote always pops into my mind, “We shape
our buildings, thereafter they shape us.” I believe that this is true not only for architecture, but for all
design. We design the world, and the world in turn designs us. The values we embed in our designs,
intentionally or unintentionally, reflect the values of our society. To engage in design is to participate in
the ongoing shaping of life.

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Feature Project
︎Gather + Grow
︎THRESHOLD