Current Projects at MAC

Ongoing Contracts:

BC Forestry Innovation Investment (BCFII) | Crown Corporation in Vancouver, BC Canada

BCFII and MAC have entered into a contract to refine a technical report completed by Dr. McCunn and her Environmental Psychology Research Lab (EPRL) at VIU into a manuscript for publication in a scholarly journal. In 2023, BCFII and Dr. McCunn worked with a graphic design student from BCIT on a project that sought to understand more about how office workers perceive the amount (and location) of wood materials in office environments. The first phase of this project used the survey method via an online platform using simulated office settings—it was funded by BCFII until October, 2023. A second phase of the work may involve a separate contract to integrate initial results with the collection of eye-tracking data, along with other physiological and qualitative measures, as participants are exposed to the same simulated images of offices with varying amounts of wood features.

Two technical reports were produced from this research: An interim report was submitted to BCFII in March, 2023, and a final report in July of that year. A scholarly article has now been published in a journal after peer review.

McCunn, L. J., & Fell, D. (2025). Understanding psychosocial impressions of wood materials in simulated office interiors. Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-12-2024-0500

McCunn, L. J. (2023). Understanding Psychosocial Impressions of Wood Materials in Simulated Office Interiors. Final technical report for BC Forestry Innovation Investment.

McCunn, L. J. (2023). Understanding Psychosocial Impressions of Wood Materials in Simulated Office Interiors. Interim technical report for BC Forestry Innovation Investment.

HCMA | Architecture Firm in Vancouver and Victoria, BC, Canada

MAC contracted with HCMA to undertake a pre- and post-occupancy evaluation of Kelly Road Secondary School in Prince George, BC within School District 57. Two technical reports were produced between 2020 and 2022 as a new school is constructed and occupied (and the existing school demolished). The first report concerned the results of a pre-occupancy evaluation of the former school; the second report described data from a post-occupancy evaluation of the new setting. Comparisons between that data are also part of the post-occupancy evaluation and final technical report. Although the sample involved in this project consists of teachers, staff, and school administrators, a broader population, including students and community members, may be invited to take part in future follow-up research to better understand results from a community perspective.

The pre-occupancy evaluation was completed in September, 2020 and the post-occupancy evaluation of the new school was completed in September, 2022. These technical reports can be referenced as:

McCunn, L. J. (2020). A Pre-occupancy Evaluation of Kelly Road Secondary School. Research report prepared for Hughes Condon Marler Architects and School District 57.

and,

McCunn, L. J. (2022). A Pre- and Post-occupancy Evaluation, and Comparative Analysis, of Kelly Road Secondary School. Research report prepared for Hughes Condon Marler Architects and School District 57.

HCMA also contracted with MAC to develop a social inclusivity guide for HCMA to use now, and to build upon over time. This partnership affords an opportunity for MAC to help HCMA examine and utilize the body of environmental psychology literature to capitalize on particular results and recommendations as the firm continues to design with all people in mind.

Another project that MAC is working on with HCMA is a post-occupancy evaluation of Royal Bay Secondary School’s inclusive washroom design. Our abstract for a ‘work-in-progress’ paper was accepted for presentation at the UIA 2023 World Congress in Copenhagen in the summer of 2023. Interviews with Royal Bay teachers and administrators about the design, location, students’ sense of safety and social inclusion concerning the washrooms have been conducted; systematic content analysis was completed in the spring, 2023. A technical report has been prepared to coincide with the UIA meeting and a scholarly paper has now been published in a journal.

McCunn, L. J. (2023). Understanding School Administrators’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Gender-inclusive Washroom Design at Royal Bay Secondary School: A Case Study. Technical report for Hughes Condon Marler Architects and School District 62.

McCunn, L. J. (July, 2023). Understanding School Administrators’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Gender Inclusive Washroom Design: A Canadian Case Study. Presented at the UIA World Congress of Architects, Copenhagen, Denmark.

McCunn, L. J., Robinson, M., & Condon, D. (2025). Understanding administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of gender-inclusive washroom design at a Canadian secondary school: A case study. Journal of School Leadership, 35, 193-212. https://doi.org/10.1177/10526846251343345