BC Forestry Innovation Investment (BCFII) | Crown Corporation in Vancouver, BC Canada
BCFII and MAC 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 integrated initial results with the collection of eye-tracking data, along with other physiological and qualitative measures, as participants were exposed to the same simulated images of offices with varying amounts of wood features (however, this study was not funded by BCFII).
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, and the follow up study is currently under review.
McCunn, L. J., Speert, N., & Szilagyi, A. (Under Review). Visual attention and preference for wood materials in simulated office interiors: An exploratory eye-tracking study.
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 help the firm develop a social inclusivity guide to use now, and to build upon over time. This partnership afforded 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 worked on with HCMA was 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
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | US Department of Energy, Battelle Memorial Institute in Portland, OR USA
MAC had the pleasure of working with senior cognitive psychology researchers and architectural engineers at PNNL in Portland, Oregon to analyze and summarize existing quantitative and qualitative data concerning nurses’ perceptions of LED solid state lighting conditions in hospital units. We also helped PNNL optimize social scientific methodologies used to survey hospital staff about lighting stimuli in the workplace.
Scholarly publications concerning projects with PNNL include:
Davis, R., McCunn, L. J., Wilkerson, A., & Safranek, S. (2020). Nurses’ satisfaction with patient room lighting conditions: A survey of nurses in four hospitals with differences in the environment of care. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 13, 110-124. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586719890940
McCunn, L. J., Safranek, S., Wilkerson, A., &. Davis, R. (2020). Lighting control in patient rooms: Understanding nurses’ perceptions of hospital lighting using qualitative methods. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 14, 204-218. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586720946669
In addition, MAC was hired on retainer until the end of 2022 to consult on the development of experimental designs, and on data analysis strategies, for lighting research in hospitals and care home settings.
BCRA | Architecture and Civil Engineering Firm in Tacoma, WA, USA
MAC completed a contract to perform and summarize post-occupancy evaluations using a number of psychosocial variables for four completed elementary schools designed by BCRA in the Clover Park School District in Washington.
Delivered technical reports can be referenced as:
McCunn, L. J. (2019). Pre-design Evaluation for Two BCRA-Designed Elementary Schools in the Centralia School District. Research report prepared for BCRA.
McCunn, L. J. (2019). Post-occupancy Evaluation for Three BCRA-Designed Elementary Schools in the Clover Park School District. Research report prepared for BCRA.
McCunn & Associates Consulting 