Architecture Is Failing Us: Can Design Become Public Health? – Ep 116 with Yiselle Santos Rivera
This week on Better Buildings for Humans, host Joe Menchefski sits down with Yiselle Santos Rivera—architect, educator, and serves as the 2026 President-Elect of the American Institute of Architects—to explore how buildings can become tools for healing, justice, and joy. Yiselle shares her journey from genetics labs in Puerto Rico to the forefront of neuroarchitecture and design leadership. She unpacks how architecture intersects with public health, economic mobility, and climate resilience, and why design excellence is inherently about people. From tropical modernism to the power of culturally responsive spaces, Yiselle reveals why the future of architecture must be collaborative, community-rooted, and deeply human. Whether you're an architect, planner, or policy-maker, this episode will reignite your passion for the built environment as a force for good.
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More About Yiselle Santos Rivera
Yiselle Santos Rivera, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, SHRM-SCP, is a healthcare architect, medical planner, educator, and organizational leadership strategist whose work sits at the intersection of architecture, neuroscience, culture, and human well-being. She serves as the 2026 President-Elect of the American Institute of Architects, where she is shaping a national agenda focused on community health, professional joy, and a future-ready architectural workforce.
Yiselle is the Founder and CEO of YSR, LLC, a consultancy that blends healthcare design, neuroarchitecture, leadership psychology, and intercultural experience design. Her work centers on creating environments that elevate dignity, belonging, and wellness for diverse communities. She also teaches at Howard University, where she encourages emerging designers to lead with empathy, cultural awareness, and an understanding of how the built environment shapes human potential.
Her leadership journey includes service on the AIA Strategic Council, the AIA Board of Directors, and multiple national task forces advancing public health, resilience, and equity. She is the creator of WIELD, a storytelling platform for women in design, and co-founder of LA.IDEA, the first Latinx-focused committee at AIA DC.
Yiselle is a published author, national speaker, and advocate for redefining design excellence through the lens of people, purpose, and impact.
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