Corgan Studies Receive Certificate of Research Excellence from Environmental Design Research Association
EDRA recognizes Corgan research with Merit Status and Great Places Award
DALLAS – June 4, 2025 — Research from global architecture and design firm Corgan has been recognized by the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA), an international, interdisciplinary organization. Corgan was recognized with two EDRA Certificates of Research Excellence (CORE) — one for the firm’s mass timber research and another for its research into shifts in multifamily housing. CORE recognition honors innovative, practice-based environmental design research, and as part of the review process, the two submissions underwent a rigorous, double-blind review by a panel of experts. A third study on optimizing airport travelers’ experience received the EDRA Great Places Award in the category of Place Research. The Great Places Award honors projects with an interdisciplinary approach that is enduring, human-centered and sustainable. Corgan was recognized with these awards during the EDRA56 Halifax conference from May 27-30.
An Evolving Multifamily Market
EDRA’s highest recognition — CORE Certification with Merit Status — was awarded to Corgan’s “Residency Reshaped: The Future of Multifamily,” which addresses transformative shifts in the U.S. multifamily housing market. Developed by Corgan—Hugo, the firm’s research and innovation group, in partnership with the firm’s Multifamily practice, the study explores how renters’ priorities are evolving in the wake of hybrid work trends, affordability challenges, and changing expectations for living spaces. The report combines primary and secondary research — including a survey of 1,480 renters across six key Sun Belt markets — to highlight critical gaps between industry perceptions and renters’ lived experiences, providing developers and property managers with actionable insights to better align with renter needs and preferences. The thoughtfully designed study is structured so that it can be replicated and applied to different geographic markets.
An Exploration of Mass Timber: Building Types & True Carbon Emissions
CORE recognition was also awarded to “Designing with Mass Timber: A Comparative Prototype Analysis of Structural Materials and Real CO2e Emissions Assessment,” research that consists of three studies. Developed by Corgan—Hugo and Corgan—Echo, the firm’s sustainability group, two reports examine the differences between concrete and mass timber construction and a third report identifies biogenic carbon emissions that are often unaccounted for in life-cycle assessment studies for mass timber buildings. In response to the research findings, the firm developed the Corgan Mass Timber Carbon Calculator — a dynamic tool that helps architects and designers to estimate biogenic carbon emissions in mass timber projects and more accurately calculate a project’s overall embodied carbon. Intended to educate and empower the industry, the free Corgan-developed tool allows designers to compare the impact of different tree species and consider lower carbon-intensive timber species at every project phase, leading to more sustainable project outcomes.
Data-Driven Journey Mapping
EDRA's Great Places Award recognizes research concerned with the experiential relationship between people and their environment, and this year’s Place Research Award was awarded to “Transforming Passenger Experiences: A Data-Driven Journey Map at Ontario International Airport.” Corgan conducted a data-driven experiential optimization study that mapped the passenger journey at Ontario International Airport (ONT), revealing challenges and opportunities. Data analysis identified both short-term and long-term strategies that would make substantial improvements in wayfinding and the overall passenger experience. ONT is implementing changes based on the findings. Given the replicable research methodology, the experiential optimization study can be conducted at other airports and building types.
Recipients of EDRA Certificate of Research Excellence (CORE):
- “Residency Reshaped: The Future of Multi-Family Development” — By Melissa Hoelting; Weijia Wang; Mahdi Afkhamiaghda, PhD; Stephen Lohr; Junling Zhuang.
- “Designing with Mass Timber: A Comparative Prototype Analysis of Structural materials and Real CO2e Emissions Assessment” — By Mahdi Afkhamiaghda; Melissa Hoelting; Samantha Flores; Kevin Sloan; Joe Haver; Varun Kohli; Andrew Loke.
Recipient of the Great Places Award:
- “Transforming Passenger Experiences: A Data-Driven Journey Map at Ontario International Airport”— By Melissa Hoelting; Samantha Flores; Mahdi Afkhamiaghda, PhD; Kevin Sloan; Arezoo Zeinali Kalkhoran; Yashaswini Karagaiah; Weijia Wang.
“Research and data-driven insights are at the core of everything we do, allowing us to develop innovative design solutions for our clients,” said Samantha Flores, Director of Corgan—Hugo. “Curiosity is foundational to our culture as a firm, and we see vast opportunities to leverage data to solve problems and achieve exceptional outcomes.”
In 2024, the firm received CORE recognition for “The Hybrid Report.” Developed by Corgan—Hugo in partnership with the firm’s Workplace Strategies team, The Hybrid Report outlines decision-making drivers, key pain points and preferences, and design elements that shape the employee experience.
