Birth Environments, Spaces and Architecture: A Guide for Everyone

Bringing a design perspective to the birth environment, this fascinating book collects and critically examines the knowledge we have. It exposes the social, political, and historical thinking that influences the way birth spaces have been designed and looks at how they can be designed in future.The book starts by examining changing historical attitudes to childbirth and uses maternity and architectural policy and practice to develop this story. It explores both the idea of "fitting childbirth into the machine" and the resistance to this, along with the emergence of the idea of the birth environment. From there, it describes the best evidence we have on how the design of spaces impact on childbirth experiences and outcomes. Drawing on an international selection of case studies, the book gives the reader insights into regional differences in birth culture and environments across the globe and offers the opportunity to imagine birth environments of the future based on the most up-to-date evidence from medicine, midwifery, anthropology, design, and architecture.Including practical recommendations as well as big picture thinking, this book is written for all those with an interest in creating the best possible environments for childbirth as part of supporting a healthy start to a child’s life. It is especially relevant for midwives, and other maternity care practitioners and administrators.

About the Author

Dr Sarah Joyce is a researcher and educator with a diverse background in architectural practice, maternity services improvement, and dgtl education design. While writing this book, she led dgtl education design at the University of Leeds and taught design studio at the Manchester School of Architecture. Previously, she was a Senior Lecturer in Interior Architecture and Design at Leeds Beckett University and has also taught architecture at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University.

Sarah’s research focuses on childbirth, woman-centred maternity care, the history and humanisation of healthcare architecture, and the intersection of critical spatial practices with qualitative research. Her work prioritises the lived experiences of women in maternity settings, advocating for design that truly reflects their needs. She completed her PhD at the University of Sheffield’s School of Architecture under the supervision of Dr Rosie Parnell and Professor Penny Curtis from the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

An ARB-registered UK architect with over twenty years of practice experience, Sarah has worked on historic and Listed buildings in London and Yorkshire, most recently at Niche Design Architects. She also taught as an NCT antenatal educator for eight years, deepening her understanding of maternity care from both user and professional perspectives. Her commitment to improving maternity services extends to voluntary roles, including her work as a Parent Representative for the Leeds Maternity Voices Partnership, where she has contributed to NHS audits and secured funding to enhance birthing environments.

She has published on architectural history, including studies on Le Corbusier’s influence on postwar New Towns and the impact of modernist ideas on the use of colour in architecture. Her professional journey includes an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Leeds and distinctions in her architectural qualifications from the Bartlett School of Architecture (University College London).

Sarah’s interdisciplinary research examines how architectural spaces shape experiences of labour, childbirth, and family life, advocating for human-centred, inclusive design. She is committed to challenging conventional architectural paradigms and advancing woman-centred healthcare environments that honour the lived experiences of those who use them.