Learning from Neuroscience as another Ingredient to Design
Designing involves using the imagination and putting together different ingredients, from conceptual ideas and cultural references to materials and technical aspects, whilst getting input from different disciplines.
Among them I find particular interest in Neuroscience, as it deals with the mental realm. In part thanks to advances in technology, we can get more understandings about how we perceive different environments and how environments impact us.
Whilst I believe that architecture is very much to do with instinct and intuition, and that neuroscience research has limitations as each brain is unique and certain aspects are immeasurable, we can get approximations to understand how our nervous system works and this knowledge can be applied to design spaces that enrich our experiences, contributing to people’s health and well-being.
There is a lot of available academic research in neuroscience, from books and articles to lectures, and it seems rapidly growing.
I use this article to name just a few of the resources that I found, and that I feel are more relevant to our studio and help explain our approach to design.
While much of this research strengthens the connection between neuroscience and architecture, arguing that the designed environments we inhabit affect our brain and behaviour (1), we can also find studies that demonstrate, for example, why green spaces connected to schools enhance children’s learning (2) or why certain patterns tap into our brain more than others (3).
Our brains are constantly processing information gathered through our senses. The most significant time for brain development takes place during the early stages of human life. As we get older, our brain cells start diminishing. Physical and mental exercise help preserve them and maintain its structure and function. (4)
Through architecture and design, we can create “enriched environments that assist learning, reduce levels of anxiety, and cultivate social relationships.” (5) These are environments that we find stimulating and activate our senses, putting our brain to work.
Notes:
(1)
Gage, Fred. “Neuroscience and Architecture”, quoted in Melissa Farling, “From intuition to Evidence”, in Sarah Robinson and Juhani Pallasmaa, Eds. MindingDesign: Neuroscience, Design education and the Imagination. unpublished manuscript, 2013: 3
A keynote on architecture and neuroscience by Dr. Fred Gage in 2003 was the starting point of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA). More information about ANFA can be found here, anfarch.org
(2)
Hanson, Susan, Ed. “Green Spaces and Cognitive Development in Primary Schoolchildren.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jun 2015, 112 (26) 7937-7942; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1503402112
(3)
Albright, Thomas D. “Neuroscience for Architecture” in Robinson, Sarah, and Juhani Pallasmaa, Eds. Mind in Architecture. Neuroscience, Embodiment, and the Future of Design. The MIT Press, 2015: 206-215
(4)
Chiu, Lisa, et al., Eds. Brain Facts: A Primer on the Brain and Nervous System. Society for Neuroscience, 2018: 51
(5)
Mallgrave, Harry. “The Culture of Design”, NewSchool of Architecture & Design, San Diego. March 2019. Lecture
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