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SPACES THAT MOVE US - NEUROARCHITECTURE
THE HIPPOCAMPUS
Neuroarchitecture is a multidisciplinary research field that deals with the interaction between the built environment and the human brain. It combines insights from neuroscience, psychology, architecture, and other related disciplines to understand how the design of spaces and buildings influences our cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses. Our reactions to buildings are influenced by the hippocampus area in the brain. Today, we have advanced scientific tools like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) that allow us to measure brain activity and the physiological responses of people in different environments.
In simple terms, neuroarchitecture refers to the various reactions generated by the user's brain when they are in a particular environment. These neural reactions can change the user's mood and behavior in any space, both in the short and long term.
In addition to other parameters, these effects can be measured by analyzing the following parameters:
Brain stimuli (in brain regions that are active during the time the user is in the environment);
- 1. Brain stimuli (in brain regions that are active during the time the user is in the environment);
- 2. the reactions provoked by the brain in this environment;
- 3. Vital parameters that change in the environment (e.g. heart rate).
SIAMAK HARIRI AND THE BAHA'I TEMPLE
The idea that the built environment has an impact on people's well-being and behavior is not new. Even in ancient times, builders were intuitively focused on creating spaces that were meant to evoke certain moods and reactions. For example, certain architectural features were used in temples to induce feelings of awe or spiritual elevation.
The Ted Talk by Siamak Hariri addresses this aspect using the example of the Bahá’i Temple.
LIGHT, SHAPE, COLORS, LAYOUT...
Neuroarchitecture aims to apply these scientific findings to optimize the design of spaces and buildings. Through the targeted use of colors, shapes, light, materials, and space layout, one can, for example, reduce stress, enhance concentration, or create a pleasant atmosphere.
The understanding of neuroarchitecture is increasingly being integrated into areas such as healthcare, education, and urban planning. It can help make hospitals more patient-friendly, create more effective learning environments, and plan livable cities.
NEUROARCHITECTURE IN HEALTHCARE
Michael Murphy talks in his TED Talk about the contribution that architecture can make to support healing processes.
Outstanding examples of the application of neuroarchitecture in the design of hospitals and facilities for cancer patients are the Maggie's Centres distributed across the UK, which were designed by Frank Gehry, Heatherwick, Snøhetta, and also Zahra Hadid. The latter also designed the Learning and Library Center at WU Vienna.
... IN EDUCATION
Neuroarchitecture is indispensable, especially in the design of educational institutions. The connection between education and architecture is also addressed in the Homereport 2023, which conceptually captures the interaction under the term "Edutecture." Edutecture is on trend.
The RIBA Stirling Prize for the best new building in the UK in 2021 went to the new Town House of Kingston University, a building complex that cost £50 million to construct. In 2022, the prize also went to an educational institution – the new library of Magdalene College.
Similarly, the library designed by Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus, (Seattle Central Library), is an impressive example of how architecture utilizes natural light, flexible spatial design, and innovative space concepts to create an inspiring environment for learning and research.
Education pursues a different educational approach in today's knowledge society than it did during the times of industrialization. In contrast, the appearance of educational institutions, which always reflect the pedagogical, cultural, and social values at the time of their construction, changes only slowly. However, exciting concepts and pilot projects are already showing how learning spaces can be reimagined. "Advances in neuroarchitecture, such as the influence of air, light, and noise on human well-being, are revolutionizing the way education is implemented and educational spaces are constructed," Oona Horx Strathern notes in the Homereport 2023.
The company Ecophon develops, for example, new sound insulation methods for schools and kindergartens to create a quiet learning environment. Acoustic challenges are caused by hard sound-reflecting surfaces but can be reduced by floating acoustic panels. This not only improves the auditory quality but interestingly also the taste of school meals.
SENSE OF SMELL AND SPATIAL EXPERIENCE
The close connection between the sense of smell and spatial experience is stimulated by new insights from neuroarchitecture. Architects like Steven Hall, Peter Zumthor, and Juhani Pallasmaa advocate for a synesthetic concept of architecture, where smells play as important a role as seeing. Alvar Aalto significantly shaped this idea. For him, architecture consists of light, sounds, and smells. His buildings smell of the fragrances of the Finnish forests. In spatial planning, scents are now deliberately used to create defining spatial experiences. This strategy is based on the realization that the identity of a place is experienced not only visually, but primarily olfactorily, and that this very interaction of visual and olfactory stimuli determines the spatial experience.
THE NEUROAESTHETICS - ABOVE THE CLOUDS
In architecture, various neuroaesthetic principles such as symmetry, proportions, color schemes, natural materials, light, and shadow play a significant role in creating aesthetically pleasing environments.
An outstanding and award-winning example of how to design an exclusive residential property according to the principles of neuroarchitecture is the Villa las Nubes in the south of Spain, which is currently part of AKKADIA's portfolio.
She is the perfect example of how neuroaesthetic principles can be applied in architecture to create aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable environments that evoke positive emotional responses and can influence people's well-being.
THE ARCHITECTURE IN ITSELF
Last but not least, this year's Architecture Biennale 2023 in Venice also shows that the interplay of emotions and space is at the pulse of time. In the book “The Emotional Power of Space”, the Finnish architect Pallasmaa is quoted, who summarizes this fusion as follows:
"Whenever I enter a space, immediately the space enters me. Architecture is an exchange. I am not looking at architecture, but rather I find the architecture in me."