Latest Articles:
An article on Architecture with the Brain in Mind
A soaring cathedral, a brightly lit classroom, a dim maze of hospital corridors: Most of us associate certain emotions, energy levels, and even mental states with the various spaces in which we spend our lives. What underlies these responses? How important are they? Architects and neuroscientists now beginning to grapple with those questions are coming up with discoveries that have important implications for how we design spaces as diverse as neonatal care units, schools, and residences for people with Alzheimer's disease. The benefits of collaboration between brain science and architecture are sure to increase, writes architect John Eberhard, president of the new Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture. Some research even suggests that certain designed environments encourage the proliferation of new brain cells.
Architecture with the Brain in Mind
by John P. Eberhard and Brenda Patoine
"If we allow discoveries in neuroscience and cognitive science to butt up against old philosophical problems ... we will see intuitions surprised and dogma routed."
-- Patricia Churchland
For centuries, architects have recognized that the buildings in which we live, learn, work, and worship influence how we feel and act, setting the stage for quiet reflection, invigorating interaction, or inspiration. Recently, neuroscientists began to extend that intuitive understanding by showing how our brains are fine-tuned to our environment and how they respond and adapt to information--including awareness of our orientation in space--that reaches us through our senses.
As these two paths to understanding intersect, what are neuroscientists and architects learning from one another? Can the tools of brain science demonstrate a neurobiological basis for what architects have believed intuitively? Conversely, can brain research learn about what moves and delights us from the challenges of designing exceptional spaces?
Judging from the response to a new Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (the Academy), professionals in both fields are eager to answer these and other questions. Among architects, recognition is growing that design has the maximum effect when it reflects our understanding of how the brain reacts to different environments. Among neuroscientists, a readiness exists to apply their tools and knowledge to planning spaces that liberate the potential of people who use them.
The San Diego chapter of the American Institute of Architecture launched the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture in 2003 to stimulate research that could connect the disparate worlds of neuroscience and architecture. The architects, engineers, and brain scientists involved believe that society can be better served by architectural design that takes into account the immense knowledge that neuroscience has generated. Building design can become more consciously based in evidence of how and why the brain responds to particular features of architectural space. Far from stifling the creative process of architectural design, insights from brain research should yield richer, more rewarding outcomes.
**** Note: The full article can be seen in CEREBRUM, The Dana Forum on Brain Science, the Dana Press, 745 Fifth Ave, Suite 900, New York, NY 10151; e-mail cerebrum@dana.org