What is neuroarchitecture?

What is NEUROARCHITECTURE?

Do the spaces we inhabit have an impact on our emotions? Is there a direct relationship between architecture and emotional well-being?

When we arrive at a restaurant to celebrate a romantic evening, we expect the light to be warm and dim, to be given a secluded and quiet table preferably next to a window, and for there to be a background murmur that allows us to engage in a quiet conversation. If, on the contrary, we find a place without windows, illuminated with white fluorescent lights, where we are placed in the center of the room at a metal table, our mood will change.

In just a few seconds, our brain will have gathered information about layout, temperature, lighting, table configuration, or exterior views, among many other aspects of which we will not even have been conscious, leading us to make the decision to stay or leave as soon as we walk through the door.

The layout of a space, its relationship with the exterior, the materials that compose it, the hygrothermal conditions of the environment, or the color and texture of surfaces affect our perception of it and shape the emotions and sensations we experience when occupying it.

These sensations and the stimuli that shape them are what neuroarchitecture studies, a discipline that analyzes the effects of the composition of an architectural space on living beings.

Origin of the concept of neuroarchitecture

Neuroarchitecture was born from the need to explain, from a scientific point of view, the sensations produced by the spaces we pass through.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has determined that human beings spend around 90% of our time in indoor spaces.

Thanks to our adaptive capacity, we have moved from living linked to nature in natural open spaces to closed indoor spaces in urban environments. This translates into a series of both physical and psychological effects that determine our behavior.

Through neuroscience—the study of the human brain and the reactions we experience to different stimuli from our environment—neuroarchitecture attempts to decipher the link between inhabited space and the central nervous system.

History of neuroarchitecture

The idea of understanding space as an influential factor in our physical and mental health dates back to the most primitive times. Since antiquity, buildings have served as a tool to express and provoke certain emotions in people.

While the scientific proof of brain neuroplasticity based on the inhabited environment was not demonstrated until the end of the 20th century, some contemporary architects had intuitively experimented with neuroarchitecture some years earlier.

In the 1950s, Jonas Salk, an American medical researcher and virologist, was looking for a vaccine against polio, a disease that had caused thousands of deaths in the United States.

After several years of research in his laboratory—a closed, dark room at the University of Pittsburgh—Salk realized he was blocked and decided to take a few days of retreat. To do so, he traveled to Italy and stayed at the Monastery of San Francisco in Assisi. There, he was able to deepen his reflection and finally find the solution to his research. Upon returning to the United States, Salk put his new ideas into practice and developed the first polio vaccine, which saved millions of people from contracting the disease.

“The spirituality of the architecture was so inspiring that I was able to think intuitively and go beyond.” – Jonas Salk

After this experience, Salk concluded that work environments play a decisive role in our creativity and decided he should find a way to turn his workplace into a place that fostered inspiration and the development of new ideas.

Together with architect Louis Kahn, they designed and built what is now known as the Salk Institute, located in San Diego, California. The center was conceived holistically, taking into account the functioning of our brain in order to promote the physical and mental well-being of researchers.

The result is a pink-toned pozzolanic concrete building, with open-plan interior spaces and high ceilings organized around a central plaza with sea views, free of obstacles, marking the symmetrical and harmonious character of the complex. [1]

Neuroplasticity of the brain according to the inhabited environment

Neural principles have been applied in architecture more or less intuitively for as long as memory exists. However, it was not until 1998 that the term neuroarchitecture was conceived.

Neuroscientists Fred H. Gage, a researcher at the genetics laboratory of the Salk Institute in California, and Peter Eriksson, from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, demonstrated for the first time that our brain was capable of creating nerve cells in the hippocampus. This represented a paradigm shift: for the first time, it was concluded that our brain could vary its structure based on stimuli received from the outside.

“While the brain controls our behavior and genes direct the design and structure of the brain, the environment can modulate gene function and, ultimately, the structure of the brain, changing our behavior. By planning the environments in which we live, architectural design changes our brain and our conduct.” – Fred Gage

The first academy of Neuroarchitecture

In 2003, the ANFA (Academy of Neuroscience For Architecture) was formed, the first official academy specialized in researching and deepening the discipline of neuroarchitecture.

ANFA was founded by Fred H. Gage and aims to define the most essential aspects of architectural space design taking into account neural principles, in order to improve our well-being and quality of life. [2]

Neuroscience and architecture

Neuroarchitecture defines the relationship established between our mind and the physical environment that surrounds us. The fusion between these two disciplines stems from the need to find an explanation for the link between spaces and neural connections.

“Bottom-up” and “top-down” effects

Neuroarchitecture is largely based on the study of the central nervous system, a system that activates different mechanisms depending on the type of stimuli we receive from the space in which we find ourselves. These mechanisms generate “bottom-up” and “top-down” effects.

The way of processing information according to the “bottom-up” mechanism starts from the limbic system, a brain structure that includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, and amygdala. The limbic system regulates the functioning of the sympathetic nervous systems—that is, the most primitive and emotional part of our brain, typically known for provoking the strongest and most instinctive reactions that go beyond our reasoning.

For its part, the “top-down” effect is the opposite mechanism to the one mentioned above. It refers to reactions that originate from the most evolved areas of the cerebral cortex, called the neocortex, developed during adolescence. The cortex represents the part of the nervous system where rationality prevails, characteristic of adult life, which allows us to reach conclusions and carry out projects.

Faced with a stimulus, the brain sequence moves from the activation of the first-impact “bottom-up” mechanism (the most essential emotionality) to a subsequent return to calm thanks to the “top-down” effect (information processing). [3]

The senses in architecture

The challenge of neuroarchitecture is to understand how different environments can influence states such as stress, emotions, memory, or even learning.

Interacting with living ecosystems, walking through a natural environment, listening to the sound of water, and breathing fresh air allows us to understand the cognitive perception of the senses and re-evaluate the way we conceive spaces for design, taking into account the non-tangible benefits of architectural space. [4]

Sight

The first sensation we receive from a space is through sight.

Sight allows us to distinguish the conditions of the environment in which we find ourselves—the eye therefore behaves as an open communication channel between what is visually perceptible and the brain.

The information collected by the retina travels through the optic nerve to the neural system. Each area of the cerebral cortex extracts different types of information: spatial perception, orientation, contrast, movement, shape, luminosity, or color.

Hearing

Hearing becomes a supplementary tool to the eyes. When we cannot navigate our environment visually—due to a lack of lighting, for example—our auditory system tells us how to react.

The cochlea of our inner ear is the organ responsible for transforming the vibrations perceived by the auditory system into interpretable and understandable information. Through our memory and our most primary instinct, humans are able to differentiate when a sound produces a state of alarm and danger, or, on the contrary, relaxation and a sense of security.

Smell

Smell has the ability to activate memory-based bodily reactions; that is, a smell is associated with a past memory, a place, or a person and, consequently, an emotion. Olfactory stimuli, unlike other sensory stimuli, do not pass through the thalamus but go directly to the amygdala, which is responsible for our emotional reactions.

It is estimated that the plasticity of the olfactory bulb in mammals could be linked to neurogenesis, the process by which the brain continues to produce neurons throughout its life, especially during childhood. The olfactory system, however, is one of the few regions of the brain where neurogenesis occurs in more adult ages. This is because olfactory neurons develop from local stem cells in the olfactory bulb.

The production of these neurons decreases as age advances, which is why memory capacity tends to be affected. [5]

Touch

The skin is the organ that occupies the most surface area of our body; it is the sensory interface most in contact with space. Tactile perception allows us, along with sight, to evaluate material elements and perceive a medium. Touch contributes to understanding factors such as temperature, texture, hardness, weight, etc.

The somatosensory cortex is an area of the brain that processes sensory information from the skin. Each area of the somatosensory cortex is connected to its corresponding body part through neural pathways, which maintain the topographical relationship of each point of the skin throughout the nervous system.

The 10 fundamentals of neuroarchitecture

Thanks to the growing research in the discipline, and the most essential and logical human experience, it is possible to compile the principles that underpin neuroarchitectural design.

1. Lighting

Light is the main environmental stimulus involved in the regulation of the circadian rhythm, the so-called biological clock.

The cycles of light and darkness captured by the retina influence the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the brain, responsible for the biological clock, and the body’s natural hormonal secretion, especially the production of melatonin and cortisol.

Our brain functions under a 24-hour environmental light pattern. Cortisol, the hormone of activity and stress that keeps us awake, reaches its peak in the morning after being secreted during the night. Melatonin, known as the sleep hormone, responsible for preparing the body for rest, comes into play in the middle of the afternoon as cortisol levels drop. Cortisol activates the sympathetic nervous system, which promotes activation and alertness, while melatonin activates the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for the feeling of relaxation.

Controlling environmental lighting conditions is fundamental to avoid negatively altering the circadian cycle. A space that takes the biological clock into account must be exposed to sunlight—unaltered natural light will always be preferable to artificial light. During the central hours of the day, the space is fully illuminated naturally, and as evening arrives, the light intensity progressively decreases. [6]

Light temperature

The tone of light has a direct relationship with bodily reactions. Therefore, it is necessary for artificial light, taking natural light behavior as a reference, to adapt to the needs of each space’s use. Warm tones, with a color temperature around 3000K, promote a sense of relaxation, peace, and seclusion, while white tones, known as blue light, around 4000K, contribute to body activation, attention, and sensory stimulation. [7]

2. Colors

Color psychology studies the psychological impact of colors on people. Beyond aesthetic value, colors are capable of influencing mood and the way a space is experienced. Despite subjective cultural, social, and personal taste aspects coming into play, colors—separately or combined—stimulate the construction of emotions.

Good color control can visually modify the geometry of an architectural space, interfering with the relationship between its components and affecting our perception of the elements that shape the space: dimensions, depth, materiality, or texture.

Effects of color choice

In the home environment, it is preferable for color to exert a calming, restorative effect. To achieve this, it is advisable to use strong colors on walls or in rooms where the user stays for a short time, or on very focused elements. Avoiding the mixing of different color varieties with strong contrasts will help create a peaceful atmosphere and reduce nervousness. The goal is to combine colors harmoniously with similar tones and soft contrasts.

On the other hand, the choice of a color has a direct relationship with the degree of absorption/reflection of light radiation.

White reflects approximately 80% of solar radiation, while black reflects around 10%, being the most absorbent color. These values influence not only the clarity of spaces but also thermal radiation for the purpose of utilizing solar energy. [8]

3. Natural spaces

The historical link between human beings and their environment explains, from a biological point of view, the innate need we have to be in contact with nature.

Interacting with other living beings provides us with instinctive well-being—just as we seek to relate to other human beings, living with more life forms such as animals or, in this case, plants, improves our mood.

The adaptation of human beings to the urban environment has resulted in a radical disconnection from the natural environment. This nature deficit translates into an increase in both physical and psychological pathologies.

Effects of natural environments

Environmental psychology ensures that contemplating and moving through a natural space creates positive emotions that activate the parasympathetic system, the part of the nervous system responsible for restoring bodily and mental calm after experiencing an episode of stress.

Natural spaces also have restorative effects on attention—by directing attention involuntarily, they provide a positive distraction, contributing to the rest and restoration of cognitive mechanisms.

On the other hand, the presence of vegetation contributes to the creation of healthier environments, helping to regulate humidity, absorbing toxic particles from the air, or reducing direct solar radiation in the case of green pergolas.

In short, the integration of vegetation into our inhabited environments is one of the irreplaceable foundations upon which our physical-mental comfort rests. Understanding the spaces we inhabit from a biophilic perspective helps to increase people’s quality of life, resulting in a positive impact on our health. [10]

4. Morphology of space

The forms with which the environment is materialized generate sensory stimuli. The morphology of the elements that make up the space affects the amygdala, which is the part of the limbic system linked to fear and stress.

Organic shapes, curves, and soft contours tend to produce a sense of well-being and relaxation, while very sharp angles, by reminding us of sharp objects, activate an instinctive danger alert, generating a greater sense of stress. [11]

Paths

Avoiding overly marked paths and rigid space distribution encourages free exploration by users. The permeability of spaces allows them to be traversed freely, favoring decision-making—a more permeable and open space allows for choosing different paths adapted to each action.

It is preferable to plan paths with gentle changes in direction, widening the dimensions of passage spaces and avoiding narrow right angles that require abrupt movements.

Proportion

A space with high ceilings and open areas favors abstract and collective thinking, while a more secluded space with lower ceilings favors concrete and individual thinking. Ultimately, playing with human scale directly affects the sensation a space produces.

Maintaining strict proportions in accordance with the scale of people provides a sense of control, both spatial and mental, which sometimes evokes security and seclusion, and at other times oppression or monotony.

Spaces with disproportionate dimensions that break with the human scale—such as high ceilings, double or triple heights, and oversized vertical elements—favor the idea of freedom thanks to spatial amplitude and decongestion, while also producing a sense of lack of control and emptiness.