context. Akil described the function of the hippocampus as the “concierge” of the brain, as it is the interface between the outside world and brain functions, deciding what to information to code, and where in the brain to code it. Satchin Panda, Salk Institute for Biological studies: Panda’s talk described how circadian rhythms are the daily timetable of chemical rhythms encoded in our DNA; they are triggered by the inputs of daylight, sleep, food, and physical activity. Disruption to circadian rhythms is linked to many common diseases. Bill Browning, Terrapin Bright Green: Browning has focused his research on biophilia (the human connection to nature), fractals and visual response, and psycho-acoustics, which is the filtering mechanism of the human auditory system. Alex Coburn, independent researcher: Coburn and a team of researchers investigated psychological responses to natural patterns, measured through subjects’ ratings of architectural images. The team found that buildings with higher scaling and contrast are aesthetically preferred because they are innately perceived as natural-looking. Stephanie Park, WeWork: WeWork recorded user response and feedback through sensors and utilization prediction models to measure interactions between people in a work environment. They found that collaboration and community reinforce a sense of purpose. 12
Study participants were asked to view VR environments so that their physiological and psychological responses could be measured. Image from Gepshtein, Sergei. Parts of Space. 13 Aug. 2018, New School of Architecture & Design, San Diego.