EXCHANGE
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‘X’ spatial quality will make someone more productive. If anything, our research is telling us that before we try to go for elevation, let’s get our foundations in order. We sit on the side of the fence that says humans are highly capable; when their homeostasis and environment are aligned, anything is arguably possible. It is therefore the role of built environment practitioners to not only understand the biological interconnectedness of urban life into building curation and spatial design, but also work with other groups to improve their own unrelated service, such as transport networks, delivery systems and public infrastructure. Is it not mad to think that, in the face of the fact that urban pollutants and stressors – such as air pollution from vehicles, light pollution from buildings and streets, and noise pollution from density – decrease health, wellbeing and productivity, corporate bosses should be working harder to improve those, as opposed to worrying about their lobby design? When it comes to neuroscience, the workplace and the buildings that encompass them, we see the responsibility being twofold. Firstly, there is the need for building owners and their designers and managers to ensure they are biologically in-tune buildings and spaces that intuitively support a person’s agency. That is supported and cross-referenced by rigorous research into how physical qualities impact
