G1.7.St2

Design Theories and Neuroscientific Insights: The Shortcoming of Design Intentions

Siyuan Yang I a1873488

I

G1.7 I Design Research

“The discourse shaping modern design remained full of permanent paradoxes.”

- Beatriz Colomina & Mark Wigley

CONTENTS Summary

1

Opening

3

Literature Review

6

Relevance

7

Discussion

9

Conclusion

14

Bibliograph

15

Endnotes

16

Checklist

18

SUMMARY Traditional design theories have long shaped architectural practice, focusing on aesthetics and functionality. However, recent neuroscience advancements reveal how cognitive and emotional responses to design elements challenge these conventional approaches. I argue that the long-established practice of conceptualizing design by design intentions often misaligns with how the human brain experiences spaces. To create environments that genuinely support well-being and functionality, I further argue, architects must integrate neuroscientific insights into their design processes. This integration bridges the gap between theoretical principles and the cognitive realities of human experience, ensuring that architectural designs enhance, rather than hinder, human well-being. (97 words)

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OPENING + POSITION STATEMENT For a long while, traditional design theo-

Such integration is proficient in closing the

ries have determined and monopolized

divide between theoretical concepts and

architectural practice, drawing attention

the experiential reality of human interac-

to aesthetics and functionality. However,

tion, also guaranteeing that architectural

up-to-date discoveries in neuroscience

design promotes rather than hinders hu-

have now challenged these traditional

man health. This essay will exploit the

techniques by illuminating the cognitive

shortcomings of design intent, focusing on

and emotional responses of humans to

the misalignment between architectural

design elements. I argue with conviction

practice and perceived reality, and posit-

that the long-standing practice of concep-

ing ways in which design methods can be

tualizing design based solely on design

optimized via the amalgamation of neuro-

intent is often inconsistent with how the

scientific insights to achieve the potential

human brain experiences space. Current

creation of architectural spaces that are

architectural design in many cases does

more responsive to the needs of human

not adequately take into account the cog-

beings.

nitive and emotional imperatives of human beings, rendering the effect of the design disconnected from the tangible experience of the user. To facilitate the creation of environments that credibly advance wellness and functionality, architects will have to absorb the insights of neuroscience into the design journey.

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‘ARE WE HUMAN?’ ‘The discourse shaping modern design

This, it is shown, is an artificial blurring of

remained full of these permanent paradox-

the veil between tools and plays. Behne,

es.’ It reveals several core contradictions

he concluded that it is entertainment that

in modern design, in particular the tension

produces a genuine form, rather than non-

between functionality and humanization.

pure function. He also contended that pure

In his 1926 review, Adolf Behn indicat-

functionalism therefore fails to generate

ed that if designers focus excessively on

appeal, and that attempts to segregate

mechanical logic and functionality, this will

function and from entertainment are there-

eventually lead to buildings becoming an-

fore misguided. In Behne’s view, those

thropomorphic, resembling human forms.1

who purportedly proclaimed to be pursuing

Stated otherwise, designs that attempt to

pure functionalism are not factually pursu-

dehumanize become more human.2 Con-

ing functionality itself but are attempting to

versely, designs that claim to be centered

reshape humanity. Functionalism becomes

on the “human will” often result in stan-

a vehicle to enhance, strengthen and sub-

dardized architecture that is inhumane.

limate the human experience. In function-

This duality reveals an impending dilemma

alist design, every end that is fulfilled is a

in modern design. Bain further clarifies

tool towards the creation of a more refined

that from the inaugural tools and shelters,

human being.3 As a result, modern design

humans have not only settled for function,

oscillates between being faithful to human

but have also imbued their creations with

demands on the one hand, and negligence

elements of entertainment and beauty.

and reconceptualization of the human being on the other.

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LITERATURE REVIEW In this journal, I will recap a selection of

For example, in Jennifer Kaufmann-

cognition, and well-being. Such integration

traditional design theories that have pro-

Buhler’s book” Open Plan: A Design His-

is critical to cultivate spaces that genuinely

longed guided the practice of architecture.

tory of the American Office”, it is argued

celebrate and champion human health and

These theories offer guidelines that influ-

that open plan office design is a staple

function, bridging the gap between theo-

ence the design and utility of architectural

of modern architectural theory, designed

retical design principles and the perceived

spaces, these theories are broadly appli-

to promote collaboration and flexibility.

reality of human experience.

cable and have extensive uses. Examples

However, large open areas with minimal

As Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley dis-

include symmetry, proportion and minimal-

partitions, which should be advantageous

cuss in *Are We Human? *, “the discourse

ism. However, when discussed through

design elements, overstimulate the envi-

shaping modern design remained full of

the lens of neuroscience to analyse the

ronment, leading to sensory overload and

permanent paradoxes.” This underscores

subconscious responses of humans to

negatively impacting cognitive function and

the necessity of aligning architectural

these design concepts, the argument is

emotional well-being.4 As more and more

practices with cognitive realities to expand

that these elements are oftentimes not ad-

research emerges on the sensory feed-

and refine environments that authentically

equately considered in terms of how they

back generated by physical spatial interac-

enhance human performance and profi-

affect human cognition and emotion.

tions, it becomes especially paramount for

ciency, welfare and prosperity.

architects to be aware of the underpinning logic and to utilize it in the ongoing exploration of design thinking. Owing to my research, I have a desire to contribute to the exploration of how architects can incorporate neuroscience insights into architectural design to foster environments that are more conducive to human perceptual, 6

RELEVANCE “Welcome to Your World” by Sarah Wil-

coming increasingly rigid and predictable,

stability of the solution and strive to be

liams Goldhagen discusses the detrimental

and if this trend continues to be applied

rich in practicability also known as ro-

effects of poorly designed environments on

to urban planning, the experience of the

bustness. The first condition of all is the

cognitive functions and social interactions.

inhabitants will lack a connection to nature,

ability to explore in depth the multifaceted

Goldhagen’s analysis of Jean Nouvel’s

which can lead to disorientation and even

perspectives that I am concerned with,

Serpentine Pavilion illustrates how design

disengagement from social development.7

that is, the brain fluctuations caused by

features like sharp angles and intense

This limits the possibilities for community

the architectural elements and the neu-

colours can induce stress, demonstrating

exchange and misses many opportunities

rological responses of human beings to

the impact of design on discomfort and

for development.8 “Open Plan: A Design

their environments in the context of urban

anxiety.5 “Urban Experience and Design:

History of the American Office” by Jennifer

planning strategies. These sources cover a

Contemporary Perspectives on Improving

Kaufmann-Buhler along with Bodin Dan-

broad spectrum of topics which collectively

the Public Realm,” edited by Ann Sussman

ielsson’s study in “Environment and Be-

deepen my comprehension of how design

and Justin Hollander, combines neurosci-

haviour” address the cognitive difficulties

influences human well-being and societal

ence with urban design using biometric

presented by open-plan office settings with

dynamics. In addition, I have endeavoured

technology and eye-tracking contraption

historical context and empirical evidence

to strike a balance in selecting sources

to validate negative responses to sharp,

showing increased stress levels and de-

that afford both supportive perspectives

irregular forms in the built environment.

creased job satisfaction associated with

and critical evaluations of traditional de-

This emphasizes the significance of un-

these designs, aligning with neuroscientific

sign practices in order to instigate nuanced

derstanding human cognitive and emotion-

findings on sensory overload impacts.9

discussions that effectively address po-

al reactions to architectural elements. 6

Throughout my research process, the

tential biases while considering differing

“Towards an Urban Regeneration” and the

selection of material sources as the first

viewpoints.

“Residential Design Guide” by Glasgow

step, I expect that this dominant direction

City Council critique grid layouts are be-

is based on the comprehensiveness of the

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DISCUSSION For example, minimalist design is emphasized on open spaces and clean lines to

**Case Study: Jean Nouvel’s 2010 Serpentine Pavilion**

produce a clean, neat visual effect. This design style can deliver a sense of calm

The 2010 Serpentine Pavilion of Jean

and relaxation because it avoids visual

Nouvel exemplifies the failure to coordi-

clutter and overstimulation of pertinent

nate conventional design theories with

messages. In addition, minimalist design

neuroscience insights. In order to evoke

often uses neutral tones and natural light,

the warmth and joys, Nouvel made use of

adding further to the serene atmosphere of

sharp angles and intense red colours to

the space so that people are able to per-

design the pavilion. Nevertheless, such

ceive a sense of inner peace and harmony

design may make visitors feel stressful

within it. Nonetheless, if it is used overly,

and uncomfortable. As indicated by neu-

such environments may be sterile and

roscience, irregular forms and intense red

cause isolated and uncomfortable feel-

contexts are likely to elevate anxiety and

ings. As demonstrated by neuroscientific

lower cognitive function.11 Contrary to the

research, people are naturally attracted

design intentions of Nouvel, the factors

by intricate and diversified environments,

constituting the pavilion may induce phys-

stimulating neural activity and boosting

iological stress responses (e.g. improved

welfare.10 Thus, despite visual attractive-

heart rate), due to the stimulating effects of

ness of minimalist design, it needs to be

the colour red and the unsettling nature of

balanced with factors that offer sensory

sharp angles. This example illustrates the

engagement and comfort.

value of gaining an insight into how certain design elements affect human psychology.

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Figure 1: The “seahorse” cross section of hippocampus showing a schematization of core neural circuitry, as drawn by the Spanish neuroanatomist Santiago Ramon y Cajal (1899).

**Case Study: Grids Facilitate Construction - Weissenhofsiedlung**

modular square grid system and claimed that a building of any size and complexity could ideally follow this model. Early modernist architects, such as Walter Gropius,

The rectangular or square grid is a typical

embraced this approach for affordable

example of pragmatism in design. Prior to

housing projects, such as the Weissenhof-

digital computation, straight lines and right

siedlung in Stuttgart, Germany. Gropius

angles simplified construction and facilitat-

used the grid for the floor plans, interiors,

ed engineering. Through this method, the

and exteriors of Houses 16 and 17, saved

process of positioning structural supports

construction costs, and minimized manu-

and locating rooms and corridors could

facturing and transport expenses by cre-

be simplified. During the nineteenth and

ating smaller individual components that

twentieth centuries, the grid became more

could be transported more efficiently. At

useful with the mass production of stan-

the time, Gropius and others like Ludwig

dard construction materials. Commercial

Hilberseimer even proposed the grid not

buildings and contemporary skyscrapers

just in housing but also in urban planning.

often employ a five-foot gridded module to

According to Hilberseimer, the homogeni-

calculate floor plates and design interior

zation of building design through the grid

spaces. In large-scale residential projects,

would help modern urban dwellers feel

the grid also remains a widely applied tem-

comfortable wherever they went.12

plate. As early as 1900, the grid had been the favourite modus operandi of architects.

Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand developed a

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DISCUSSION In spite of the undoubted utility of grids, research by cognitive neuroscientist John O’Keefe et al reveals that the cognitive maps used by human brain in navigating space are organic, irregular patterns rather than rigid grids.13 Meanwhile, research on the brain’s internal navigation system

by Edward Moser and May-Britt Moser suggests that people’s brains prefer natural and varied environments.14 The brain’s preference for a hexagonal grid system over a right-angled grid indicates that a right-angled grid can bring unnatural and disorienting feelings.15 While creating feelings of isolation and discomfort, such environments could not effectively meet the emotional and social needs of the occupants.

Figure 2 : Gridded Cities: Ludwig Hilberseimer, from The New City. The Art Institute of Chicago, IL, USA/Gift of George E. Danforth/Bridgeman Images.

Figure 3 : Grids facilitate construction: Weissenhofsiedlung, House 17 (Walter Gropius), Stuttgart.

BauhausArchiv, Berlin,/© 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn.

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**Case Study: Open-Plan Offices**

synergistic. The Action Office system by Herman Miller included flexible furniture

Open-plan offices, which are designed

pieces that could provide privacy and sup-

to encourage collaboration and flexibility,

port communication between colleagues,

are unfavourable for people to do their

as they integrated acoustic panels, while

work best physiologically and emotionally.

white noise machines were used for vol-

Despite their intention to enable effective

ume control. Office design has long been

communication and use of resources, they

integrated with managerial ideas. The first

can also cause sensory overload. As docu-

open-plan offices, represented by Frank

mented in neuroscience studies, open-plan

Lloyd Wright’s 1939 Johnson Wax build-

offices can be harmful for cognitive func-

ing, were built as production halls to bring

tions and emotional welfare.

workers sunlight exposure and stimulate

Through analysis in Open Plan: A Design

teamwork. However, the enclosed office

History of the American Office, Jennifer

cubicle became synonymous with dissat-

Kaufmann-Buhler highlighted efforts to address noise and privacy issues in openplan office designs. Herman Miller cooperated with the Quickborner Team and pioneered solutions such as incorporating

Figure 4 : Sales office for Deering, Milliken and Co. in New York City, designed by the Knoll Planning Unit, featuring Florence Knoll desks and Eero Saarinen desk chairs, 1958. The image illustrates the meticulous office planning that came to define the modern corporate interior. Source: Image Courtesy Knoll Archive

isfaction due to visual monotony, noise, interruptions, and insufficient privacy.16 Upon recognizing the need for balance, designers incorporated partitions and strategic layouts to create semi-enclosed

partitions and strategic layouts to create

workspaces and addressed issues of noise

partially enclosed workspaces. The aim of

and privacy. In spite of these innovations,

these schemes is to establish a balance

it is still challenging to create an open-plan

between solitude and social interaction,

office that supports both collaboration and

ensuring that the office environment is

individual focus. Neuroscience research

both individually productive and collectively

reveals the source of many open-office 12

DISCUSSION workplaces failing to satisfy workers’ cog-

I

nitive and emotional needs. The human

t

brain receives sensory information all the

a

time and processes input continuously in

d

real-time, which contributes to quick fa-

t

tigue and overload of stress.17

C

According to research published in the

t

Journal of Environmental Psychology, open-plan office workers experience more stress and feel less satisfied with their jobs than those who work in settings with closed doors. This is in line with findings that prolonged sensory overload can impair cognitive functions such as memory

Figure 5 : Image illustrating the movement of sound in an open plan office from 1975. The drawing is based on the photograph of Action Office shown in Figure 6 and uses arrows to show sound produced by individual workers bouncing off of acoustic surfaces which absorb and reduce the overall sound. Source: Robert Propst and Michael Wodka, The Action Office Acoustic Handbook, 31. Courtesy of Herman Miller Archives.

in

e

in

s

H

a

p

and attention. Integration of neuroscientific

s

principles into office design (e.g. incorpora-

c

tion of quiet zones and personal workspac-

o

es) can be helpful to reduce sensory over-

in

load. By providing elements with sensory

t

engagement and comfort, such as natural

la

light, plants, and sound-absorbing mate-

a

rials, architects can create environments that better support cognitive function and emotional health.18 13

Figure 6 : Photograph of the interior of Freehafer Hall from 1971. Image illustrates the careful use of partitions to block views and provide modest privacy. See Figure 1 for another view of the original Freehafer interior. Source: Purdue University Special Collections: UA 153 Box 1

e

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CONCLUSION In conclusion, the explanation of the interfaces between architectural design and neuroscience accentuated the urgent desideratum for a holistic perspective on the inception of designed environments.

Case studies and examples have surfaced to reinforce the fact that traditional design intent often dismisses the cognitive and emotional priorities of users, culminating in aesthetically pleasing but potentially stressful and uncomfortable environments.

Heading into the future, architects must adopt a holistic perspective that contemplates both aesthetic and cognitive dimensions to ascertain that architectural design contributes to well-being, productivity, and overall human flourishing. The successful integration of these arenas has the potential to determine our future residing and labouring environments inherently favourable to our mental resilience and emotional equilibrium in the long run.

(2584 WORDS) 14

BIBLIOGRAPHY Colomina, Beatriz, and Mark Wigley. 2016. Are We Human?. Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers.

Kaufmann-Buhler, Jennifer. 2021. Open Plan: A Design History of the American Office. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Goldhagen, Sarah Williams. 2017. Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives. New York: Harper.

Sussman, Ann, and Justin Hollander. 2021. Urban Experience and Design: Contemporary Perspectives on Improving the Public Realm. New York: Routledge.

Walker, F. A. 1982. “The Glasgow Grid.” In T. A. Markus (ed.), Order in Space and Society (50-60). Edinburgh: Mainstream.

Walker, F. A. 1996. “The Emerge of the Grid: Later 18th Century Urban Form in Glasgow.” In W. A. Brogden (ed.), The Neo-Classical Scottish Contributions to Urban Design Since 1750 (57-64). Edinburgh: The Rutland Press.

Danielsson, Bodin C., Bodin, L., Wulff, C., and Theorell, T. 2015. “The Relation Between Office Type and Workplace Conflict: A Gender and Noise Perspective.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 42: 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.04.004.

Harricharan, Sherain, Margaret C. McKinnon, and Ruth A. Lanius. 2021. “How Processing of Sensory Information From the Internal and External Worlds Shape the Perception and Engagement With the World in the Aftermath of Trauma: Implications for PTSD.” Frontiers in Neuroscience 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.625490.

Sander, Elizabeth J., Cecelia Marques, James Birt, Matthew Stead, and Oliver Baumann. 2021. “Open-Plan Office Noise Is Stressful: Multimodal Stress Detection in a Simulated Work Environment.” Journal of Management & Organization 27: 1021–1037. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2021.17.

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ENDNOTES 1.

Colomina, Beatriz and Wigley Mark, 2016, Are we Human, (Switzerland: Lars Muller Publishers), 82.

2.

Colomina, Wigley, 2016, 83.

3.

Colomina, Wigley, 2016, 83.

4.

Jennifer Kaufmann-Buhler, 2021, Open Plan: A Design History of the American Office (New York: Bloomsbury Publishing), 50-55.

5.

Sarah Williams Goldhagen, 2017, Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives (New York: Harper), 135-140.

6.

Ann Sussman and Justin Hollander, 2021, Urban Experience and Design: Contemporary Perspectives on Improving the Public Realm (New York: Routledge), 90-95.

7.

Walker, F. A., 1982, The Glasgow Grid, in T. A. Markus (ed.), Order in Space and Society (Edinburgh: Mainstream), 50-60.

8.

Walker, F. A., 1996, The Emerge of the Grid: Later 18th Century Urban Form in Glasgow, in W. A. Brogden (ed.), The Neo-Classical Scottish Contributions to Urban

Design Since 1750 (Edinburgh: The Rutland Press), 57-64.

9.

Bodin Danielsson, C., Bodin, L., Wulff, C., and Theorell, T. 2015. The relation between office type and workplace conflict: A gender and noise perspective, Journal of

Environmental Psychology (42): 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.04.004.

10.

Sussman and Hollander, 2021, 60.

11.

Sussman and Hollander, 2021, 90-95

12.

Goldhagen, 2017, 85-87.

13.

Goldhagen, 2017, 87-92.

14.

Goldhagen, 2017, 68-69.

15.

Sussman and Hollander, 2021, 19.

16.

Kaufmann-Buhler, 2021, 55.

17.

Sherain Harricharan, Margaret C. McKinnon, and Ruth A. Lanius, 2021, “How Processing of Sensory Information From the Internal and External Worlds Shape the Per-

ception and Engagement With the World in the Aftermath of Trauma: Implications for PTSD,” Frontiers in Neuroscience 15, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.625490.

18.

Elizabeth J. Sander, Cecelia Marques, James Birt, Matthew Stead, and Oliver Baumann, 2021, “Open-Plan Office Noise Is Stressful: Multimodal Stress Detection in a

Simulated Work Environment,” Journal of Management & Organization 27, 1021–1037, https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2021.17.

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IMAGES Figure 1: The “seahorse” cross section of hippocampus showing a schematization of core neural circuitry, as drawn by the Spanish neuroanatomist Santiago Ramon y Cajal (1899). <https://blog.oup.com/2022/08/from-navigation-to-architecture-how-the-brain-interprets-spaces-and-designs-places/> Figure 2 : Gridded Cities: Ludwig Hilberseimer, from The New City. The Art Institute of Chicago, IL, USA/Gift of George E. Danforth/Bridgeman Images. < https://www.artic.edu/artworks/101044/highrise-city-hochhausstadt-perspective-view-north-south-street > Figure 3 : Grids facilitate construction: Weissenhofsiedlung, House 17 (Walter Gropius), Stuttgart. BauhausArchiv, Berlin,/© 2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. < https://mitp-arch.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/otp0mh38/release/1 > Figure 4 : Sales office for Deering, Milliken and Co. in New York City, designed by the Knoll Planning Unit, featuring Florence Knoll desks and Eero Saarinen desk chairs, 1958. The image illustrates the meticulous office planning that came to define the modern corporate interior. Source: Image Courtesy Knoll Archive < https://dokumen.pub/open-plan-a-design-history-of-the-american-office-9781350044722-9781350044739-9781350044753-9781350044715.html > Figure 5 : Image illustrating the movement of sound in an open plan office from 1975. The drawing is based on the photograph of Action Office shown in Figure 6 and uses arrows to show sound produced by individual workers bouncing off of acoustic surfaces which absorb and reduce the overall sound. Source: Robert Propst and Michael Wodka, The Action Office Acoustic Handbook, 31. Courtesy of Herman Miller Archives. < https://dokumen.pub/open-plan-a-design-history-of-the-american-office-9781350044722-9781350044739-9781350044753-9781350044715.html > Figure 6 : Photograph of the interior of Freehafer Hall from 1971. Image illustrates the careful use of partitions to block views and provide modest privacy. See Figure 1 for another view of the original Freehafer interior. Source: Purdue University Special Collections: UA 153 Box 1 <https://dokumen.pub/open-plan-a-design-history-of-the-american-office-9781350044722-9781350044739-9781350044753-9781350044715.html >

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CHECKLIST Adhered to the word limit in the summary and the article.

Inserted the main quote by C+W on the inside of the front cover.

Followed the 5-sentence template in writing of the summary.

Inserted word count of the summary.

Inserted word count of the article.

Adhered to the prescribed number of spreads.

Adhered to the prescribed number of images.

Researched and cited the required number of sources.

Uploaded PDF file on issuu.com and provided active link on the from cover.

Inserted the checklist on the back cover.

Uploaded final PDF file on MyUni and Box. Uploaded final Black+Blue word file on MyUni and Box. Student Name: Siyuan Yang

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