Designing for human wellbeing: The integration of neuroarchitecture in design – A systematic review

Abstract

Nowadays, smart buildings connect individuals to their built environment to make sustainable buildings responsive to the user behaviour and needs to enhance human-wellbeing. Recently, the “Neuroarchitecture” concept emerged integrating Neuroscience and Architecture to create environments that fulfil four pillars of human wellbeing. It facilitates understanding how architecture can affect our wellbeing: physically (body), intellectually (brain), emotionally (emotions) and socially (behaviour). This study conducted a systematic review about “Neuroarchitecture” explaining it, its pillars, different terms, its design characteristics, and their effects on humans. This research adopted a qualitative approach in which the researchers collected Neuroarchitecture studies in the last eight years, then used descriptive, thematic, narrative and critical analysis methods to develop a systematic review. Based on the selected literature articles, the authors proposed and explained a “Neuro-architecture” model. Finally, the experimentally proven physiological, psychological, cognitive and behavioural effects of architecture through neuroarchitecture were presented in correspondence to the design characteristics.

Keywords

• Neuroarchitecture
• Human wellbeing
• Interior design
• Cognitive emotional design
• Brain activation
• Systematic review