Category Archives: Design

‘Built Beautiful,’ the Movie on Architecture + Neuroscience Streaming Live at Boston Architectural College on Dec. 7, 2020

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Genetics of Design

Built Beautiful – Trailer from Mariel Rodriguez-McGill on Vimeo. The Boston Architectural College (BAC) announced it will screen this new documentary which bridges the arts + sciences on Monday, December 7, 2020 at 7 PM EST. All are invited to … Continue reading →

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Eye Tracking Architecture to ‘See’ Human Nature

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Genetics of Design

Humans are remarkable creatures, and a great way to appreciate the hidden aspects of our nature is with eye tracking, a biometric tool that measures how our eyes move to take in our surroundings—often without our conscious awareness or control. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design, Eye Tracking, Neuroscience, People-centric Design | 1 Comment

Faces: The Key to Making Happy Places

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Genetics of Design

Do you see faces in these gingerbread cottages in Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, a popular summer retreat on this island ten miles off the coast of Massachusetts? Does it seem like they are looking at you? Built as part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, Neuroscience, People-centric Design | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Case Against All-Glass Facades

Posted on July 18, 2020 by Genetics of Design

The pictures tell the story. And make the case. Biometric studies explain why. At left, is a photo of MassArt Design and Media Center, (c. 2016), a public college of applied art in downtown Boston; at right, the George Wythe … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, Eye Tracking, Neuroscience, People-centric Design | Tagged | 6 Comments

Empathy in Design: Measuring How Faces Make Places

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Genetics of Design

Since 2015, Ragusa, Sicily has hosted FestiWall, an international art festival devoted to enhancing the public realm and improving citizen engagement with the modern section of an old city. Here are two views of a residential tower before and after … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, City Planning, Design, Eye Tracking, Neuroscience, People-centric Design, STEM | 2 Comments

Empathy in Design: Measuring the Impact of Biophilia

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Genetics of Design

Is home your happy place? Does it make you feel warm and welcome? Now that a pandemic has turned our homes into multipurpose spaces that double as offices, gyms, schools, playgrounds and safe havens from a virus, feelings matter more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Biology, Design, Eye Tracking, Health, People-centric Design | Tagged | 3 Comments

The Public Realm: What Cars Took Away + Never Gave Back

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Genetics of Design

Where would you rather be? The main street above or the one below? We’d guess you’ll pick the one most at top, even though these images show the very same street — photographed about 100 years apart! It’s Commonwealth Avenue … Continue reading →

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How Boston’s Glassy Seaport Fails + Why It Always Will!

Posted on July 27, 2019 by Genetics of Design

A recent article in the Boston Globe Magazine, 15 Things to Love and 11 Things to Loathe about Boston, labels the newest glassy section of the city “soulless” something people “loathe,” calling Boston’s Seaport District a “bland cityscape, a tract of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Architecture, City Planning, Design, Health, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Eye-tracking Architecture at Ux+Design/2019 Conference

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Genetics of Design

Thanks to the attendees and presenters at Ux+Design/2019, the 1st International Conference on Urban Experience and Design on April 26 at Tufts University. This conference brought together creative thinkers from around the world who are shaping ‘evidence-based’ design practices, ones … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, City Planning, Design, Eye Tracking, People-centric Design, STEM, Walkability | Tagged , | Leave a comment

‘The Postcard Test’ in Copenhagen + beyond

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Genetics of Design

If you want to know which buildings attract people in cities—head to the postcard rack. The postcard above is from Copenhagen by Danish illustrator, Martin Schwartz, who’s created a series that capture “the soul of a city in a single … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, City Planning, Design, Patterns | Leave a comment