Category Archives: Neuroscience

Eye Tracking Architecture to ‘See’ Human Nature

Posted on October 13, 2020 by

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

How Neuroscience Reframes Architectural History (on YouTube)

Posted on September 23, 2020 by

Story + video by Ann Sussman, RA This video was posted last week at the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA) 2020 conference: It reviews a poster, first presented at the 30th Annual International Trauma Conference in Boston, MA in 2019, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Neuroscience | Leave a comment

Faces: The Key to Making Happy Places

Posted on September 8, 2020 by

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 , | 2 Comments

The Case Against All-Glass Facades

Posted on July 18, 2020 by

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 | 3 Comments

Empathy in Design: Measuring How Faces Make Places

Posted on June 21, 2020 by

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 | 1 Comment

Do the ‘Fish Experiment’ to ‘See’ What We’re Built to See

Posted on March 25, 2020 by

Did you ever wonder about the strange way humans take in the world? Like the animals we are, of course! A quick way to see this is with the ‘Fish Experiment.’ Look at the images below and note where your … Continue reading →

Posted in Neuroscience, Patterns, People-centric Design, Primal Vista | Tagged , , | 2 Comments