Marketing Scoops: HealthySpaces

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While many modern buildings are characterised by minimalist lines and open urban spaces, research shows that people often prefer classical buildings and dense urban landscapes. Should architects and urban planners take people’s preferences more into account? A 2019 study at the University of Warwick, based on data from over 15,000 people in England, shows that people feel happier in beautiful surroundings even in cities…….Continue reading…

By: Emilie Wee

Source: Science Norway

Critics:

Architecture profoundly impacts both physical and mental health. The built environment shapes everything from indoor air quality and chronic disease risk to mood and cognitive function. Thoughtful design elements actively promote healing, reduce physiological stress, and enhance overall well-being.

The psychological effects of a space are deeply tied to neuro-architecture, which studies how the built environment influences the human brain. Access to daylight regulates circadian rhythms, boosts mood, and combats depression.

Access to daylight regulates circadian rhythms, boosts mood, and combats depression. Open layouts and high ceilings promote feelings of freedom and creativity, while smaller, segmented spaces can induce focus but may also cause feelings of confinement if not properly balanced.

Incorporating natural elements (wood, stone, plants) lowers blood pressure and significantly reduces cognitive fatigue. Buildings dictate your exposure to physical hazards and determine your baseline physical comfort.Proper ventilation systems and low-toxicity construction materials reduce respiratory issues, asthma triggers, and sick-building syndrome.

Minimizing noise pollution and eliminating synthetic toxins/odors prevent chronic physiological disruption, which lowers stress and improves sleep. Staircase placement, walkability, and active-design layouts encourage physical activity and help lower obesity risks. How spaces are structured affects our social health and interaction levels.

Shared community spaces, accessible public squares, and co-housing designs foster interaction, reducing loneliness and isolation. Barrier-free architecture such as wide ramps, automated doors, and inclusive tactile paving ensures that individuals of all abilities can safely and independently navigate their environments.

For more data-backed insights on the built environment, you can explore the AIA’s Health Initiative or read about how buildings affect neuro-emotional responses via Think Architecture.

Ellard, C. Streets with no game, Aeon (essay), 2015.

Hauge et al. The Meaning of the Physical Environment in Child and Adolescent Therapy: A Qualitative Study of the Outdoor Care Retreat, Ecopsychology, vol. 15, 2023. DOI: 10.1089/eco.2022.0087

Kindervaag et al. ‘This Doesn’t Feel Like a Hospital’: Children’s Experience of the Outdoor Care Retreat Versus Conventional Hospital Design, in Effects of Design on Health and Wellbeing, Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, vol. 319, 2024. DOI: 10.3233/SHTI240954

Mouratidis, K. & Hassan, R. Contemporary versus traditional styles in architecture and public space: A virtual reality study with 360-degree videos, Research Gate, 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2019.102499

Seresinhe et al. Happiness is Greater in More Scenic Locations, Scientific Reports, vol. 9, 2019. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40854-6

Suurenbroek, F. & Spanjar, G. Sensing Streetscapes: 2-year research on the physical-behavioural interrelationship aimed at informing the design of human-scaled densification in Amsterdam, The Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, 2022.

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