How Architecture Affects Your Brain: The Link Between Neuroscience and the Built Environment

This article was originally published by Common Edge as "Sarah Williams Goldhagen on How the Brain Works and What It Means for Architecture."

Sarah Williams Goldhagen has taken a big swing. Her new book, Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives, is nothing less than a meticulously constructed argument for completely rethinking our way of looking at architecture. A longtime critic for The New Republic and a former lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Goldhagen has taken a deep dive into the rapidly advancing field of cognitive science, in an attempt to link it to a new human-centered approach to the built world. The book is both an examination of the science behind cognition (and its relevance to architecture), and a polemic against the stultifying status quo. Recently I talked to the author, who was busy preparing for a year-long trip around the world, about the book, the science, and the state of architectural education.

'ARQ RIFA G’2010' House / Emilio Garateguy + Ignacio Trecca

'ARQ RIFA G’2010' House / Emilio Garateguy + Ignacio Trecca - Houses, Facade, Fence'ARQ RIFA G’2010' House / Emilio Garateguy + Ignacio Trecca - Houses'ARQ RIFA G’2010' House / Emilio Garateguy + Ignacio Trecca - Houses'ARQ RIFA G’2010' House / Emilio Garateguy + Ignacio Trecca - Houses, Beam, Facade'ARQ RIFA G’2010' House / Emilio Garateguy + Ignacio Trecca - More Images+ 29

Ciudad de la Costa, Uruguay

Yoga Poses For Architects

Yoga Poses For Architects - Image 5 of 4
Courtesy of The Leewardists

Learning to adapt and be flexible; it’s something that comes in handy both in an architecture firm and yoga studio. The everyday motions you go through as an architect can sometimes feel like a strenuous physical routine. Whether it be performing tasks for work or sneaking ways to get some precious shut-eye, architects need to learn how to be nimble to get through the long days and nights (coffee doesn’t hurt either). Take some deep inhalations and exhalations as you check out, in four easy to follow steps, some common positions architects find themselves in. 

Yoga Poses For Architects - Image 8 of 4
Courtesy of The Leewardists

IN CASTRO – Ideas and Business Center / Campos Costa Arquitetos

IN CASTRO –  Ideas and Business Center  / Campos Costa Arquitetos - Institutional BuildingsIN CASTRO –  Ideas and Business Center  / Campos Costa Arquitetos - Institutional BuildingsIN CASTRO –  Ideas and Business Center  / Campos Costa Arquitetos - Institutional BuildingsIN CASTRO –  Ideas and Business Center  / Campos Costa Arquitetos - Institutional BuildingsIN CASTRO –  Ideas and Business Center  / Campos Costa Arquitetos - More Images+ 14

Swiss House XXII Preonzo / Davide Macullo Architects

Swiss House XXII Preonzo  / Davide Macullo Architects - HousesSwiss House XXII Preonzo  / Davide Macullo Architects - Houses, Facade, StairsSwiss House XXII Preonzo  / Davide Macullo Architects - Houses, Facade, DoorSwiss House XXII Preonzo  / Davide Macullo Architects - Houses, BedroomSwiss House XXII Preonzo  / Davide Macullo Architects - More Images+ 26

Preonzo, Switzerland

House of Alain Hubert / SAMYN and PARTNERS

House of Alain Hubert / SAMYN and PARTNERS - Houses, Facade, Door, Beam, HandrailHouse of Alain Hubert / SAMYN and PARTNERS - Houses, Door, Beam, FacadeHouse of Alain Hubert / SAMYN and PARTNERS - Houses, Garden, Facade, DoorHouse of Alain Hubert / SAMYN and PARTNERS - Houses, Door, Facade, LightingHouse of Alain Hubert / SAMYN and PARTNERS - More Images+ 39

Rhode-Saint-Genèse, Belgium

Silindokuhle Preschool / Collectif saga

Silindokuhle Preschool / Collectif saga - Sustainability, Facade, Beam, DoorSilindokuhle Preschool / Collectif saga - SustainabilitySilindokuhle Preschool / Collectif saga - SustainabilitySilindokuhle Preschool / Collectif saga - SustainabilitySilindokuhle Preschool / Collectif saga - More Images+ 19

  • Architects: Collectif saga
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  220
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2017
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Aveng Steel, Howeden Donkin Fans, Mpact

M+ Pavilion / VPANG + JET + Lisa Cheung

M+ Pavilion / VPANG + JET + Lisa Cheung - Exhibition Center, Fence, Facade, Handrail, Stairs, CityscapeM+ Pavilion / VPANG + JET + Lisa Cheung - Exhibition Center, Fence, Facade, Handrail, BenchM+ Pavilion / VPANG + JET + Lisa Cheung - Exhibition Center, FacadeM+ Pavilion / VPANG + JET + Lisa Cheung - Exhibition Center, FacadeM+ Pavilion / VPANG + JET + Lisa Cheung - More Images+ 9

Hyundai Card - Cooking Library / Blacksheep + One O One Architects

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  8157
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2017
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Menu, Diespeker & Co, Frisian Tiles, GUBI, Kristalia , +3
  • Professionals: Blacksheep

Cultural Innovation Store in the Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum / FANAF

Cultural Innovation Store in the Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum / FANAF - Store, FacadeCultural Innovation Store in the Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum / FANAF - Store, FacadeCultural Innovation Store in the Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum / FANAF - Store, Facade, Column, DoorCultural Innovation Store in the Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum / FANAF - Store, FacadeCultural Innovation Store in the Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum / FANAF - More Images+ 22

Nanjing, China
  • Architects: FANAF
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  300
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2017
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  LY, RTC, Simon

The Victorian Desalination Project & Ecological Reserve / ARM Architecture + ASPECT Studios

The Victorian Desalination Project & Ecological Reserve / ARM Architecture + ASPECT Studios - Sustainability & Green Design, Coast, CityscapeThe Victorian Desalination Project & Ecological Reserve / ARM Architecture + ASPECT Studios - Sustainability & Green Design, FenceThe Victorian Desalination Project & Ecological Reserve / ARM Architecture + ASPECT Studios - Sustainability & Green Design, CoastThe Victorian Desalination Project & Ecological Reserve / ARM Architecture + ASPECT Studios - Sustainability & Green DesignThe Victorian Desalination Project & Ecological Reserve / ARM Architecture + ASPECT Studios - More Images+ 10

New Video Takes You Through the Floating Concourse Envisioned for LA's Union Station

Major changes are on the way for Los AngelesUnion Station that will improve connectivity between the stations various train, metro and bus lines. In a new video released by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, one possible future – a ring-shaped passenger concourse floating over the train platforms below – is visualized for the first time.

Clemson University Core Campus Dining Facility / Sasaki

Clemson University Core Campus Dining Facility / Sasaki - Dorms, FacadeClemson University Core Campus Dining Facility / Sasaki - Dorms, FacadeClemson University Core Campus Dining Facility / Sasaki - Dorms, Beam, Facade, Table, ChairClemson University Core Campus Dining Facility / Sasaki - Dorms, Facade, Chair, BenchClemson University Core Campus Dining Facility / Sasaki - More Images+ 4

  • Architects: Sasaki
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  81000 ft²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2016
  • Professionals: Whiting-Turner

7 Projects Announced as Winners of 2017 AIA National Healthcare Design Awards

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) has selected seven recipients of 2017 AIA National Healthcare Design Awards, given to the year’s best projects in healthcare building design and healthcare design-oriented research. Projects were selected for displaying “conceptual strengths that solve aesthetic, civic, urban, and social concerns as well as the requisite functional and sustainability concerns of a hospital.”

The award is given in four categories: Category A: Built, Less than $25 million in construction cost; Category B: Built, More than $25 million in construction cost; Category C: Unbuilt, Must be commissioned for compensation by a client with the authority and intention to build (No projects were selected in this category this year); and Category D: Innovations in Planning and Design Research, Built and Unbuilt.

See all the winners below.

Casa FORASTE / uno más uno

Casa FORASTE / uno más uno - HousesCasa FORASTE / uno más uno - HousesCasa FORASTE / uno más uno - HousesCasa FORASTE / uno más uno - HousesCasa FORASTE / uno más uno - More Images+ 19

  • Architects: uno más uno
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  93
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2017
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Cemex, Interceramic, Ocotlan

VTN Architects' Brick Training Complex Will Create Its Own Microclimate Using 'Sky Walks'

VTN Architects has revealed plans for a new training complex for Vietnam’s largest mobile network operator located within a training center campus at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, 30 km outside of the capital city of Hanoi. Currently under construction, the Viettel Academy Education Center has been designed as a “cooling microclimate” with short-term residential accommodation aimed at creating a quiet, peaceful space for the company’s new trainees to focus on their studies away from the distraction of the city.

VTN Architects' Brick Training Complex Will Create Its Own Microclimate Using 'Sky Walks' - Garden, Facade, HandrailVTN Architects' Brick Training Complex Will Create Its Own Microclimate Using 'Sky Walks' - Garden, FacadeVTN Architects' Brick Training Complex Will Create Its Own Microclimate Using 'Sky Walks' - Stairs, Facade, Beam, HandrailVTN Architects' Brick Training Complex Will Create Its Own Microclimate Using 'Sky Walks' - FacadeVTN Architects' Brick Training Complex Will Create Its Own Microclimate Using 'Sky Walks' - More Images+ 6

Iskra / NOWADAYS office

Iskra / NOWADAYS office - Interior Design, Stairs, Facade, Handrail, Beam, ArchIskra / NOWADAYS office - Interior Design, Arch, Table, Lighting, ChairIskra / NOWADAYS office - Interior Design, FacadeIskra / NOWADAYS office - Interior DesignIskra / NOWADAYS office - More Images+ 10

  • Architects: NOWADAYS office
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  120
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2015

Are Your Revit Skills Up to Scratch? Find Out With This Handy Guide

When applying for architecture jobs, it's often necessary to self-evaluate your skill at various tasks. However, with many of these tasks--especially software--it can be difficult to give an accurate assessment since you often don't know what you don't know about the skill. This article, originally published by ArchSmarter as "Where Are You on the Path to Revit Mastery?" will help you come to an objective assessment of your skill level with one of the most complex and powerful pieces of software available.

BAM! I shook my head and peeled my sore body off the mat. “Good,” the instructor said, “Now try it again but with a little more force.” My partner grabbed my arm, twisted his hips and threw me to the mat again. BAM! Fortunately, I remembered to tuck in my chin so my head didn’t slam against the mat.

“Alright, a little better that time”, the instructor commented. “Do it another ten times then take a break. You both need to master this throw for your upcoming belt test.” Just as I started to groan, thinking about how sore I was going to be tomorrow, my partner grabbed my wrist again and tossed me over his hip. BAM!

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.