The Psychological Impact of Architectural Design

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
ABSTRACT
The interplay between architectural design and human psychology is significant, yet it
remains largely unnoticed or even ignored both in and outside the design industry.
Moreover, the relationship between design and psychology is not only consequential, it is
bidirectional. On the one hand, successful design has been shown to have clear
psychological and physiological impacts; on the other, psychology, human experience,
and the function of our neurological systems all play a significant role in what we
perceive to be successful design. This thesis endeavors to create an understanding of how
that complex relationship evolved and how it works in today's world. It does so by first
exploring how the human brain and nervous system is structured and functions, how that
structure and function benefited our human ancestors, and how modern society impacts
that function. With that knowledge as a background, the interrelationship – both positive
and negative – between design, psychology and our nervous system is explored.
Successful design patterns are reviewed, including those that evoke the same sense of
security sought by our human ancestors, as well as those whose specific patterns have a
meaningful psychological basis. Similarly, reasons why some design forms and themes
have not been successful are explored, as is the modern-day challenge of human stress
that results from those poorly designed buildings and spaces. Finally, the importance of
incorporating nature into the human built environment to take advantage of its positive
psychological impact and restorative properties is explored.
Architectural and interior design have been societally classified as aesthetic
bonuses to the “built environment” i.e., that environment comprised of man-made
structures and settings within which human activities take place. This has not only
damaged the legitimacy of the field but has also prevented it from receiving the necessary
funding and attention of the general public that it deserves. Architecture started out as a
means of protection, a shelter from our surrounding environment. It gradually evolved
into an art form into which subjectivity, creativity, and beauty were introduced. Today,
we are seeing architecture evolve yet again, this time from an art form to a subject of
psychological study and purposeful implementation focused on psychological well-being.
As this thesis demonstrates, studying the psychological effects of architectural and
interior design is important due to their immense influence on the emotional and
psychological well-being of humans.
THE POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THOUGHTFUL ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Architectural style has evolved over time as the preferences of the general public
have changed, and as new materials and building processes have been discovered. Some
styles have been fads that have quickly come and gone, while others have stood the test
of time and been around for centuries, even influencing some modern architecture today.
What separates the architectural styles that last from those that do not? Don Ruggles
(2017), a prominent architect in Denver, Colorado believes there are three components that
make for a “beautiful” building: form, use, and beauty. Although the word
“beautiful” is fundamentally subjective, the feeling associated with it is universal. Seeing
something we define as beautiful causes us to feel pleasure. The feeling of pleasure is a
result of oxytocin, endorphins and DHEA being released inside our brain. If the sole
purpose of buildings is form, or a place where humans can simply gather for some
specific purpose, why then would they have the ability to positively impact us
physiologically? Again, the answer has its basis in evolution. Buildings that provide us
with a sense of pleasure are those that incorporate the architectural elements that our
brain recognizes as having similar characteristics to those locations that helped our
human ancestors to survive. Thus, it is important to identify which specific characteristics
or patterns our brain associates with those survival attributes and why.
Patterns, have long been a subject of human curiosity, and we have successfully
adapted them for use in our ability to plan ahead. There are several different ways in
which our brain recognizes patterns. The first, known as feature matching, is when
incoming pattern information is broken down by the brain into parts which are then
compared and contrasted one by one with parts of a previously stored pattern. Prototype
matching is similar to feature matching except rather than our brain matching an
incoming pattern to a stored pattern, it attempts to link the incoming information with
certain characteristics of a known prototype.This would be equivalent to identifying an
apple as a fruit, rather than an apple as an apple (the latter being an example of feature
matching). The last method of matching is template matching, in which only certain
aspects of the incoming pattern are matched to a template or prototype, rather than the
entire incoming pattern.
Patterns represent consistency and organization; a lack of chaos. When our
ancestors were able to identify a pattern and predict what came next, their chances of
survival were improved. Today, patterns in our built environment that the brain
recognizes from nature as having been advantageous to our ancestors evoke the same
physiological reaction. It makes intuitive sense that chaos or unpredictability, the
opposite of pattern, can negatively impact us physiologically. The human brain has used
pattern recognition as a form of survival for so long, it has become something we do
subconsciously daily. Although your conscious mind might not realize the feelings it is
experiencing are due to a pattern, or lack thereof, our physiological system does resulting
in the same sympathetic or parasympathetic response our ancestors experienced.
The importance of pattern goes beyond the ability to recognize something literal
like shelter or a house. It is also important due to its aesthetic impact on beautiful
architecture. Pattern in architecture is often referred to as rhythm; it is what causes the
eye to flow from one focal point to the next (for example from one part of a room, or
house, to the next). Not only does it work to grab one’s attention, but it also contributes to
the beauty of the object (house or room). There are four categories of rhythm in the
architectural world: Alternation, the repetition of a contrasting pair; Progression, either
increasing or decreasing the size of the element in the pattern; Repetition, continuously
repeating a single element; and Transition, the use of a line that the eye is able to
continuously follow from one point to the next.We find buildings that incorporate
certain aesthetically pleasing patterns or rhythm to be more beautiful because our brains
are conditioned by evolution to associate those patterns with safety, security, well-being
and survival. As noted previously, that perception results in the release of oxytocin,
endorphins and DHEA, and throttles back the fight or flight sympathetic nervous system,
all resulting in a sense a pleasure. This in turn works to restore our body, immune system,
telomeres, etc., which is beneficial for both our mental and physical health.
With this information as background, we can now understand the architectural
success of some historical buildings. Many of the most critically acclaimed buildings
throughout time have been those that have been built with patterns that mimic the natural
environment from which we came. La Sagrada Familia, designed by Antoni Gaudí, is an
extravagant cathedral located in Barcelona, Spain. The construction first began in 1882, but
because the details of the building are so exquisite, it is projected the building will not
be fully completed until 2026. Gaudí’s inspiration for the cathedral came from the forest,
and the many trees that it consists of. Upon walking into the cathedral, one is greeted by
hundreds of 78-foot-tall pillars that branch off at the tops and converge into the ceiling
and one another, like the intertwining branches of tree canopies.
THE NEGATIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF POORLY DESIGNED ARCHITECTURE

While the psychological benefits of beautiful architecture are more commonly
recognized today, there was a time when the traditionally taught elements of architecture
(form, use, and beauty), were discarded in exchange for form, utility and craft. Post
World War II, there was an increase in demand for housing and institutions due to an
increasing population from the baby boom. Thus, the need for faster, more efficient
building was born. Due to the limited technology at the time, this meant less detailed,
smaller houses that focused on the aforementioned form, utility and craft. This led to the
proliferation of small, ugly (in the way that they lacked the characteristics that activate
our pleasure response) one floor ‘box’ houses in the 1950’s that were not well thought out
in terms of floor plan, use of space, or aesthetics.
In was in this way that suburbia, consisting of neighborhoods with endless rows of
mostly indistinguishable houses situated as close together as possible so as to make room
for more houses, was born.
This trend of simple, architecturally unoriginal buildings was not unique to houses; it also
greatly influenced the industrial side of the built environment at the time. Due to an
increase in material production capability from the war, there was access to new building
products which were easy produced in the factories that previously had been dedicated to
the war. These materials set in motion the Modernism aesthetic that characterized many
of the industrial buildings in the 1950s-1990s.
Glass, concrete, aluminium, synthetics and steel were the primary materials utilized to
create a boxy, futuristic, space like style.
Monochromatic colors, poorly placed windows, an absence of architectural
detail, and repetitive styles produced a unique form of sensory deprivation. Not only did
this trend result in a lack of intellectual stimulation, it effectively removed every aspect
of human touch, creating a cold, unwelcoming environment that lacked the ability to
produce a positive physiological response or a sense of well-being.
Just as successful architecture has a positive psychological impact on humans, poorly
constructed buildings and settings have a significant negative impact.
As time progressed, the World Health Organization expanded the concept of public health
to encompass mental and social well-being rather than just physical health and the absence
of disease. Furthermore, the WHO insisted that rather than just control disease (both
mental and physical), we should act to prevent it.
In summary, architecture and design can have a substantial impact on human
psychology and emotions. Well-designed buildings that use successful patterns like the
Nine Square, or that evoke the sense of security our ancestors felt on the savanna have a
positive psychological impact, and cause the release of neurochemicals that make us feel
a sense of pleasure. Poorly maintained buildings make us nervous and fearful by
activating our sympathetic nervous system which is detrimental to our health. A wide
variety of unique buildings and shops stimulate our mind, while dull repetitive buildings
bore us which has been clinically proven to induce stress. Furthermore, constant exposure
to such negative building characteristics can be detrimental to health since they can be a
source of chronic stress. Fortunately, this is both avoidable and correctable considering
all of the cognitive research and building technology at our disposal. Ideally, the
construction of new buildings and urban areas should not simply avoid these negative
attributes, but work to counteract them by incorporating the aforementioned methods of
beautiful design.
CONCLUSION
There is now extensive research demonstrating that good architectural design has
clear psychological and physiological benefits that transcend the mere sense of an
aesthetically pleasing appearance. We also now understand there is a direct link between
poor architectural design and execution and negative health and psychological issues.
Finally, today we have a better understanding of the human evolutionary basis for many
of those psychological and physiological responses to design. Utilizing that knowledge
and the technological tools we now have available, we have an opportunity to create
architecture that is not only aesthetically beautiful, but more importantly, psychologically
beneficial. With health problems such as stress induced heart attacks and obesity, high
blood pressure, depression, anxiety, etc., increasingly plaguing the modern world,
employing architectural design that doesn't take advantage of elements known to produce
psychological and restorative benefits is no longer an option.
It is also important that we reconsider the societally ingrained constructs that have
wrongly labeled the field of architectural design as simply an art form, thereby stripping
it of the meaningful legitimacy it deserves as a field that has the potential for real societal
benefit. If the positive psychological and restorative impact of architecture is seen only
by psychologists and architects, and not the general public, then the psychological
impacts of thoughtless architectural design will never be addressed and the field will
continue to lack the resources necessary to improve the world we live in. In short, this
needs to be recognized as a societal issue that is pressing and important to society itself.

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THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF

THE POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THOUGHTFUL ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

THE NEGATIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF POORLY DESIGNED ARCHITECTURE

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