What neuroscientists have learned about how people’s minds work inside is directly applicable when courtyards, patios, rooftop gardens, etc., are being designed. For example…
With outdoors, just like indoors, it’s important that people have options for their physical environments; comfortable amounts of environmental control boost our mental state in all sorts of desirable ways.
Comfortable control means users not only need to be able to choose the conditions in which they spend their time – in the sun, in the shade, etc. – but also that they have the opportunity to make a few changes to a space once they pick it, shifting or reclining a seat slightly, for instance. Some of those seats need to support easy eye contact while others need to allow people to gracefully skip the eye contact, if their current situation or culture make staring into someone else’s eyes difficult. A curving continuum of seats, winding its way like a sine – or cosine – curves through a space to provide a range of eye contact options, for example. Some seats should also seem to be secure locations from which to review the nearby world; these options provide prospect and refuge, which is often discussed in this column and by biophilic design enthusiasts.
Green leafy plants, like swimming fish, are relaxing and mentally refreshing to look at, so they’re important additions to an outdoor space, whenever possible. Plants can add relaxing scents, such as lavender, to a space. When it’s not possible to add plants, working in water is a high priority. A fountain at least a couple of feet high with gently moving water has been shown to be mentally refreshing, whether it’s paired with plants or not. Fountains de-stress and revitalize us when we look at them or listen to the sounds they make.
Stress levels are most likely to come down, and mental refreshment to ensue, when outdoor spaces feature natural finishes, particularly ones with visible wood grain.
People are people whether they’re inside or outdoors, so the same neuroscience-based design principles are relevant to the design of both in-weather and out-of-weather environments.
Sally Augustin, PhD, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com). Research Design Connections reports on research conducted by social and physical scientists that designers can apply in practice. Insights derived from recent studies are integrated with classic, still relevant findings in concise, powerful articles. Topics covered range from the cognitive, emotional, and physiological implications of sensory and other physical experiences to the alignment of culture, personality, and design, among others. Information, in everyday language, is shared in a monthly subscription newsletter, an archive of thousands of published articles, and a free daily blog. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.