Cognitive Architecture

Description

Cognitive Architecture : Designing for How We Respond to the Built Environment , 2nd Edition

In this expanded second edition of Cognitive Architecture, the authors review new findings in psychology and neuroscience to help architects and planners better understand their clients as the sophisticated mammals they are, arriving in the world with built-in responses to the environment. Discussing key biometric tools to help designers ‘see’ subliminal human behaviors and suggesting new ways to analyze designs before they are built, this new edition brings readers up-to-date on scientific tools relevant for assessing architecture and the human experience of the built environment.
The new edition includes:
– Over 100 full color photographs and drawings to illustrate key concepts.
– A new chapter on using biometrics to understand the human experience of place.
– A conclusion describing how the book’s propositions reframe the history of modern architecture.
– A compelling read for students, professionals, and the general public, Cognitive Architecture takes an inside-out approach to design, arguing that the more we understand human behavior, the better we can design and plan for it.

CONTENTS

1. A New Foundation: Darwin, Biology, and Cognitive Science; 2. Edges Matter: Thigmotaxis (the ‘Wall-hugging’ Trait); 3. Patterns Matter: Faces and Spaces; 4. Shapes Carry Weight: Bilateral Symmetry, (Hierarchy), Curves, and Complexity; 5. Storytelling Is Key: We’re Wired for Narrative; 6. Nature Is Our Context: Biophilia and Biophilic Design; 7. Buildings, Biology + Biometrics: Collecting Empirical Data for Evidence-Based Design; 8. The Twenty-First-Century Paradigm Shift in Biology and Psychology Reframes Architecture + Its History