DF2022 NEURODESIGN KRIS MUN

Understanding Neural Environments Workshop

Dr. Christine Moon, Gabby Sartori, and Priscilla Benke introduce themselves and the workshop, focusing on bridging architecture with neuroscience to create dynamic and adaptive environments.

Introduction to Workshop

• Dr. Christine Moon is a professor of architecture with a background in neuroscience for architecture.

• Gabby Sartori and Priscilla Benke are founders of the Brazilian Academy of Neuroscience and Architecture, aiming to enhance human environments through neuroscience studies.

• The workshop schedule includes an introductory lecture by Dr. Moon followed by pre-recorded lectures by the Neural Arc Academy over four days.

Workshop Structure Explained

• Gabby Sartori outlines the workshop's structure over three days, covering topics on perception, sensory experiences, environmental variables like colors and sounds, and future implications.

• Participants are encouraged to engage with the content and reach out with questions via email provided.

Rethinking Architectural Methods with Neuroscientific Modalities

Dr. Christine Moon discusses incorporating neuroscientific modalities into architectural design processes to understand the impact of psychophysiological dimensions on built environments.

Neuroscience for Architecture (NFA)

• NFA aims to integrate neuroscientific approaches into architectural methods for a bio-network future understanding.

• The research emphasizes incorporating the body's emotional aspects alongside physical dimensions in architectural practices.

• Theoretical foundations shift towards embodied cognition and active environments rather than traditional cognitive views resembling computer models.

Embodied Cognition in Architecture

• Concepts from Gibson and Varela emphasize how our bodies interact with the environment through movement, shaping our perceptions.

• Affordance theory explains how elements like stairs or walls activate our bodies' responses based on their design features.

Neuroscience for Architecture: Understanding Human Behavior in Urban Environments

This section delves into the complexity of addressing human behavior within the built environment, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary collaborations to make genuine progress in understanding human behavior.

Bridging Neuroscience and Architecture

• Addressing issues combining human behavior and the built environment is complex.

• Cities play a crucial role in our health due to environmental stressors.

• Urban migration raises concerns about density impacts on stress levels.

• Scientific methodology involves forming questions, defining hypotheses, conducting experiments, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions.

Impact of Urban Environment on Loneliness and Mental Health

This part explores the correlation between urban environments and loneliness, shedding light on the epidemic crisis of loneliness faced globally.

Loneliness Epidemic in Cities

• Densely populated cities show a strong correlation between density and loneliness.

• Research highlights a global crisis of loneliness with profound impacts on mental health.

• Loneliness triggers cellular changes leading to serious physical conditions like heart disease and cancer.

Urban Light Pollution: Effects on Mental Health

The discussion shifts towards urban light pollution's impact on mental health, emphasizing the underestimated negative effects of artificial lighting.

Light Pollution Concerns

• Artificial light in cities affects mental health through circadian rhythm disruption.

• Urban light pollution poses challenges impacting physiological consequences such as stress and depression.

• Modern lighting's negative impact includes retinal degeneration and metabolic disturbances.

Interdisciplinary Model for Neuroscience in Architecture

The necessity of an interdisciplinary model for Neuroscience in architecture is highlighted to address wellness concerns effectively.

Building an Interdisciplinary Team

• An interdisciplinary approach combines environmental studies, cognitive sciences, and advanced technologies.

• Formulating precise research directions involves asking big questions about measuring loneliness, depression, and artificial lighting impacts.

Communication Process between Experts

The discussion delves into the communication process between experts from different fields, focusing on how scientists and designers approach topics like loneliness.

Interdisciplinary Approach to Loneliness

• Lonely individuals exhibit difficulty making eye contact, leading to a hypothesis around eye gaze tracking for quantifying visual attention.

• Utilizing affordable mobile sensing tools for indoor and outdoor experiments, moving away from expensive neurotechnology towards customer-grade technologies.

• Introduction of Mobi Lab at UC San Diego led by computational neuroscientists for biometric research using state-of-the-art tools and facilities.

Designing Experiments with Spatial Computing Tools

The focus shifts towards designing experiments using spatial computing tools, including AR and VR simulations, biometric sensing hardware, and software workflows compatible with open-source environments.

Experiment Design Tools

• Three main types of tools emphasized: spatial computing tools for AR and VR simulations, biometric sensing hardware for performance data extraction, and powerful gaming/mobile workstations for data processing.

• Development of a novel workflow compatible with open-source environments and statistical libraries integrating EEG, heart rate variability, and eye gaze tracking for virtual experiments in 2D and 3D settings.

Urban Lighting Experiment Design

Exploring an experiment design focusing on urban lighting effects on individuals' visual attention in city settings using interdisciplinary collaboration.

Urban Lighting Experiment Setup

• Utilization of standard modeling environments by architectural designers to create 2D/3D assets alongside immersive interactions in the Unity game engine.

• Collaboration involving artists, designers, lighting experts, urban planners, neuroscience researchers to measure attention saliency and luminance in cities through saliency maps highlighting eye focus regions.

Measuring Visual Attention Modulation

Detailing the pilot study methodology aimed at measuring visual attention modulation based on luminance conditions during day versus night scenarios in urban settings.

Visual Attention Measurement Methodology

• Pilot study challenges due to COVID-19 restrictions necessitating method presentation over conclusive results.

Distribution of Entropy and Luminance Values

This section discusses the distribution of entropy and luminance values between day and night conditions, highlighting differences in visual attention based on these factors.

Day vs. Night Conditions

• Entropy values differ between day and night conditions, with the night condition showing a slightly higher range but lower average entropy values.

• Average luminance varies between day and night frames, indicating differences in visual stimuli.

Visual Attention Patterns

This part explores how fixations relate to entropy and luminance values, revealing insights into visual attention patterns during day and night conditions.

Fixation Duration and Luminance

• Fixations tend towards lower luminous levels at night compared to the day.

• Duration of fixations appears identical regardless of lighting conditions, suggesting fixation duration may not be influenced by light levels.

Implications of Findings

The implications of the study's findings on design considerations are discussed, focusing on the interaction between entropy, luminance, and visual attention.

Design Considerations

• Saliency measured by entropy may interact differently with visual attention than luminance does.

• Understanding how different levels of entropy can influence gaze behavior is crucial for designers aiming to attract or blend into backgrounds effectively.

Future Research Directions

This segment outlines potential avenues for future research based on the study's limitations and areas for further exploration.

Future Inquiries

• Conducting additional studies to identify specific ranges of entropy that capture attention.

• Exploring correlations between street features, entropy levels, luminance values, and human gaze behavior through scientific investigations.

Neuroscientific Approaches in Design

The integration of neuroscientific modalities in design processes is highlighted through student projects exploring biometric parameters in various contexts.

Student Projects

• Students investigated diverse topics such as light effects in cities, stress impacts in airports, sound influences in workplaces using neuroscientific approaches.

• Projects focused on reducing stress at airports through promoting visual connectivity and studying lighting effects on circadian rhythms for enhanced alertness.

Vanishing Points as Design and Organizational Tools

This section discusses the use of vanishing points as design tools and explores the difference between natural and built environments.

Vanishing Points Analysis

• Vanishing points were tested as design tools for locating entrances, with eye gaze tracking confirming that our gaze is drawn to the center of the vanishing point.

• The group compared natural and built environments on a university campus to understand their impact on mental arousal. They utilized EEG headsets, eye gaze trackers, and heart rate variability sensors to extract biomarkers from subjects.

Challenges in Interdisciplinary Research

This part delves into challenges faced in interdisciplinary research within architecture and technology integration.

Research Challenges

• Interdisciplinary research is growing due to diverse technologies availability, leading to data-driven decisions by designers focusing on wellness and equitable design.

• Major challenges include securing funding, time-consuming collaborations with scientists from various fields, finding common goals across disciplines, adapting data synthesis methods, and understanding differences in accuracy requirements between architecture and science.

Global Trends in Architectural Research

This segment highlights global interest in architectural research trends and precedents set by award-winning buildings.

Architectural Research Trends

• Architectural research is globally expanding with increasing interest worldwide. Notable examples include Parkinson Will's AIA award-winning building for the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute and UC San Diego's North Torrey Pines living neighborhood by HKS.

Integration of Body Data in Architecture

The discussion focuses on utilizing body data for a more comprehensive approach to architectural design.

Body-Centered Design

• Architects can leverage body data for a more holistic design process that considers physical, psychological, and psychogeographical aspects of the environment. The NFA approach emphasizes subtle features beyond physical measurements.

Future of Architecture: Human Technology Integration

Exploring the future direction of architecture involving human technology integration within built environments.

Future Architectural Landscape

• The future of architecture will involve advancing human technology integration into built environments. Attentional regimes shaped by spatio-temporal reorganizations influenced by new media define contemporary society's attention dynamics.