Welcome to ANFA! The goal of the Academy Neuroscience for Architecture is to promote the use of neuro and cognitive science research to improve the design of the built environment.
The most ephemeral and complex of these subconscious mental simulations is the simultaneous grasping of the entire ambience, atmosphere or mood of a space or place.
This was very interesting. But it seems ironic to me that the speakers had masses of traffic running through them from behind due to their position at the window. From a Feng Shui perspective (which is exactly the same system as the bio-psychological effects of architecture and design), it is not conducive to the authority or the equanimity of the speaker to be standing with his/her back to a large plate glass window, especially when it is facing a busy street. Perhaps the seated audience were too low to actually see the traffic, but from the camera’s view it was most distracting, and I could sense a touch of primitive anxiety in my nervous system as though the oncoming speeding cars were going to crash into the speakers! This is precisely what the psychology of architecture is about. Psychological reactions are not logical or rational, but are sourced in the limbic system memory store, which is always symbolic and reactive in its messages to the prefrontal cortex up top where the real anxiety begins. Rule of thumb for desks and podiums: have a plain, flat, solid wall behind your back where you are seated or standing. This allows the body to feel secure, and there will be less distraction for the audience or person on the other side of the desk, listening to you: there should be only one focus. Sometimes the modern architecture of especially our times goes out of its way to be clever or surprising, without considering the psychological consequences on the beings in that space. This connects also to the final point made about architectural design vs what is healthy or safe. But overall, great content here and wonderful to see the old architectural photos! Thank you so much for posting this!
ANFA 2016 Conference Title: "Min, Brain, and the Art of Architecture" Facilitators: Tom Fisher & Tom Albright, Ph.D. Panelists: Steven Holl & Eric Kandel, Ph.D. Date: Saturday, September 24, 2016
ANFA 2016 Conference Title: "The Quest to Understand thet unconscious in Art, Mind, and Brain" Speaker: Eric Kandel, Ph.D., (introduction by Eduardo Macagno, Ph.D.) Date: Saturday, September 24, 2016
ANFA 2016 Conference Title: "Introduction to 'Cathedrals of Culture: The Salk Institute' " Speaker: Thomas Albright, Ph.D. Date: Friday, September 23, 2016
ANFA 2016 Conference John Paul Eberhard Fellowship Tribute Speaker: Gilbert Cooke, FAIA, John Paul Eberhard, & Marilyn Pedersen Date: Friday, September 23, 2016
ANFA 2016 Conference Title: "Neuroscience / Architecture of Incarceration" Facilitators: Melissa Farling, FAIA & Fred H. Gage, Ph.D. Panel: Richard Wener, Ph.D., Terry Kupers, M.D., John MacAllister, AAIA, Jay Farbstein, Ph.D., & Elizabeth Falcon, Psy.D. Date: Friday, September 23, 2016
ANFA 2016 Conference Title: "Geometry of Visual Experience in Large Spaces" Speaker: Sergei Gepshtein, 2013-2014 Hay Grant Awardee Date: Friday, September 23, 2016
