Louis Tassinary, professor in the Department of Visualization at Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture, told a group of approximately 200 architects, designers and higher education facility planners in an Aug. 14 Internet seminar that knowledge of the interaction between neuroscience and architecture can help provide a more effective learning environment.
In the lecture, part of the Herman Miller Webinar Series called “Nature, Distraction & Creativity: Research at the Interface of Neuroscience and Architecture,” Tassinary engaged an online audience, noting:
“Supportive learning environments are fundamental to attracting and retaining students in a society that is technology rich and at times very distracting,” said the webinar’s abstract. “These environments must also support the needs of a new generation of thinkers and the development of their skills and creative energy. However, the effects of addressing these criteria typically occur after construction is complete.”
Interaction between neuroscience and architecture, the abstract concluded, changes this by giving architects and designers information they can use to predict how a particular design might affect the people who will use it.
During the question and answer session at the end of Tassinary’s presentation, there were so many questions the session had to be ended before he could get around to everyone, said Jeana Salomone with Comcast.net, who gathered the Webinar’s statistics.
She reported 75-percent of the attendees chose the webinar because it was an intriguing topic, and that 48 of them found it “very” or “extremely” useful.
