NEUROARCHITECTURE HAS REBORNED AND, THIS TIME, PEOPLE’S REACTIONS ARE THE CREATORS INSPIRATION

The portuguese ACL proves it showing, this October at A@W Vienna, how coatings can trigger our best feelings

How many times do we slow down to admire an intriguing facade? Or feel instantly in harmony when entering a natural sunny room? Spaces and buildings influence us, yes, but... how? Neuroarchitecture has the answer. In the revival of this discipline people are the center of architect and interior design projects. And why do we talk about this? Because the most charismatic event of the sector - Architect@Work - returns to Vienna, on the 14th and 15th of October, and the Portuguese A Cimenteira do Louro (ACL) will be there to show how coatings and pavements can trigger the best of ourselves. Everything here is related and neuroarchitecture tells us how.

“Architecture is not about math, and it’s not about zoning, it is about those visceral, emotional connections that we feel to the places that we occupy”, said the american architect, Marc Kushner, in “Buildings of the future will be shaped by you” talk.

So, according to neuroarchitecture, what happens when people are in contact with coatings with textures, natural elements and curvatures as we find in ACL’s products?

As humans, we have an intuitive connection with spaces that trigger in us feelings and physiologic processes which can be positive or negative. Curves and natural elements, for example, give us an harmonious feeling and a wellbeing state. On the other hand, being in a square room with a low ceiling triggers anxiety and claustrophobia - heart beats faster and breathing accelerates - the hypothalamus in our brain is telling to its adrenals to release adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormones.

Neuroarchitecture has always existed. Our primitive ancestors already had the notion of habitat selection. The novelty of this exciting intersection of neurology, architecture and psychology is that now it is possible to measure physiological reactions to ambiences. Since John O’Keefe, Mag-Britt Moser and Edward Moser won, in 2014, the Nobel prize for discovering brain cells attuned to places and the topic was discussed at the first Conscious Cities Conference, in 2016, the enthusiasm of the professionals around it has been growing more and more. And virtual reality and accurate biometric instruments are important keys in this new paradigm, we may say.

At ACL, we affirm that neuroarchitecture is an essential area that will change the future of architecture and interior design. “We spend 90% of our time inside or around buildings - home, school, work, commercial spaces, so it makes perfect sense that we know the processes inherent to people's experience in a space, so that we can create artificial environments that enhance their performance, health and well-being. At ACL, all of our products are developed with all these variables in mind”.

That is what the most international portuguese company in premium coatings and pavements will show, this October, at stand number 1 of A@W Vienna. This year, the austrian event returns to the majestic Wiener Stadthalle - Austria's largest event arena and celebrates its 5th edition under the theme “Facades”. And we already know how these architectural elements can trigger great feelings in all of us.

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