Understanding how architecture makes people feel

In 1943 a musing by Winston Churchill touched on a very important psychological link between people and buildings. The Prime Minister stated "we shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us". Numerous neuroscientists and psychologists have since explored this relationship, discovering that designs can have a huge impact, be it positive or negative. Sadly until recently too few architects considered the above, particularly when working in urban settings. In these locations the tendency was to create something unique that stood out rather than designing for the benefit of inhabitants. Luckily this is changing with more focus now placed on positive designs that maximise longevity and sustainability.In May the Conscious Cities Conference was held in London. The event brought people from different specialist areas together, including architects, engineers, neuroscientists, and even psychologists. The aim was to promote better design in practice.One of the main topics was how psychology-based insights could change how cities are constructed for the better. By incorporating this knowledge into designs and planning the quality of the built environment could improve dramatically.Using psychology insights would provide two major benefits. Firstly, it would result in buildings being designed with their inhabitants in mind, ensuring they elicit the right response. Secondly, it would help to prevent the chances of mistakes being made that see buildings have a negative impact on their surroundings.As the creative team behind some of the best residential architecture London has seen, we understand how important it is to create properties that make people feel good. The designs can help to stimulate them in a positive way, providing long lasting benefits. To achieve this though it is important to work in close proximity with the client and always focus on meeting their needs.If you are looking for help with designing a piece of architecture the Coffey Architects team is here to help. We are confident we can take your ideas and create a design that will generate the right feelings. Contact us today to get started.