What is neuroarchitecture? It is an interdisciplinary field that brings together neuroscience, environmental psychology, and design to understand how built environments influence the brain, body, behaviour, and overall well-being of the people inside them.
The field starts from a question that traditional architecture rarely centres: not what does this space look like, but what does it do to the people who experience it?
A definition grounded in research
The NeuroAU Neuroarchitecture Manifesto (2026) describes neuroarchitecture as an area of research and practice that seeks to integrate scientific knowledge into design in order to create spaces that place the inhabitant’s experience and well-being at the centre (NeuroAU, 2026).
A useful working definition is offered by Kim et al. (2023), writing in Chronobiology in Medicine: neuroarchitecture is a field that explores which architectural elements are beneficial or harmful to the physical and mental health of humans, based on neuroscience principles.
In practice, neuroarchitecture goes beyond what a space looks like. It examines what happens in the brain and body of a person who enters it — how their stress responses behave, how their circadian biology responds to the light environment, whether their nervous system shifts toward restoration or remains on alert.
Why the built environment matters more than most people realise
People spend more than 87% of their time indoors (Santos, 2023). The spaces we inhabit are not neutral. Everyday exposure to noise, light conditions, spatial layout, and access to nature gradually influences stress regulation, cognitive functioning, emotional states, and patterns of social interaction (NeuroAU Manifesto, 2026).
Because people inhabit environments over long periods of time, these effects accumulate. A poorly designed acoustic environment does not just create a single moment of discomfort — it compounds. A lighting system that disrupts circadian biology does not simply affect one night’s sleep — it affects how the body regulates hormones, mood, and cognitive performance across time.
What the research shows about specific design variables
Light and circadian health
Light is among the most studied variables in neuroarchitecture research. Circadian rhythm is a cellular, biochemical, and behavioural rhythm that allows humans to adapt to the 24-hour solar cycle. Modern light profiles create a mismatch between the endogenous circadian rhythm and the light environment, with documented acute and chronic negative health effects (Kim et al., 2023).
A landmark study by Gooley et al. (2011), published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, established that exposure to room light before bedtime suppresses melatonin onset and shortens melatonin duration in humans. Melatonin is central to sleep initiation and the body’s overnight repair and restoration processes.
Research has also shown that creating person-centred light environments — those that work with rather than against the body’s natural circadian signals — can have measurable positive effects on health, mood, and cognitive performance (Kim et al., 2023).
Nature exposure and stress regulation
A significant body of research demonstrates that exposure to natural environments affects the brain in measurable ways. A study by Bratman et al. (2015), published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that participants who walked for 90 minutes in a natural environment showed reduced self-rumination compared to those who walked in an urban environment.
This research supports the design principle that access to nature within or around built environments is not decorative. It produces different neurological states in the people who experience it.
Multisensory experience and behaviour
Neuroarchitecture understands spatial experience as multisensory. Design strategies including natural materials, natural lighting, colour choices, ceiling height, acoustic treatment, and spatial arrangement all influence how the brain and body respond to an environment (Santos, 2023).
How neuroarchitecture research is conducted
Functional neuroimaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), eye-tracking, and galvanic skin response (GSR) measurements are increasingly used to study how people experience space (NeuroAU Manifesto, 2026). Mobile Brain/Body Imaging (MoBI) records a moving person’s brain activity and bodily sensations in real time, making it possible to study neurological responses within actual built environments (Kim et al., 2023).
What neuroarchitecture is not
Neuroarchitecture is not a style. It is not a synonym for biophilic design, though the two fields share significant overlap. The NeuroAU Manifesto (2026) is explicit: neuroscience knowledge must never be used as an instrument of control or persuasion. Its role is to inform design decisions that enable healthier, more inclusive, and more supportive environments.
Neuroarchitecture in hospitality design in Australia
In hospitality design, the commercial implications of neuroarchitecture are direct. A guest room whose light environment works against melatonin production will consistently underdeliver on its core product: rest. A lobby designed without attention to acoustic quality or sensory transition from the street will fail to begin the stress recovery process that determines how a guest experiences their stay.
Neuroarchitecture hospitality consultant Ozge Fettahlioglu founded Cocoplum Design Studio to apply these principles through an evidence-based design process — beginning with what the environment needs to do physiologically before any aesthetic decisions are made. Her research on biophilic room audits for stress-supportive interior environments at Western Sydney University underpins the studio’s methodology.
Further reading
- What Is Biophilic Design? — the closely related field and where the two approaches overlap
- How We Brief a Hotel Wellness Fitout — what a neuroarchitecture-led brief looks like in practice
- Download the Hotel Performance Risk Audit — apply the neuroarchitecture framework to your property, free
- Cocoplum Design Studio Capabilities
References
- Kim, E.H., Youn, C.S., Nam, Y.J., Hong, S., Cho, Y.H., Son, S.J., Hong, C.H., & Roh, H.W. (2023). Neuroarchitecture from the perspective of circadian rhythm, physical, and mental health. Chronobiology in Medicine, 5(1), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.33069/cim.2023.0005
- Gooley, J.J., Chamberlain, K., Smith, K.A., Khalsa, S.B., Rajaratnam, S.M., Van Reen, E., Zeitzer, J.M., Czeisler, C.A., & Lockley, S.W. (2011). Exposure to room light before bedtime suppresses melatonin onset and shortens melatonin duration in humans. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 96(3), E463–E472. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2010-2098
- Bratman, G.N., Hamilton, J.P., Hahn, K.S., Daily, G.C., & Gross, J.J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(28), 8567–8572. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1510459112
- Bulaj, G., Forero, M., & Huntsman, D.D. (2025). Biophilic design, neuroarchitecture and therapeutic home environments. Frontiers in Medicine, 12, 1610259. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1610259
- Santos, V.C.M. (2023). Neuroarchitecture: how the built environment influences the human brain. Revista Científica Multidisciplinar Núcleo do Conhecimento, 8(7), 96–113.
- NeuroAU (2026). Toward a Neuroarchitecture Manifesto. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19223917
