Buildings, brains and behaviour - towards an affective neuroscience of architecture: the hedonic impact of sustainable work environments on occupant well-being

The recent alignment of architecture, neuroscience and psychology has recast our understanding of how building design influences people’s states of mind. Testable scientific hypotheses open up new avenues for the synthesis of these disparate fields of inquiry. This study draws upon some of the latest research that seeks to understand how hedonic states of pleasure are connected to eudaimonic assessments of meaningfulness within the built environments in which we work and live. Integrating these theoretical perspectives affords an opportunity to hypothesize that ‘green’ buildings could enrich human experience by promoting psychological and social engagement (eudaimonia) while providing healthier indoor environments that enhance the well-being of its occupants (hedonia). This paper provides evidence to support the intuition that an architecture that sustains the well-being of its occupants will be valued and endure.