Neuroarchitecture in Action: Insights from ANFA’s Seventh Biennial Conference

Leaders in neuroscience, architecture, philanthropy, and design convened for three days of visionary conversations at The Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA)’s seventh biennial conference this September. The meetings emphasized broad cross-sectoral progress and deep dives into inclusive, human-centric environments, confirming neuroarchitecture’s key role in creating healthier, more resilient buildings and communities.

Advancing Neuroarchitecture and Well-Being: Across these sessions, speakers such as Tye Farrow and Cleo Valentine addressed how neuroarchitecture – design guided by the built environment’s impacts on the brain and body – can shift global well-being. At the heart of the conversation was a consensus: the spaces we inhabit impact our physical well-being and, when designed well, can be leveraged to evoke a range of emotional outcomes, from awe and creativity to belonging and resilience. In PLASTARC’s poster session, we cited original workplace research that demonstrates how workers’ emotional well-being are supported by designs that incorporate multisensory features.

Several participants highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed an ongoing public focus on human-centered design. Topics included brain health, equity, and the social and economic value of designing places that maximize features like daylight, plants, and transparency. Eve Edelstein, who spoke on these topics, has written extensively about how neuroscientific principles can be applied in design contexts to serve the health of occupants. Many speakers focused on the field’s evolution away from theory and into scalable, life-changing practice that integrates individuals’ lived experience into research.

In this vein, many speakers also focused specifically on inclusive design for neurodiversity, from health clinics to campuses to city spaces. Magda Mostafa’s work, for instance, has focused on how university designs can uplift autistic individuals, and other presenters talked about similarly adaptable environments that recognize and support neurodivergent needs. Actionable measures proposed by panelists Leanna Chukoskie and Katherine Meltzoff included spatial sequencing, compartmentalization, and visual wayfinding that empower users to self-regulate and thrive. Research shared during these conversations advocated for framing neurodivergent behaviors as forms of expertise and signals of environmental (mis)fit – design is an opportunity to affirm difference, not to “fix” it.

Technology, Research, and Translational Practice: The conference also touched on the deployment of advanced technologies, including AI, VR, and computational analysis, to study and enhance how spatial elements affect neurological responses. Panelists including Shajay Booshan and Saleh Kalantari agreed that these kinds of tools can empower architects, researchers, and policymakers to measure, prototype, and optimize health outcomes at scale. Calls were made for open-access roadmaps, toolkits, and blueprints to unify the language, values, and practices used across architecture, healthcare, and public health.

Neuroarchitecture was repeatedly framed as an “applied knowledge” discipline, blending research with on-the-ground interventions. Panelist Charles Spence’s writings, including his article, “Senses of Place: Architectural Design for the Multisensory Mind,” have been widely cited in this growing discourse. As momentum picks up in the field, funders and nonprofits, such as the Milken Institute and HKS Inc.’s Project WHY initiative, are now catalyzing pilot and research projects that bridge the gap between neuroscience and real-world design.

Policy, Collaboration, and the Path Forward: Participants underscored the necessity for cross-disciplinary and policy collaboration. Recommendations included crafting toolkits to empower architects to advocate for legislative change, sharing outcomes from pilot programs, and building open-source repositories of lived experience. The launch of public engagement campaigns like Project WHY are elevating community voices and translating qualitative insights into actionable policy and design guidance.

Action items emerging from the meetings included:

• Launching and expanding more campaigns like Project WHY to raise awareness and showcase the emotional impacts of architecture.

• Promoting city-level autism-friendly and neurodivergence-embracing policies.

• Creating and sharing resources to guide intentional spaces and sector alignment.

The first iteration of ANFA’s biennial conference took place in 2014 – shortly after PLASTARC’s founding in 2012 – and it has proven an indispensable opportunity for thought leaders in the many disciplines that neuroarchitecture touches to define how, exactly, built environments can be designed to better serve their occupants. PLASTARC’s own contributions to the conference, along with our continued research, have helped to expand the understanding of design practices that can be used to foster healthier, happier workplaces. Over the coming years, we’re committed – as we’ve always been – to merging science and design to shepherd in a new era of architectural designs that uplift the emotional and physical well-being of individuals and communities alike. As it has been for years, ANFA will remain a vital resource along the way.