Decoding Environmental Design through Neuro-Architecture to Enhance Work Performance

Created By RISC | 5 hours ago

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RISC research has long focused on behavioral and psychological studies to design environments that respond to the needs and behaviors of different user groups. Over time, this work has evolved to incorporate insights from neuroscience, allowing for a deeper understanding of how human senses—sight, hearing, smell, and touch—perceive environmental stimuli before these signals are transmitted through the nervous system to the brain, where they are interpreted and transformed into emotions and feelings.

This growing body of research has enabled RISC to develop a more precise understanding of human perception and apply it to architectural design. By creating environments that guide behavior, align emotional responses, and support the intended functions of specific spaces, this approach introduces what we refer to as “Neuro-Architecture.” Although the field is still emerging, it has gained increasing attention for its potential to redefine design through an evidence-based understanding of sensory perception. Beyond improving buildings, Neuro-Architecture offers a new direction for design that enhances quality of life—particularly in today’s economic climate, where environments that stimulate and improve work performance are especially valuable.

This leads us to explore how Neuro-Architecture influences work performance.

Workspaces are environments in which people spend a significant portion of their day—often more time than they spend at home. Ideally, these spaces should be designed to help individuals feel comfortable and supported while working. A well-designed workspace should enhance efficiency, speed, and creativity during periods of intense focus—what may be described as high-performance work—while also enabling genuine relaxation and stress reduction during rest periods, without requiring conscious effort.

With this objective, the RISC research team conducted studies to identify environmental factors that influence both work performance and relaxation. The experiments employed electroencephalography (EEG) to measure electrical signals generated by brain activity, represented as brainwave patterns. These measurements were combined with virtual room simulations experienced through HTC Vive Pro virtual reality (VR) equipment, which also tracked eye movement and gaze direction. The primary aim was to identify optimal lighting conditions and correlated color temperature (CCT) values for workplace environments.

The findings revealed that lighting with a correlated color temperature of 4,000K and an illuminance level of 500 lux is most suitable for workspaces. Under these conditions, participants reported the highest levels of familiarity, visual comfort, concentration, and overall satisfaction. This lighting setup also produced the lowest stress levels while enabling the fastest and most accurate task performance.

In contrast, lighting with a correlated color temperature of 1,700K at 500 lux was found to be more appropriate for relaxation spaces. During rest periods, High Beta and Gamma brainwave activity was lowest under this condition. While work tasks could still be performed in such an environment, they required significantly greater effort and resulted in the highest levels of stress.

A 2022 study by Dr. D. Kropman and a research team from the Netherlands compiled and synthesized evidence on seven workplace design elements that influence ten key mental health indicators among employees. The study demonstrates that environmental design can meaningfully enhance both work performance and overall well-being. Key findings include:

• Workstation grouping: Arranging desks in small groups of 2–5 people increases engagement and work performance. However, larger group sizes of 6–20 people negatively affect performance, concentration, stress levels, and overall well-being.
• Movement-supportive spaces (Vitality Zones): Features that encourage movement—such as exercise balls and sit–stand desks—help reduce fatigue and burnout.
• Private offices: Compared to open-plan offices with constant visual exposure, private offices have positive effects on well-being, sleep quality, work performance, concentration, and stress reduction.
• Workspace colors: White and blue environments positively influence work performance, mood, and stress levels, regardless of individual color preferences.
• Indoor plants: Providing 1–3 plants per person or per workstation within the immediate work area can increase productivity by 3–15%, improve concentration by 10–20%, and reduce stress by 4–8%.
• Access to exterior views: Workspaces with outdoor views improve sleep quality, mood, and overall well-being. Views of nature, in particular, enhance work performance and reduce fatigue and stress by approximately 4%.
• Thermal comfort: Maintaining temperatures between 20–24°C, with user-adjustable variation of ±1–2°C and relative humidity levels of 40–55% RH, can improve work performance by up to 30%, concentration by 26%, reduce stress by 22%, and reduce fatigue by 20%.
• Indoor air quality: According to ASHRAE standards, indoor CO₂ levels should not exceed 1,000 ppm. At concentrations of 1,000–1,400 ppm, work performance declines by 4–12%; above 1,400 ppm, performance drops by 14–24%. For every 100 ppm increase in CO₂, concentration decreases and fatigue increases by 16%.

These represent only some of the many environmental factors that influence work performance. By understanding and applying these insights effectively, workplaces can deliver meaningful improvements in productivity, health, and well-being. We invite readers to reflect on their own experiences and consider how thoughtful environmental design can help create workspaces that truly support both performance and quality of life.

Story by Dr. Sarigga Pongsuwan, Vice President of RISC and Head of Happiness Science Hub

Reference by
Kropman, D., Appel-Meulenbroek, R., Bergefurt, L., & LeBlanc, P. (2022). The business case for a healthy office: A holistic overview of relations between office workspace design and mental health. Ergonomics, 66(5), 658–675. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2022.2108905