Designing for consciousness: Towards a theory of environmental design using neurophenomenology as methodology.

摘要

Findings from fields such as ecological psychology, environment-behavior research, and the enactive approach to cognition clearly point to the phenomenon of human beings co-evolving with the environments in and through which they dwell. These findings suggest that the operative unit of evolution is the brain-body-environment continuum. Based on this knowledge, it could be further surmised that the actual design of the built environment -- its layout and geometry, its morphology and topology -- influences brain-body dynamics and therefore consciousness. Designing for consciousness, then, is a theory which proposes that it is possible to design the built environment in such a way as to facilitate an enhancement of consciousness.;This theory was tested recently during a Case Study on the campus of a newly formed Yoga College. A methodology was developed based on knowledge of spatial cognition, featuring a yogic meditation technique for entering the phenomenological epoche. Sensory impressions were then recorded while moving about the campus, and this data was subsequently referenced during a Design Studio phase in which a conceptual site plan for the campus was produced. According to the theory, implementation of this site plan will contribute to an enhancement of consciousness of users of the campus, simply by moving about the place.;Keywords: Phenomenology, Neurophenomenology, Environmental Design, Spatial Cognition, Landscape Morphology, Topological Isomorphism.