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Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives
One of the nation’s chief architecture critics reveals how the environments we build profoundly shape our feelings, memories, and well-being, and argues that we must harness this knowledge to construct a world better suited to human experience
Taking us on a fascinating journey through some of the world’s best and worst landscapes, buildings, and cityscapes, Sarah Williams Goldhagen draws from recent research in cognitive neuroscience and psychology to demonstrate how people’s experiences of the places they build are central to their well-being, their physical health, their communal and social lives, and even their very sense of themselves. From this foundation, Goldhagen presents a powerful case that societies must use this knowledge to rethink what and how they build: the world needs better-designed, healthier environments that address the complex range of human individual and social needs.
By 2050 America’s population is projected to increase by nearly seventy million people. This will necessitate a vast amount of new construction—almost all in urban areas—that will dramatically transform our existing landscapes, infrastructure, and urban areas. Going forward, we must do everything we can to prevent the construction of exhausting, overstimulating environments and enervating, understimulating ones. Buildings, landscapes, and cities must both contain and spark associations of natural light, greenery, and other ways of being in landscapes that humans have evolved to need and expect. Fancy exteriors and dramatic forms are never enough, and may not even be necessary; authentic textures and surfaces, and careful, well-executed construction details are just as important.
Erudite, wise, lucidly written, and beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred color photographs, Welcome to Your World is a vital, eye-opening guide to the spaces we inhabit, physically and mentally, and a clarion call to design for human experience.
Taking us on a fascinating journey through some of the world’s best and worst landscapes, buildings, and cityscapes, Sarah Williams Goldhagen draws from recent research in cognitive neuroscience and psychology to demonstrate how people’s experiences of the places they build are central to their well-being, their physical health, their communal and social lives, and even their very sense of themselves. From this foundation, Goldhagen presents a powerful case that societies must use this knowledge to rethink what and how they build: the world needs better-designed, healthier environments that address the complex range of human individual and social needs.
By 2050 America’s population is projected to increase by nearly seventy million people. This will necessitate a vast amount of new construction—almost all in urban areas—that will dramatically transform our existing landscapes, infrastructure, and urban areas. Going forward, we must do everything we can to prevent the construction of exhausting, overstimulating environments and enervating, understimulating ones. Buildings, landscapes, and cities must both contain and spark associations of natural light, greenery, and other ways of being in landscapes that humans have evolved to need and expect. Fancy exteriors and dramatic forms are never enough, and may not even be necessary; authentic textures and surfaces, and careful, well-executed construction details are just as important.
Erudite, wise, lucidly written, and beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred color photographs, Welcome to Your World is a vital, eye-opening guide to the spaces we inhabit, physically and mentally, and a clarion call to design for human experience.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published April 11, 2017
About the author
Sarah Williams Goldhagen
9 books8 followersSarah Williams Goldhagen taught at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design for ten years and was the New Republic’s architecture critic until recently. Currently a contributing editor at Art in America and Architectural Record, she is an award-winning writer who has written about buildings, cities, and landscapes for many national and international publications, including the New York Times, the American Prospect, and Harvard Design Magazine. She lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
June 21, 2017
I still have an interest in the subject matter after reading this book, however, it was more of a written tour of various buildings than I was hoping for. The author also used "we" to conduct these tours, making what felt like presumptuous assumptions about her readers. The work was decidedly one-sided, with the message that nearly all of society's ills could be cured with better design, and contained only one brief mention that cultural differences might influence a person's reaction to the environment around them.
June 3, 2021
Because I know almost nothing about architecture and design, I learned a lot of stuff from Sarah Williams Goldhagen's Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives.
The "built environment" was a new concept for me. It includes three levels of design: urban, landscaping, and architectural. The built environment affects our thinking, which is a form of situated cognition. We are mostly bad judges of the built environment:
There were things I didn't love about Welcome to Your World. First, in an early chapter, SWG explains that "'environmental revolution' will elicit in most people's minds thoughts about overpopulation and pollution, particularly from carbon emissions, which has so degraded the ozone layer that encircles our planet that we face potentially catastrophic climate change." This is wrong, and I was shocked that it made it through the editing process. Both the depletion of the ozone layer and climate change can be tied to pollution and to our disdain for the planet. But they're nevertheless two issues. Ozone depleting substances (CFCs and HCFCs) destroy the ozone layer, which protects us from ultraviolet radiation. When we emit greenhouse gases, such as CO2 and methane, we increase their concentration in the atmosphere, which decreases the amount of heat that would otherwise leave the planet. Sorry for the long-winded explanation, but once I read this sentence, I questioned her expertise elsewhere.
The thing is, the built environment touches on a lot, so it leads SWG to make many claims that go beyond buildings. First, when she writes a lot about slums, for example, it's not obvious that she has studied them beyond thinking that they're bad. I can't say I love them either, but I'm at least familiar with arguments about why they exist beyond callous disregard from Saunders' Arrival City and Brand's Whole Earth Discipline. Second, SWG discusses how building design can help students to think (or at least to fill in standardized tests more correctly), but in these moments it was never obvious to me that she had considered the role of income. It makes sense that students who study next to an airport would struggle to concentrate, but I would also expect those students to come from low-income families. I would have preferred more detail in teasing out the causality, or least some acknowledgement that the data might be noisy. (Or isn't—discuss the studies in detail, please.) Third, situated cognition often seems to boil down to "high roofs" and public spaces are inspiring and allow for collaborative innovation. I like cathedrals as much as the next person, but when people need to study or get things done, why do they so often eschew these places and find a private corner instead? Finally, although designers sometimes get it right, I did not finish Welcome to Your World convinced that they often succeed.
These final irritations are petty. Nevertheless. Welcome to Your World has many pictures, which is fine, but the entire book is printed on glossy paper that reflects light like laser beams into my eyes. Maddening. At another point, SWG criticizes the One World Trade Center, but she only shows the intended design rather than showing it alongside the eventual design. Poor design choices in a book criticizing bad design is doubly irritating.
My favorite thing about Welcome to Your World is that I began to think about what I want from buildings. I began to think about two axes, which are warm/ cold and neat/ dull. Many homes aspire to be warm and are content if they're dull; many libraries aspire to be warm but are actually cold and dull. Many buildings whose design is neat are actually cold to the point that I dislike them. One thing I like about industrial aesthetics is that they sometimes succeed in creating warmth, even though that should be all but impossible for them. I realized that I mostly value my cave and my prospect, a sense of warmth, a high level of functionality for reading and for blocking out sunlight, a regulated temperature, trees and plants, and I'm mostly OK with a dull design. I often like symmetry and order. These were opinions I had before I read the book, but it never occurred to me to think about them very consciously.
The "built environment" was a new concept for me. It includes three levels of design: urban, landscaping, and architectural. The built environment affects our thinking, which is a form of situated cognition. We are mostly bad judges of the built environment:
"Not only are consumers disposed to prefer familiar, conventional designs, they will prefer conventional designs even if those designs serve them very poorly — which, as we have seen, they often do. This is owing to a common psychological dynamic, namely that the more times a person is exposed to a stimulus, even if it does not serve her well, the more she will habituate to it such that she eventually will not only prefer it when offered other options, but will eventually deem it to be normative.But maybe that bad judgement is understandable given that buildings aspire to: help individuals psychologically; allow groups to socialize; become part of the physical (often natural) environment; make statements. Because they must do so many things, buildings often fail or succeed inconsistently. I found one quote here that goes something like "a building is a struggle not a miracle." That seems right. To make a really great building is very difficult, and we should celebrate when architects succeed.
There were things I didn't love about Welcome to Your World. First, in an early chapter, SWG explains that "'environmental revolution' will elicit in most people's minds thoughts about overpopulation and pollution, particularly from carbon emissions, which has so degraded the ozone layer that encircles our planet that we face potentially catastrophic climate change." This is wrong, and I was shocked that it made it through the editing process. Both the depletion of the ozone layer and climate change can be tied to pollution and to our disdain for the planet. But they're nevertheless two issues. Ozone depleting substances (CFCs and HCFCs) destroy the ozone layer, which protects us from ultraviolet radiation. When we emit greenhouse gases, such as CO2 and methane, we increase their concentration in the atmosphere, which decreases the amount of heat that would otherwise leave the planet. Sorry for the long-winded explanation, but once I read this sentence, I questioned her expertise elsewhere.
The thing is, the built environment touches on a lot, so it leads SWG to make many claims that go beyond buildings. First, when she writes a lot about slums, for example, it's not obvious that she has studied them beyond thinking that they're bad. I can't say I love them either, but I'm at least familiar with arguments about why they exist beyond callous disregard from Saunders' Arrival City and Brand's Whole Earth Discipline. Second, SWG discusses how building design can help students to think (or at least to fill in standardized tests more correctly), but in these moments it was never obvious to me that she had considered the role of income. It makes sense that students who study next to an airport would struggle to concentrate, but I would also expect those students to come from low-income families. I would have preferred more detail in teasing out the causality, or least some acknowledgement that the data might be noisy. (Or isn't—discuss the studies in detail, please.) Third, situated cognition often seems to boil down to "high roofs" and public spaces are inspiring and allow for collaborative innovation. I like cathedrals as much as the next person, but when people need to study or get things done, why do they so often eschew these places and find a private corner instead? Finally, although designers sometimes get it right, I did not finish Welcome to Your World convinced that they often succeed.
These final irritations are petty. Nevertheless. Welcome to Your World has many pictures, which is fine, but the entire book is printed on glossy paper that reflects light like laser beams into my eyes. Maddening. At another point, SWG criticizes the One World Trade Center, but she only shows the intended design rather than showing it alongside the eventual design. Poor design choices in a book criticizing bad design is doubly irritating.
My favorite thing about Welcome to Your World is that I began to think about what I want from buildings. I began to think about two axes, which are warm/ cold and neat/ dull. Many homes aspire to be warm and are content if they're dull; many libraries aspire to be warm but are actually cold and dull. Many buildings whose design is neat are actually cold to the point that I dislike them. One thing I like about industrial aesthetics is that they sometimes succeed in creating warmth, even though that should be all but impossible for them. I realized that I mostly value my cave and my prospect, a sense of warmth, a high level of functionality for reading and for blocking out sunlight, a regulated temperature, trees and plants, and I'm mostly OK with a dull design. I often like symmetry and order. These were opinions I had before I read the book, but it never occurred to me to think about them very consciously.
December 3, 2017
This is one of those non-fiction books which has enough interesting information to make a really interesting long form article but not enough for a whole book. I found a couple passages really interesting but the vast majority of the book is just repeating the same ideas over and over again so the interesting information gets lost. Goldhagen focuses WAY too much on famous buildings designed by famous architects and she really doesn't get into the research and neuroscience or even everyday architecture, so the book really doesn't deliver on what it promises on the cover of the book.
June 30, 2017
This is a passionate and well written discussion of why design and architecture matter and how it would improve our society to assign good design a more important role in contemporary America as so much work here is poorly built (much by developers who only care about building cheaply and personal profit). Our society needs policies that support good design as it increases the well being of our society at all income levels. Other countries, such as Holland build better not because they are more capable of good design than us, but as a culture they have higher expectations for their built environment.
The application of studies in environmental psychology to architecture is fascinating. I wish there had been more examples of these studies, such as the one that students taking a test in classrooms painted with a blue ceiling perform better. I think more of these examples would have strengthened this book as a study of the connection between environmental studies and good architecture. Some of the examples seem obvious such as more nature, light and ventilation in an environment improves peoples sense of well being, but it is interesting that there are studies that actually prove this point. Additional interesting examples cited include that jarring angles can be disturbing, that we are attracted to curved walls (and the Parthenon has them even though it appears to be straight), and that we are attracted to symmetry. The point that the scale of repetition and symmetry effects its perception was so interesting; I wish the focus was more on examples such as these.
There were many examples of good architecture described, including the Pantheon, the Parthenon, the Salk Center. The reasons why the projects described were good architecture was interesting reading, but I was hoping that more examples directly illustrated the points from the environmental studies. Also, some of the buildings mentioned did not have accompanying photos, and if one was not familiar with the building, the point was partially lost. As an architect I should be familiar with all of the examples, but general readers may not be motivated to continue further research. The Scottish Houses of Parliament was a fascinating example. I wish the exterior photo was better- it was so dark that I could barely make it out. The assembly room photo well illustrated a gorgeous space, and the little carved out seats in the windows were fascinating. I need to get to know this project better.
The point that architecture matters was well made, and the examples of the social sciences supported the point that architecture and our environment is important. I wished that there were more examples of the social studies discussed with examples illustrating their points, rather than so many classic buildings being cited as examples of good architecture. We do need to be building more of the quality of the Pantheon, Parthenon and Salk Centers today; it is unfortunate that the quality of these examples are so rare as to be almost an anomaly. Having a society that understands and supports why good design is important would increase the odds that we will build a better more healthy environment, as all odds are against us the way things currently stand. This book well illustrates why good design matters and it wet my appetite to read more about the connection of environmental studies and good design.
The application of studies in environmental psychology to architecture is fascinating. I wish there had been more examples of these studies, such as the one that students taking a test in classrooms painted with a blue ceiling perform better. I think more of these examples would have strengthened this book as a study of the connection between environmental studies and good architecture. Some of the examples seem obvious such as more nature, light and ventilation in an environment improves peoples sense of well being, but it is interesting that there are studies that actually prove this point. Additional interesting examples cited include that jarring angles can be disturbing, that we are attracted to curved walls (and the Parthenon has them even though it appears to be straight), and that we are attracted to symmetry. The point that the scale of repetition and symmetry effects its perception was so interesting; I wish the focus was more on examples such as these.
There were many examples of good architecture described, including the Pantheon, the Parthenon, the Salk Center. The reasons why the projects described were good architecture was interesting reading, but I was hoping that more examples directly illustrated the points from the environmental studies. Also, some of the buildings mentioned did not have accompanying photos, and if one was not familiar with the building, the point was partially lost. As an architect I should be familiar with all of the examples, but general readers may not be motivated to continue further research. The Scottish Houses of Parliament was a fascinating example. I wish the exterior photo was better- it was so dark that I could barely make it out. The assembly room photo well illustrated a gorgeous space, and the little carved out seats in the windows were fascinating. I need to get to know this project better.
The point that architecture matters was well made, and the examples of the social sciences supported the point that architecture and our environment is important. I wished that there were more examples of the social studies discussed with examples illustrating their points, rather than so many classic buildings being cited as examples of good architecture. We do need to be building more of the quality of the Pantheon, Parthenon and Salk Centers today; it is unfortunate that the quality of these examples are so rare as to be almost an anomaly. Having a society that understands and supports why good design is important would increase the odds that we will build a better more healthy environment, as all odds are against us the way things currently stand. This book well illustrates why good design matters and it wet my appetite to read more about the connection of environmental studies and good design.
September 23, 2017
Had such a high expectation on this book, finished it just for the sake of it after putting it down several times. Content-wise, it was not bad but her narrative was boring. My mind kept wandering off while reading. Because urbanization is something I'm interested in, because she is a woman, I really wished I could have gotten something more substantial from this book. I gave 3 stars, hoping that the fault was with me, not with the book.
July 16, 2017
I absolutely devour books about community, infrastructure and the "built" world. This book was such a light-weight on all of those levels, I was unable to finish it.
November 12, 2017
The prose is somewhat dry and labored, but deserves ample credit for pioneering an argument for "why architecture matters" rooted in cognitive science and social psychology.
January 30, 2018
I really enjoyed the description of how good design help buildings drastically improve our experiences and our lives. The case studies were also excellent. The studies of buildings that I've visited before were especially vivid, but the images in the print edition allowed me some insight into those that I hadn't experienced myself. At times, the language became really pretentious and unnecessarily academic. But that didn't detract from the overall message.
October 20, 2017
Fascinating! This would be an interesting read for anyone curious about the effects that built environments have on the people who inhabit them. As an architect, this book gave me much to think about, and having just finished it, I feel like I should read it again to pick up more of the info I probably didn't absorb in the first read.
May 22, 2017
Interesting, but prolix and self-repeating.
August 5, 2021
Оригинальное издание книги я бы оценила на три звезды. Здесь же газетная бумага, жалкая цветная вклейка с парой фотографий и смехотворный перевод (window shopping это покупки через окно, оказывается). Сама задумка книги - доказать с помощью нейробиологии, что окружающие пространства влияют на нас гораздо сильнее, чем мы привыкли думать - действительно важная и интересная, но реализована она бедновато. Лучше бы это был лонгрид, потому что из 260 страниц как минимум треть повторенье мать ученья. Кроме того, ничто не бесит меня так, как книжки по психологии без нормальных ссылок. Здесь нет никаких сносок вообще, только списки литературы к каждой главе. Ну и вот это "масса исследований", когда цитируется один замшелый эксперимент середины восьмидесятых. Нет, спасибо. Это одна из тех книг, которую можно подобрать на развале и с пользой пролистать, но не более.
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December 8, 2019This began very interestingly and seemed to run out of steam and grow increasingly jargon-filled as it went along. It almost seems like it would have been better as a long essay, or a Kindle single, than a whole book. But I did really enjoy all the color photographs and the discussions of specific buildings, like the Salk Institute, the Sydney Opera House, the Pantheon, the Sea Ranch development, and the Scottish house of Parliament.
February 23, 2019
I was disappointed with this book. I was hoping for a book that would provide useful information for designing a building that promotes physical and mental health for its occupants, but this was terribly academic.
“Enriched environments” enhance well-being, while chaotic and/or harsh environments inhibit well-being. Well, ok, so define an enhanced environment. No where in this book are the factors that make an environment “enhanced” clearly listed. From what I gather based on mentions throughout the book, an environment should be quiet, have natural light, access to nature, and luxurious surfaces. We need a whole book for this information?
I appreciate the reminder that the body registers cues from ALL the senses in the subconscious and so ALL the senses should be taken into consideration when designing a space, not just the visual. And also the reminder of just how very important nature is (direct access is best, views are great, and if even those are not available, simulated access through art is better than nothing). I did not realize that humans instinctively navigate using a hexagonal (versus square) mental grid, so I enjoyed learning that, that’s useful to know. Since there were a few bits I appreciated, it saved the book from getting only one star, but I would have ranked it higher if it would have been MUCH consdensed. I think it’s possible we could’ve gotten all the info in half the words (or less!).
“Enriched environments” enhance well-being, while chaotic and/or harsh environments inhibit well-being. Well, ok, so define an enhanced environment. No where in this book are the factors that make an environment “enhanced” clearly listed. From what I gather based on mentions throughout the book, an environment should be quiet, have natural light, access to nature, and luxurious surfaces. We need a whole book for this information?
I appreciate the reminder that the body registers cues from ALL the senses in the subconscious and so ALL the senses should be taken into consideration when designing a space, not just the visual. And also the reminder of just how very important nature is (direct access is best, views are great, and if even those are not available, simulated access through art is better than nothing). I did not realize that humans instinctively navigate using a hexagonal (versus square) mental grid, so I enjoyed learning that, that’s useful to know. Since there were a few bits I appreciated, it saved the book from getting only one star, but I would have ranked it higher if it would have been MUCH consdensed. I think it’s possible we could’ve gotten all the info in half the words (or less!).
Read
December 30, 2020You’ve probably experienced a feeling of excitement when entering a stadium, and the sudden hush of a place of worship. In her intriguing book Welcome to Your World, Sarah Williams Goldhagen describes how the design of built spaces can foster these emotions. An architect herself, Goldhagen’s book reads like a primer for first-year architecture students who may have never considered the outsize impact their artistic decisions (or lack thereof) can have on the way we experience buildings. By pulling on examples from all over the world, she explains the design principles behind the things you feel instinctively: curves are inviting, patterns can be monotonous or exciting, surfaces that look rough repel visitors. She asks us to imagine what if every living space had access to bright, natural light and encourages designers to take up the challenge.⠀
July 27, 2017
The premise of this book is fascinating: the environment we find ourselves in shapes our actions, feelings and beliefs far more than we realize, and we must take that into account when designing our built environment.
Unfortunately, the book does not follow through on this premise, failing to deliver real examples that leave any sort of lasting impact.
Instead, it reads like a long-winded tour of a few dozen buildings around the world. There's too much emphasis on the author's architectural criticism and not enough focus on explaining the research behind how design shapes our cognition.
It's challenging to explain how our cognition is shaped by our built environment, and unfortunately this book does not rise to the challenge.
Unfortunately, the book does not follow through on this premise, failing to deliver real examples that leave any sort of lasting impact.
Instead, it reads like a long-winded tour of a few dozen buildings around the world. There's too much emphasis on the author's architectural criticism and not enough focus on explaining the research behind how design shapes our cognition.
It's challenging to explain how our cognition is shaped by our built environment, and unfortunately this book does not rise to the challenge.
March 15, 2018
The argument is important, and depressingly often ignored (There's not a single building that isn't either a concrete box, or a cookie-cutter house that's already falling apart in my entire town)
I have no idea how good the actual points are, not a topic I've researched, but I'm glad someone is doing the science, since we live in an age where only population control and capital gains have any value whatever, it is essential to provide an argument in favour of decent living standards and environments. I've spent my life in mind-destroying surroundings. It would be nice to think at least future generations may not have to deal with the same issue of every building they ever enter being more or less identical, and completely backwards for human use.
I have no idea how good the actual points are, not a topic I've researched, but I'm glad someone is doing the science, since we live in an age where only population control and capital gains have any value whatever, it is essential to provide an argument in favour of decent living standards and environments. I've spent my life in mind-destroying surroundings. It would be nice to think at least future generations may not have to deal with the same issue of every building they ever enter being more or less identical, and completely backwards for human use.
November 4, 2021
I really enjoyed this book about how design affects our cognitive abilities. Goldhagen talks about how the built environment affects our lives and our relationships with each other. She has reviewed existing architectural design with that particular perspective and has written in a style that is easy for a layperson to understand as well, she gives us a fresh perspective on the world we build around us. It is a good starting point to learn how to think about architecture and how to figure out why a design is not working, while it does not present any solutions or practical guidelines on how to design it points us towards where to start looking for them.
December 2, 2017
With sobering statistics on how much of the built environment is going to change over the next several decades, this book is a call to action against poorly designed buildings; a call for humanistic architecture. While the book doesn’t go as far as the early post-WWI Modern manifestos presuming that architecture could bring world peace, the author—siting numerous studies—makes the humanistic connection between the built environment and society. Lacking in the book is a vision on how the world gets there. Architecture has long struggled against a day-to-day world that doesn’t appreciate it.
June 26, 2020
This book encapsulates my questions for studying architecture. I feel like I am still questioning, but I have some answers. There are some contradictory things throughout the book, and some things are subjective but that is design. It really struck hard on the point that design should be for everyone because of its influence on everything which interests me deeply.
November 9, 2017
Structure needed clarity; could have accomplished more with fewer words.
November 14, 2018
Some points are repeated too many times over throughout the book but the review of research and specific examples of how architecture and design of spaces affects humans is great.
November 5, 2023
The author discusses the problems with architecture, and architectural training/education, giving examples of why some buildings fail. For instance, an architecture school where student work spaces are totally open and on display fosters a culture of competition, rather than cooperation. She also gives examples of good buildings, but doesn't provide a lot in the way of specifics for what makes for a welcoming, nurturing building. I particularly enjoyed how the author brings neuroscience into the discussion to explain how humans respond to buildings. She successfully makes the case that the buildings we spend so much time in profoundly affect us, and we need to demand better quality in our built environment. I believe the book is meant for a general audience, but due to some jargon and academic abstractions, I think it might be better understood by readers well versed in architectural theory.
Notes:
Pg 30
Among the groups exerting influence on the design of our built environment, the largest are construction companies, product manufacturers, and real estate developers. These are business people, driven by profits. The construction trades constitute one of the least efficient and most deplorable wasteful industries in the US. And because most construction companies, unlike companies in most sectors of the economy, invest little in research and development, they are highly averse to innovation.
Pg 142
Herman Miller, an office furniture company, … moved its employees into a new building called the “GreenHouse”... within six months, employee workplace satisfaction and performance measurably improved. After nine months, their productivity had increased by an astonishing 20%.
Pg 160
Canonical neurons control motor actions; located in the brain’s frontal and parietal lobes, they fire when we are doing something such as hand-building or throwing a clay pot, and they also fire when we do nothing more than look at an inanimate object, like a lump of clay, that we imagine ourselves manipulating with a goal in mind. Mirror neurons also fire when we execute a given action such as sculpting clay and when we mentally simulate that action; they also fire when we observe someone else executing that action. The operations of canonical and mirror neurons help to explain the visceral power of our responses to boh form and surface-based cues.
Pg 197
One research study “found that they could better predict a child’s conduct at a given time by specifying her environment and its action setting than they could by delving into her individual, psychological profile."
Pg 217
Long, linear spaces suggest avenues of movement, and they discourage precisely the kind of social gathering that nourishes community.
Notes:
Pg 30
Among the groups exerting influence on the design of our built environment, the largest are construction companies, product manufacturers, and real estate developers. These are business people, driven by profits. The construction trades constitute one of the least efficient and most deplorable wasteful industries in the US. And because most construction companies, unlike companies in most sectors of the economy, invest little in research and development, they are highly averse to innovation.
Pg 142
Herman Miller, an office furniture company, … moved its employees into a new building called the “GreenHouse”... within six months, employee workplace satisfaction and performance measurably improved. After nine months, their productivity had increased by an astonishing 20%.
Pg 160
Canonical neurons control motor actions; located in the brain’s frontal and parietal lobes, they fire when we are doing something such as hand-building or throwing a clay pot, and they also fire when we do nothing more than look at an inanimate object, like a lump of clay, that we imagine ourselves manipulating with a goal in mind. Mirror neurons also fire when we execute a given action such as sculpting clay and when we mentally simulate that action; they also fire when we observe someone else executing that action. The operations of canonical and mirror neurons help to explain the visceral power of our responses to boh form and surface-based cues.
Pg 197
One research study “found that they could better predict a child’s conduct at a given time by specifying her environment and its action setting than they could by delving into her individual, psychological profile."
Pg 217
Long, linear spaces suggest avenues of movement, and they discourage precisely the kind of social gathering that nourishes community.
November 27, 2019
The book goes on and on with seemingly no premise. It goes through a bunch of tours of buildings with attempts at tying it back to a point. It says in the beginning that it will make a case to prove the importance of good design in buildings. Unfortunately it's written like the audience is intro architecture students between the jargon and pointed discussiin.. Basically it's a summary of all the things these students will learn in undergrad anyways. If the author had wanted to write a book on this topic, it should have been written towards clients, politicians, and people who provide the direction and funds for buildings. Architects already know their work is important. It should be proving the importance of good design using economics and data, not "it feels good to be in the space". This book is basically redundant and unnecessary.
March 13, 2018
Welcome to your world is an intriguing book which explores how the environment we build around us affects us, as well as how we navigate that reality. What I find really fascinating is how the author integrates cognitive and bodily experiences into the book so that we're not just looking at the environment, but also our own place in space. If you want to understand space, building designs, or how you navigate the world around this is an excellent book to read because it provides you a way to look at your environment from a unique perspective and consider how you situate yourself in the world around you as well as how bring good design into your life and improve your circumstances as a result.
March 7, 2019
I really wanted to like this book but I feel like it only skimmed the surface of environmental psychology and how the built environment can shape our lives. I was a bit disappointed that this book mostly focused describing iconic architectural buildings rather than looking at the urban environment as a whole.
Also, listening to the audiobook wasn’t the best idea on my part. I’m going to assume that the physical copy of the book includes photographs and pictorial examples to accompany the text and aid the readers in understanding the design concepts mentioned.
Overall, this book serves as a decent introduction (for those with an interest in architectural design) into the field of environmental psychology and the concept of the built environment.
Also, listening to the audiobook wasn’t the best idea on my part. I’m going to assume that the physical copy of the book includes photographs and pictorial examples to accompany the text and aid the readers in understanding the design concepts mentioned.
Overall, this book serves as a decent introduction (for those with an interest in architectural design) into the field of environmental psychology and the concept of the built environment.
April 15, 2019
I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t get very far because the author makes claims in pretty much every paragraph that are unsubstantiated.
For example, she says that the color red/red lights cause people to have anxious feelings and can even cause aggression. We’ve all heard this before, but can we take it seriously when it’s said again but nothing is cited to back that up? What if that was an urban legend we have all been passing around for years, and we need a book to straighten us out? Non-fiction books aren’t worth much without substantiation.
For example, she says that the color red/red lights cause people to have anxious feelings and can even cause aggression. We’ve all heard this before, but can we take it seriously when it’s said again but nothing is cited to back that up? What if that was an urban legend we have all been passing around for years, and we need a book to straighten us out? Non-fiction books aren’t worth much without substantiation.
May 23, 2021
I enjoyed the pictures that were included throughout the book. However, this felt like it was just a bunch of web articles squashed together, where most of it felt very wordy to the point that the overall message of different sections became confusing. It might be because I random podcasts I have listened to about human cognition, but I didn't take away too many new thoughts from this book. It also took me two attempts to get through this entire book because I lost interest early on a few years ago.
February 21, 2019
A nice addition to the much need body of literature devoted to evidence based architecture. Like all passionate writers Goldhagen overreaches the science at times to describe conclusions that support her point, but in general there were few unacceptably biased implications and it seems as though the questions were approached with the sincerest of intentions. Well written and holds ones interest, even if it is repetitive at times.
June 10, 2020
I’m familiar with a lot of this material, just because my interests converge in a book like this, but Goldhagen goes deep into the social, psychological and experiential facets of how we act on, react to, and simply live in the built environment. Her writing style feels textbooky, but that’s easy to accommodate when you’re learning so much. Rigorously thought out, well argued, beautifully illustrated and produced, this book is persuasive as well as a great pleasure.
September 22, 2023
Maybe a little self-serving and not as critical of contemporary architecture as is needed right now. But refreshing in that it is trying to use science to justify the artistry, formal and functional, of our best architects. Is the synthesis of the cognitive science Goldhagen uses completely sound? I’m not the expert to answer that, but any step away from ego-driven intuition as justification for design decisions in the built world is a step in the right direction.
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