Robi Barranco-Merino

As part of a doctoral research project on how architectural space influences individuals, this article examines how spatial experience is formed through the interaction between the body, perception, memory and sociocultural frameworks. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from authors such as Norberg‑Schulz, Heidegger, Bachelard, Pallasmaa, Zumthor, Grosz and Merleau-Ponty, the study approaches space not as a neutral backdrop but as an active medium through which meaning, identity and self‑perception are continuously shaped. Integrating contributions from fields such as neuroscience, psychology, sociology and urban studies, the article highlights the increasingly interdisciplinary interest in understanding how individuals interpret and emotionally respond to their environments. The review shows that the perception of space emerges from the interplay between its physical characteristics and the observer’s sensory, cognitive and cultural background. Although spatial experience is profoundly individual, empirical studies reveal consistent patterns within groups differentiated by age, gender, professional training or social position. These findings confirm that architectural space is not only perceived but also interpreted and valued through frameworks that give form to emotion, judgement and self‑understanding. By bringing together these perspectives, the article provides a conceptual foundation for understanding architecture as a phenomenon that participates actively in shaping both our perception of the world and our sense of place within it.

Well-being has become a central concept in architectural research on housing, yet the term remains operationally imprecise, typically reduced either to measurable physical comfort or to broad associations with health and happiness. This paper addresses that gap by developing an evidence-based, operational definition of domestic well-being grounded in well-being theory, environmental psychology, neuroarchitecture, and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) research. Methodologically, the work takes the form of a systematic conceptual review, synthesizing hedonic and eudaimonic traditions and mapping their spatial correlates in residential design. The principal outcome is a five-dimensional framework of domestic well-being articulating physical-environmental comfort, physical and psychological restoration, control-functionality-safety, identity and meaning, and privacy-coexistence-social quality. Each dimension accompanied by architectural design correlates and key empirical references. The framework repositions housing not as a neutral technical container but as an active environment capable of shaping physiological, emotional, and cognitive states, and contributes to current discussions on evidence-based residential design, neuroarchitecture, and architecture for health.

The location of vegetation within a dwelling, whether integrated into interior living spaces or arranged on exterior terraces, remains an underexplored variable in biophilic design research. Most experimental studies compare vegetated versus non-vegetated environments without distinguishing the spatial position of greenery. This paper presents a controlled study in which 100 participants evaluated three conditions of a single biophilically designed residence using 360° virtual reality panoramas: no vegetation, interior vegetation, and exterior (terrace) vegetation, balanced at equivalent green-pixel density (~2%). Affective states were measured using the Short-Form PANAS (Thompson, 2007), perceived sensations through a biophilic sensation scale, and nature connectedness via the CNS (Mayer & Frantz, 2004). Results show that both vegetated conditions elicited significantly higher positive affect and sensation scores than the non-vegetated condition. Exterior vegetation was marginally preferred overall (47 vs. 43 votes), with notable demographic modulation: younger participants favoured interior greenery, while older groups and women showed a stronger preference for exterior vegetation. These findings suggest that vegetation placement constitutes a meaningful design variable independent of vegetation quantity, with practical implications for biophilic architectural strategies in urban residential contexts.

Presence, one of the central constructs in the study of virtual reality and mediated experience, is widely held to manifest in behavior, yet it is measured predominantly through retrospective self-report. We argue for a more developed place for behavioral observation in presence research, and we make a specific proposal about how it should be carried out. Presence-relevant behavior is best treated, we propose, not as a set of continuously rated scale items but as a class of low-frequency, high-specificity event markers: discrete and infrequent behaviors in which a person responds to the virtual environment as if genuinely situated within it, read convergently across several marker types rather than relied upon individually; these markers must be kept distinct from device competence and task engagement, which are not indicators of presence. As a proof of concept we present an observational study of 48 children (aged 7 to 9) across 96 VR sessions in a naturalistic school setting, run across two contrasting physical contexts that differed in their ambient activity. The candidate markers behaved as a coherent, co-occurring set, were empirically separable from device competence and task-directed attention, and in the contrast that held VR content constant were more frequent where the physical environment competed less for the child’s attention, the direction the approach predicts if the markers track presence. We discuss the findings in dialogue with prior behavioral measures and with theoretical accounts of spatial presence, and outline the instrument design and the experiments to which the approach points.

This study examines how spatial presence and copresence shape consumers’ emotional states and behavioural intentions in a virtual retail environment, within a Stimulus–Organism–Response framework. An experiment with 306 coffee consumers exposed to a 360° virtual reality video of a Nespresso boutique measured spatial presence, copresence, emotional states and three behavioural intentions: visiting the physical store, revisiting the virtual store and purchasing the product. Partial least squares structural equation modelling, complemented by covariance-based SEM robustness checks, showed that copresence strongly increased spatial presence, and that both dimensions of presence positively predicted emotional states. Emotional states, in turn, fully mediated the relationships between presence and all three behavioural intentions. Multi-group analysis further indicated that paths from spatial presence and copresence to emotional states differed by gender, whereas other individual-difference controls (age and prior VR experience) showed no systematic effects. The findings refine presence theory by modelling spatial presence and copresence as an interdependent system at the organism level and highlight how different presence-related design cues in VR retail experiences can be leveraged to drive physical store visits, virtual engagement and purchase intentions.

Open-plan offices are a common format in contemporary work environments, but their exposed nature may increase cognitive demands. Work pods and other enclosed microspaces have been proposed as an alternative. However, scientific evidence demonstrating that these isolated spaces effectively reduce cognitive load remains scarce. This study examines how workspace type influences mental workload by analyzing how cognitive load evolves across two spatial configurations (open-plan office and work pod) during typical office tasks. Twenty-six participants completed auditory, reading, and writing tasks while their brain activity was recorded using EEG. The results show that each spatial typology generates distinct patterns of cortical activation: in the open-plan office, neural activity progressively increased throughout the tasks, indicating a growing effort to maintain performance, whereas in the work pod activation levels decreased, suggesting reduced cortical effort required to sustain task. These findings provide neurophysiological evidence that spatial design directly influences the mental workload associated with office work.

This study explores the emotional impact of residential architecture through the combined use of psychological and physiological measures. A neuroarchitecture field experiment was conducted in a real, fully equipped dwelling with a sample of 30 participants. The participants walked through the various rooms in the dwelling under both daytime and nighttime conditions. Emotional responses were assessed using the PAD model (pleasure, arousal, dominance), and physiological signals, electroencephalogram (EEG), heart rate variability (HRV) and electrodermal activity (EDA). Statistically significant differences were found across rooms, time of day and gender. Collective areas—such as the living room and entrance forecourt—were associated with higher levels of pleasure and dominance and lower physiological activation, while individual spaces—such as bedrooms and bathrooms—elicited higher physiological activity and lower psychological emotional responses, particularly among female participants. An inverse relationship was found between pleasure/dominance and physiological activation, suggesting that physiological indicators could serve as non-intrusive proxies for subjective well-being. Nighttime exposure was also linked to increased arousal, likely due to circadian disruption caused by artificial lighting. These findings underscore the importance of integrating objective and subjective measures in architectural evaluations, as they offer actionable insights for the design of emotionally supportive residential environments. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Evaluating the sense of presence experienced by users in virtual environments is crucial for understanding and improving their effectiveness. Questionnaires and self-report scales remain one of the most widespread methods for measuring presence. This study explores the main self-report tools used to quantify the sense of presence in virtual experiences. Standardized questionnaires such as the Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ) and the Slater-Usoh-Steed Questionnaire (SUS) were analyzed along with other instruments developed for specific populations or environments. The analysis highlighted the advantages of self-report measures such as their ease of implementation, low cost, and ability to capture users’ subjective experiences. However, it also identified challenges such as lack of standardization, reliability issues, and potential biases. More efforts are needed to develop robust instruments, cross-culturally validated and adapted to the latest technological innovations. A comprehensive understanding of how to accurately measure the sense of presence will be fundamental to harnessing the full potential of virtual reality in fields such as architectural design, neuroarchitecture, and environmental psychology.

Industrialized housing offers potential benefits in efficiency and sustainability compared to traditional construction methods, but public perception often remains negative due to a lack of familiarity. This study explores how prior information and knowledge influence perceptions of industrialized versus traditional housing. An online survey with 267 participants evaluated stimuli composed of an image of a house and a label (industrialized or non-industrialized). Results indicated no significant differences in perception based on visual appearance alone; however, the “industrialized” label was rated less favorably. This effect was more pronounced among those without expertise in industrialized construction. The study also revealed that providing objective prior information improved perceptions of personal and emotional attributes (e.g., cozy, family-friendliness, comfortable, well-being), but did not affect views on construction-specific attributes (e.g., quick-to-build, automated, or modular). These findings underscore the need for neutral and informative communication to counteract negative biases and enhance acceptance of industrialized housing. For the construction industry and policymakers, it is crucial to promote unbiased information and education to overcome resistance due to misconceptions and foster a more positive perception of the product’s features. Addressing concerns and clarifying benefits, these initiatives aim to shift public opinion toward recognizing the value of industrialized housing.

Sense of presence is a key element of the user experience in the study of virtual environments. Understanding it is essential for disciplines, such as architecture and environmental psychology, that study human responses using simulated environments. More evidence is needed on how to optimize spatial presence in simulations of built environments. A systematic review was conducted to define the use of sense of presence in research on human behavior in virtual spaces. Conceptualized dimensions, measurement methodologies, simulation technologies and associated factors were identified. The study identified a diversity of approaches and the predominance of subjective measures over sense of presence indicators. Several studies noted that environmental variables and spatial typologies had significant effects on presence. The results showed that different user profiles responded to stimuli in different ways. The results emphasized the importance of conceiving the construct in interrelation with the built context. A more comprehensive and multidisciplinary orientation is required to identify principles that optimize the spatial experience in virtual environments. This will be important for disciplines that research the human experience using virtual environments.