Brains, hands, and hearts : how traditional design supports health

Abstract

We desperately need to revise the foundations of the design discipline. A new understanding of living structure and urban space enables us to design an environment that we attach to. The same unwritten rules were used during millennia, but were only embedded in the built forms. A scientific basis for testable predictions gives us a toolbox for design that satisfies our evolved physiological needs. Mechanisms for engagement are based on fractals, the inverse power distribution of sizes, and nested symmetries. These often appear as ornament, and shape the spaces in traditional and vernacular architectures. A special healing geometry links to our evolution in a natural environment, generating emotional nourishment and boosting immune responses.