Category: Book Reviews

Tye Farrow, a renowned Canadian architect, began exploring the relationship between architecture and its effects on people’s health early in his career. In an interview for the Venetian Letter published last year, the architect revealed how this interest has shaped his professional journey. Now, he shares his extensive knowledge and professional insights in his newly published book.

Published in May, Farrow’s “Constructing Health. How the Built Environment Enhances Your Mind’s Health: An Exploration of Generous Architecture, Through the Neurological, Psychological, and Emotional Benefits of Enriched Environments” is a profound and essential read for anyone interested in the intersection of design and health. 

This book meticulously examines how our built environments can actively foster health and well-being. As someone with a background in medicine and working at the intersection of neuroscience and architecture, I found Farrow’s insights both enlightening and actionable, providing a comprehensive understanding of how intentional design can enhance our mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

In this review, I delve into ‘Spaces of the Heart. The Psychogeography of Everyday Life’ by Colin Ellard. The book, which is very close to my professional interests, belongs to the canon of popular science literature and is dedicated to the exploration of how buildings and urban spaces, that is the “scenery” in which our daily lives take place, affect our brains and bodies.

In discussing this topic, Colin Ellard takes a historical-evolutionary perspective, using scientific research to explain how the natural and built environments have influenced humans over the centuries, and how they have shaped our responses to both real and virtual spaces.

Colin Ellard is well equipped to analyze such complex issues. He is a world-renowned cognitive neuroscientist working at the intersection of urban design and experimental psychology, and in his daily work he uses an arsenal of tools to gain insight into how the occupants of the buildings and cities he studies respond to the built environment features.