Building for Well-being

The housing shortage in the Netherlands is quite severe, particularly in the Randstad conurbation. The Dutch government has promised to deliver 100,000 new homes per year – a target that will need to be met largely within the borders of existing cities. ‘At the same time, plans for new construction face a growing list of requirements. For example, projects must integrate sustainable heating systems, use circular materials and include charging points for electric vehicles,’ says Frank Suurenbroek, professor of Spatial Urban Transformation at AUAS. ‘The trick is to do all of this without losing sight of people’s well-being.’

Perceptions of the urban environment

At present, the aspect of how people experience their environment is already being considered when new neighbourhoods are developed. However, this is currently rarely based on evidence-based knowledge. The Building for Well-being consortium aims to change this by researching how people experience the urban environment, how this affects them and how this can be taken into account in the design process.

Technological research

With the help of advanced biometric technology, including eye-trackers that register what people look at and for how long, measurements are taken for three kinds of users: residents, passers-by and visitors. This is done in a laboratory setting using a screen on which different urban situations are projected, as well as outside with a mobile eye-tracker and in a virtual reality environment based on blueprints designed by architects in the consortium. Nanda Piersma, professor of Responsible IT at AUAS, works with her team to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can be deployed to scan street view images to look for patterns in design solutions. The goal is to help designers identify characteristics that promote well-being in street spaces.

Results

The research offers insight into which design applications contribute to the well-being of users, when they do so and why. It also yields valuable knowledge about deploying the tested biometric technology and AI in the design process. Designers will be able to use the insights and findings to substantiate their innovative design solutions to their clients. The consortium emphatically promotes dialogue and reflection in the real-world practice of spatial development. Based on this philosophy, an infrastructure for knowledge exchange is being developed through co-research sessions and subject-matter debates aimed at the broader professional field.

18 project partners

The Building for Well-being project involves 18 partners, including AUAS, design firms specialised in architecture, urban planning and landscape design, and sector organisations. There is also a reflection group consisting of spatial-planning clients and leading academics who work on neuro-architecture worldwide. Besides the Spatial Urban Transformation research group, the Responsible IT research group of the AUAS Faculty of Digital Media and Creative Industry is also closely involved with the project.