flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Study explores why high ceilings are popular

Architects

Study explores why high ceilings are popular

High ceilings give us a sense of freedom, new research finds


By BD+C Staff | March 9, 2015
Study finds out why most people like high ceilings

Interior view of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Photo courtesy Jean_Christophe Benoist/Wikimedia Commons

Real-estate listings usually include high ceilings as an amenity. This makes sense, as research has shown that home buyers tend to prefer homes above the standard eight-foot ceiling.

A recent study done by a team from the University of Toronto-Scarborough (UTS), who revealed to us recently why the human brain prefers curvy buildings, also explored why high ceilings are desirable.

Led by psychologist Oshin Vartanian of the UTS found that our brains tie high ceilings to a psychological sense of freedom, Fast Company reports.

In addition, the team also looked at the brain activity of research subjects who were placed under a neuroimaging scanner as they reviewed pictures of interiors. They found that the majority of respondents labeled a space with high ceilings as “beautiful.”

“Such rooms promote visuospatial exploration,” Vartanian told Fast Company. “At the same time they prompt us to think more freely. This could be a rather potent combination for inducing positive feelings.”

Fast Company has the full report.

Related Stories

Senior Living Design | Apr 14, 2016

Creating a home for eldercare using the ‘Green House’ design concept

VOA Associates’ Douglas King offers design considerations in implementing the Green House concept in eldercare for continuing care retirement communities.

Industrial Facilities | Apr 13, 2016

Ford begins 10-year plan to centralize Dearborn, Mich., campus

The company said that it will rebuild 7.5 million sf of work space over a 10-year period, which will shift 30,000 employees from 70 buildings now into two primary locations.

Building Tech | Apr 12, 2016

Should we be worried about a tech slowdown?

Is the U.S. in an innovative funk, or is this just the calm before the storm?

Multifamily Housing | Apr 7, 2016

Multifamily and Specialized Housing projects honored in 2016 AIA Housing Awards

A San Francisco low-income mixed-use complex, a Los Angeles homeless veterans housing facility, and a series of student residential buildings at UMass were among the winners.

Green | Apr 4, 2016

AIA report analyzes 20 years of the best green projects

"Lessons from the Leading Edge" is a study of the 200 Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award winning projects since 1997.

Architects | Apr 1, 2016

Adrian Smith earns UIC’s Legacies and Leaders Award

The Chicago architect graduated from the school and created a scholarship for aspiring architects.

Architects | Mar 31, 2016

Zaha Hadid dies at 65

Often credited as being a pioneer for women architects for her work in a male-dominated field, Hadid had designs commissioned around the world from London to Hong Kong to Cincinnati.

Architects | Mar 31, 2016

Auto-shading windows and point-of-decision design are among the research projects to receive AIA funding grants

Firms represented by the projects and initiatives receiving grants include HKS, DO|SU Studio Architecture, and McClain + Yu Architecture and Design.

Hotel Facilities | Mar 30, 2016

The Usonian Inn, a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired motor lodge, is on the market for $665,000

The Usonian Inn proudly displays many Wright-inspired characteristics, the most prominent of which is the use of cantilevered overhangs.

Designers | Mar 30, 2016

A technical pen for the modern age

Morpholio’s new ScalePen feature dynamically sets line weight depending on the scale or zoom level of the drawing.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Reconstruction & Renovation

Movement to protect historic buildings raises sharp criticism

While the movement to preserve historic buildings has widespread support, it also has some sharp critics with well-funded opposition groups springing up in recent years. Some opponents are linked to the Stand Together Foundation, founded and bankrolled by the Koch family’s conservative philanthropic organization, according to a column in Governing magazine.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021