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

Architects | Mar 30, 2015

Q+A with Arthur Gensler, and advice from his new book

"Designers need to be trained to solve their clients’ problems through design while leading their own firms to become sustainable practices," says Gensler. 

Structural Materials | Mar 30, 2015

12 projects earn structural steel industry's top building award

Calatrava's soaring Innovation Science and Technology Building at Florida Polytechnic University is among the 12 projects honored by the American Institute of Steel Construction in the 2015 IDEAS² awards competition. 

Cultural Facilities | Mar 30, 2015

Designs released for new entertainment center in Lubbock, Texas

Amenities of the facility include a performance venue that seats 2,220, a smaller one that seats 425, a 6,000-sf multipurpose room, and a bistro café.

Multifamily Housing | Mar 27, 2015

Bathroom fixtures get a starchitect makeover by Bjarke Ingels

This Danish starchitect elevates the toilet paper holder (and other bathroom accessories).

Architects | Mar 27, 2015

Illustrator Federico Babina explores architecture as animals

When you pay attention, the Eiffel Tower really does look like a giraffe.

Transit Facilities | Mar 25, 2015

Kengo Kuma selected to design new Paris Metro station

The new station will serve as a hub to connect Paris' northern suburbs with the core.

Green | Mar 25, 2015

WELL Building Standard introduced in China

The WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features that impact human health and wellbeing, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.

High-rise Construction | Mar 24, 2015

Timber high-rise residential complex will tower over Stockholm waterfront

The four towers, 20 stories each, will be made entirely out of Swedish pine, from frame to façade.

Higher Education | Mar 23, 2015

Hong Kong university building will feature bioclimatic façade

The project's twin-tower design opens the campus up to the neighboring public green space, while maximizing the use of summer winds for natural ventilation.

Religious Facilities | Mar 23, 2015

Is nothing sacred? Seattle church to become a restaurant and ballroom

A Seattle-based real estate developer plans to convert a historic downtown building, which for more than a century has served as a church sanctuary, into a restaurant with ballroom space.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Museums

The Tampa Museum of Art will soon undergo a $110 million expansion

In Tampa, Fla., the Tampa Museum of Art will soon undergo a 77,904-sf Centennial Expansion project. The museum plans to reach its $110 million fundraising goal by late 2024 or early 2025 and then break ground. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi, and with construction manager The Beck Group, the expansion will redefine the museum’s surrounding site.



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