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BioCognitive Architectural Design
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BioCognitive Architectural Design

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Design, Urban Science, and Real Estate".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2135

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Michal Gath-Morad

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Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PX, UK
Interests: BioCognitive Architectural Design; spatial cognition; wayfinding; neuroarchitecture; evidence-based design; human–building interaction; agent-based modeling; psychophysics; virtual reality; responsive environments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Koen Steemers

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PX, UK
Interests: sustainable buildings; sustainable and circular cities; architecture and wellbeing; behavior and building performance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Cleo Valentine

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PX, UK
Interests: architectural health; architecture; built environment; urban planning; theory of architecture; architectural history; urban development; neuroaesthetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the Special Issue “BioCognitive Architectural Design” in the journal Buildings. This issue introduces BioCognitive Architectural Design (BCAD) as a new interdisciplinary framework that integrates biological and cognitive insights with architectural practice. BCAD emphasizes how environments shape cognitive and behavioral outcomes, focusing on wayfinding, decision making, social interaction, and adaptation to human needs.

As architecture faces challenges like urbanization, resource scarcity, and the demand for sustainability, BCAD bridges science and design to create environments that enhance human performance and interaction. This Special Issue invites empirical studies, theoretical contributions, and practical innovations that explore BCAD in diverse settings such as healthcare, workplaces, public spaces, and extreme environments like space stations and polar research stations.

Submissions may include the following:

  • Research examining spatial cognition and behavior in architectural contexts.
  • Design tools and methodologies translating scientific insights into practice.
  • Critical reflections on the application of BCAD to improve health, productivity, or organizational outcomes.
  • Case studies demonstrating BCAD principles in real-world settings.

We encourage interdisciplinary collaborations and contributions that advance the scientific and practical understanding of BioCognitive Architectural Design.

Dr. Michal Gath-Morad
Prof. Dr. Koen Steemers
Guest Editors

Cleo Valentine
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • BioCognitive Architectural Design
  • spatial cognition
  • wayfinding
  • human–building interaction
  • adaptive architecture
  • neuroscience in design
  • NeuroArchitecture
  • evidence-based architectural design
  • responsive environments
  • cognitive behaviors in architecture
  • generative design

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 28668 KB  
Article
Generative AI for Architectural Façade Design: Measuring Perceptual Alignment Across Geographical, Objective, and Affective Descriptors
by Stephen Law, Cleo Valentine, Yuval Kahlon, Chanuki Illushka Seresinhe, Jason Tang, Michal Gath Morad and Haruyuki Fujii
Buildings 2025, 15(17), 3212; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15173212 - 5 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1011
Abstract
Generative AI is increasingly applied in architectural research, from automated ideation and reshaping design workflows to design education. Despite the increasing realism of synthetic imagery, several research gaps remain including alignment, plausibility, explainability, and control. This study focuses on alignment with human perceptions, [...] Read more.
Generative AI is increasingly applied in architectural research, from automated ideation and reshaping design workflows to design education. Despite the increasing realism of synthetic imagery, several research gaps remain including alignment, plausibility, explainability, and control. This study focuses on alignment with human perceptions, specifically examining how synthetic architectural façade imagery aligns with geographical, objective, and affective text descriptors. We propose a pipeline that applies a Latent Diffusion Model to generate façade images and then evaluate this alignment through both AI-based and human-based evaluations. The results reveal that while images generated with geographical prompts are notably aligned, they also show clear biases. The results also reveal that images synthesised from objective descriptors (e.g., angular/curvy) are more aligned with human perceptions than affective descriptors (e.g., utopian/dystopian). These initial results highlight the opportunities and limits of current generative AI models, hinting at data biases and the potential lack of embodied understanding to grasp the complexity in experiencing architecture. Limitations of the study remain. Future work can expand on exploring cultural biases and semantic overlaps, and in testing more advanced embodied AI models and methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue BioCognitive Architectural Design)
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