Casa Milà as a Sensory Laboratory

A Neuroarchitectural Approach to Gaudí’s Modernism

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62161/sauc.v12.6133

Keywords:

Neuroarchitecture, Gaudí, Casa Milà, Spatial complexity, Multisensory perception, Urban creativity, Cognitive-emotional response

Abstract

This article presents a neuroarchitectural methodological framework to analyze Antoni Gaudí’s architecture, focusing on Casa Milà (La Pedrera) as a multisensory environment. The research explores how spatial and formal complexity, light, and texture influence perception, memory, and emotion, integrating neurophysiological, behavioral, and subjective measures. An immersive experimental design is proposed to correlate architectural variables with brain and physiological responses, assessing spatial experience as a bodily and symbolic process. By positioning Gaudí’s work at the intersection of art and science, the study builds a bridge between architectural representation, cognition, and sensory urban experience. This approach offers a novel perspective to understand architecture as a neurocultural form of creativity, where aesthetic and spatial complexity engage the nervous system and shape the emotional and mnemonic dimensions of human-environment interaction.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Global Statistics ℹ️

Cumulative totals since publication
0
Views
0
Downloads
0
Total
Downloads by format:
PDF (Español (España)) 0 PDF 0

Author Biography

Maria Beltran Rodriguez, UDIT, Universidad de Diseño, Innovación y Tecnología

María Beltrán Rodríguez (PhD) is Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at UDIT (University of Design, Innovation and Technology, Madrid). She directs (Principal Investigator) the research group NEURO_CoLab: Co-Lab of Neuro-creativity, where she researches neuroarchitecture and emotional-cognitive responses to space through EEG, GSR, and eye-tracking. Her work bridges neuroscience, design, and urban studies to promote inclusive, creative, and health-enhancing environments.
ORCID: 0000-0002-6319-6034

References

Abbas, S., Okdeh, N., Roufayel, R., Kovacic, H., Sabatier, J.-M., Fajloun, Z., & Abi Khattar, Z. (2024). Neuroarchitecture: How the Perception of Our Surroundings Impacts the Brain. Biology, 13(4), 220. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13040220

Altamura, M., Iuso, S., Balzotti, A., Francavilla, G., Dimitri, A., Cibelli, G., Bellomo, A., & Petito, A. (2018). Salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol responsiveness to stress in first episode, drug-naïve patients with panic disorder. Neuroscience Research, 137, 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neures.2018.03.003

Azzazy, S., Ghaffarianhoseini, A., GhaffarianHoseini, A., Naismith, N., & Doborjeh, Z. (2020). A critical review on the impact of built environment on users’ measured brain activity. Architectural Science Review, 64(4), 319–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/00038628.2020.1749980

Berlyne, D. E. (1971). Aesthetics and psychobiology. Appleton-Century-Crofts.

Blázquez, J. L. (2023, 13 de abril). Disseny biofílic i neuroarquitectura a la Casa Vicens de Gaudí. Josep Lluís Blázquez entrevista a Ana Mombiedro y Alba Méndez [Emisión de radio]. Perspectiva. https://www.3cat.cat/3cat/disseny-biofilic-i-neuroarquitectura-a-la-casa-vicens-de-gaudi-amb-ana-mombiedro-i-alba-mendez/audio/1168647

Bolli, A. (2016). Gaudí – A legacy of craft. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 40(1), 56–67. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301500764_Gaudi_-_A_Legacy_of_Craft

Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (1994). Measuring emotion: The self-assessment manikin and the semantic differential. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 25(1), 49–59.

Casa Vicens. (2023). Taller de Ana Mombiedro y Alba Méndez. Casa Vicens Barcelona.

Condia, B., Arbib, M., Ellard, C., Chamberlain, B., & Rooney, K. (2020). Meaning in Architecture: Affordances, Atmosphere and Mood.

Cook, R., & Furnham, A. (2012). Personality and aesthetic preferences. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 6(3), 257–266.

Dehghani Tafti, M., Ahmadzad-Asl, M., Memarian, G., Fallah Tafti, M., Rajimehr, R., Soltani, S., Mirfazeli, F. S., Vahabie, A.-H., Moein, S. T., & Mozaffar, F. (2024). Personality traits can predict architectural preferences: A machine learning approach. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 18(5), 750–761. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000519

Dosde Publishing. (2023). La Pedrera. El último proyecto residencial de Antoni Gaudí. Dosde Publishing.

Eberhard, J. P. (2009). Brain Landscape: The Coexistence of Neuroscience and Architecture. Oxford University Press.

Ellard, C. (2015). Places of the Heart: The Psychogeography of Everyday Life. Bellevue Literary Press.

Farrow, T. (2024). Constructing Health: How the Built Environment Enhances Your Mind’s Health. University of Toronto Press

Freixa Serra, M. (2020). Dibujos, proyectos y maquetas. En Artika (Ed.), Gaudí en primer plano (pp. 161–239). Artika.

Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera. (s. f.). Historia de la Casa Milà. La Pedrera – Casa Milà. https://www.lapedrera.com/es/casa-mila/historia

Gibson, J. J. (1979). The ecological approach to visual perception. Houghton Mifflin.

Gregorians, L., Fernández Velasco, P., Zisch, F., & Spiers, H. J. (2022). Architectural experience: Clarifying its central components and their relation to core affect with a set of first-person-view videos. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101841

Hill, D. (2018, 9 de julio). The “bland-demic”: Global homogenisation and the end of distinctiveness. CityLab. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-09/the-bland-demic-of-global-architecture

Johnson, J. M., & Kellogg, D. L. Jr. (1985). Local thermal control of the human cutaneous circulation. Journal of Applied Physiology, 109(4), 1229–1238. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00407.2010

Makanadar, A. (2024). Neuro-adaptive architecture: Buildings and city design that respond to human emotions and cognitive states. Research in Globalization, 8, 100222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resglo.2024.100222

Meirelles, F., Mendes, P., & Pereira, J. (2019). Geometric shape, structure and material in Antoni Gaudí’s work. Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 13(11), 595–604. https://www.davidpublisher.com/Public/uploads/Contribute/5dd4f7aa863ac.pdf

Mirkia, H., Nelson, M. S., Abercrombie, H. C., Thorleifsdottir, K., Sangari, A., & Assadi, A. (2022). Recognition Memory for Interior Spaces with Biomorphic or Non–Biomorphic Interior Architectural Elements. Journal of Interior Design, 47(3), 47-66. https://doi.org/10.1111/joid.12224

Nasir, O., Akhtar, W., Iqbal, M. F., & Kamal, M. A. (2022). Analyzing the architecture of Antonio Gaudí with reference to Art Nouveau style: An inspiration from nature. Architecture Engineering and Science, 3(4), 309–319. https://doi.org/10.32629/aes.v3i4.1100

Negami, H. R., & Ellard, C. G. (2023). How architecture evokes awe: Predicting awe through architectural features of building interiors. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 17(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000394

Pallasmaa, J. (2005). The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses (2nd ed., illustrated). Wiley-Academy.

Passarelli, M., Masini, M., Bracco, F., Petrosino, M., & Chiorri, C. (2018). Development and validation of the Facial Expression Recognition Test (FERT). Psychological Assessment, 30(11), 1479–1490. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000595

Pinti, P., Tachtsidis, I., Hamilton, A., Hirsch, J., Aichelburg, C., Gilbert, S., & Burgess, P. W. (2020). The present and future use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for cognitive neuroscience. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1464(1), 5–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13948

Robinson, S., & Pallasmaa, J. (2015). Mind in Architecture: Neuroscience, Embodiment, and the Future of Design. MIT Press.

Sharpe, C., Beltrán Rodríguez, M., Pichel, M. & Josa, M. (2024). Memory and space: Rethinking lecture hall design through the principles of neuroarchitecture. En Actas del Congreso Internacional de Diseño, Innovación y Nuevas Tecnologías (CIDiNova 2024). https://cidinova.org/ponencia/memory-and-space-rethinking-lecture-hall-design-through-the-principles-of-neuroarchitecture/

Srikantharajah, J., & Ellard, C. (2025). The physiological and psychological impact of boring buildings: Field studies of the effects of architectural façade complexity.

Tawil, N., & Kühn, S. (2024). The built environment and the brain: Review of emerging methods to investigate the impact of viewing architectural design. En B. Leupen, C. Grafe, N. Künig, M. Lampe, & P. de Zeeuw (Eds.), Environmental Neuroscience (pp. 169–226). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-64699-7_9

Vartanian, O., Navarrete, G., Palumbo, L., & Chatterjee, A. (2021). Individual differences in preference for architectural interiors. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 77, 101668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101668

Published

2026-04-24

How to Cite

Beltran Rodriguez, M., Sharpe, C., Martínez González, A., & Caldelas , I. (2026). Casa Milà as a Sensory Laboratory: A Neuroarchitectural Approach to Gaudí’s Modernism. Street Art & Urban Creativity, 12(2), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.62161/sauc.v12.6133