Designing For: Beauty and the Brain (Season 2, Episode 4)

Designing For: Beauty and the Brain By: Janet Roche & Carolyn Robbins Co-Hosted By: Janet Roche & Dr. J. Davis Harte Edited by: Andrew Parrella Guest: Don Ruggles The ‘Neuroscience of Architecture’ can sound like a daunting subject to tackle, much less try to understand. Inclusive Designers Podcast interviews the forward-thinking architect Don Ruggles who explains this idea in an easy-to-understand way that will make you re-think everything you thought you knew about designing buildings. The question of ‘what is beauty anyway?’ inspired him to write his book ‘Beauty, Neuroscience & Architecture’ which then blossomed into a new Documentary, ‘Built Beautiful: A Love Story of Neuroscience and Architecture’.   Whether you are a professional architect, designer, or a student studying to become one, this will challenge your perception of beauty (and wellness) in relation to architecture. And even if you are not in the profession, IDP promises that you will come away from this interview with a new insight into how we see our towns, neighborhoods and homes. You’ll learn just what beauty is and why it can make us feel good when we see it. Guests: J. Davis Harte, PhD is an applied and theoretical designer, advisor and educator. Her career focus is on trauma-sensitive design in child-centered settings, merging the knowledge of trauma-informed practices with the latest on evidence-based design. The people who benefit from the spaces she informs are often misunderstood and marginalized. J. Davis Harte, PhD Don Ruggles, AIA, NCARB, ICAA, ANFA, is president of Ruggles Mabe Studio, a boutique architecture and interior design firm based in Colorado. The firm is dedicated to the idea that beauty can improve the lives of its clients. The film is predicated on his first book, “Beauty, Neuroscience & Architecture: Timeless Patterns & Their Impact on Our Well-Being,” which investigates how timeless forms and patterns in architecture and design affect our health and well-being. ~ Don Ruggles, AIA, Ruggles Mabe, Denver CO, @druggles “Beauty is free. Why wouldn’t we use it?”    ~ Piero Ferrucci (in Beauty and the Soul) – Documentary: “Built Beautiful, An Architecture & Neuroscience Love Story With Narration by Martha Stewart” suggests a new, urgent effort is needed to refocus the direction of design to include the quality of beauty as a fundamental, overarching theme in t...