Feel the Space: Pioneering Emotional Intelligence in Architecture

Our research at the University of Genoa, in collaboration with Accademia Mercantile di Genova, explores the synergy between neuroarchitecture and emotion recognition technologies. By integrating the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) and the Geneva Minimalistic Acoustic Parameter Set (GeMAPS) into a multimodal system, we provide ground-breaking insights into the emotional responses elicited by architectural designs. This approach is rooted in neuroarchitecture, where the objective is to craft spaces that go beyond aesthetics, actively enhancing occupant well-being through design informed by emotional data. The multimodal system we've developed is pivotal for architects seeking to align their work with the emotional and psychological experiences of users. FACS and GeMAPS allow us to map and analyse the often-subtle expressions and vocalisations that signify user reactions, delivering a nuanced understanding of their engagement with the environment. Such detailed emotional feedback is indispensable in refining architectural design to evoke specific affective responses. Our future endeavours aim to expand our system's capabilities through extended reality (XR). XR's immersive simulations promise to enhance our emotion recognition framework, providing more in-depth user experience insights. This will not only validate our current findings but also open new avenues for empathetic design processes. In sum, our work positions us at the cusp of a design revolution, where understanding and responding to human emotions through architecture can profoundly impact society's interaction with the built environment. The potential of our multimodal system in shaping the future of neuroarchitecture is immense, marking a paradigm shift towards more humane and responsive design practices.