Empathic response in office space. The notion of embodied simulation in corporate interiors

Abstract

The main subject of this dissertation is the reciprocal relationship between buildings and their users. It describes the empathic response to architectural settings and frames the notion of embodied simulation and its implications for office design. The field of research is limited to office environments for two fundamental reasons: first, the number of physical variables is limited especially with regard to the interior scenery; second, its performative nature entails description and measurement. The research is theoretical and incorporates evidence-based research from the varied disciplines of architecture and cognitive neuroscience. The first part of the dissertation defines the notion of empathic response to architectural space through the illustration and interpretation of some of the major theories and theoretical positions proposed since the end of the 19th century. These were collected in three different categories, each representative of the contemporary architectural and philosophical debates. This part concludes with an original interpretation of the subject. The second part of the dissertation describes the typological evolution of corporate office buildings in modern history with regard to their most representative models and examples in Europe and North America. These were collected within three different categories that characterized and defined the configuration of such spaces. The third part of the dissertation frames the notion of embodied simulation within office interiors, and concludes that they are inseparably tied to their users by means of embodied simulation, which in fact defines their relationship with space itself. The research introduces neuroscientific evidence according to which the experience of architecture is based on a complex relationship between the body, its motor system, and architectural space.