2026/02/03 by Ji-Yeon Kim, Sung-Jun Park · 1 voice
Engineering · Environmental Science · Neuroscience · #Tactile and Sensory Interactions #Urban Design and Spatial Analysis #Urban Green Space and Health
paper · pdf · doi:10.3390/s26030985
openalex publication_date 2026/02/03 · openalex created_date 2026/02/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
In contemporary educational spaces, circulation spaces such as corridors and stairwells are central to students' daily experience, yet their capacity to serve as therapeutic environments remains underexplored. This study quantitatively evaluated the physiological and neurocognitive impacts of Biophilic Design (BD) in these circulation spaces. Thirty university students experienced immersive virtual scenarios of corridors and stairwells that integrated four BD elements-weather & view, plants & landscape, material & texture, and forms & shapes-while prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity and stress responses were simultaneously captured using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR). Results showed that BD conditions produced significantly greater stress reduction, reflected in lower GSR, compared with non-BD conditions. fNIRS analyses further indicated enhanced PFC activation, with spatially differentiated patterns that varied by circulation space type and by specific BD elements. Collectively, these findings offer empirical neurophysiological evidence that applying BD to educational circulation spaces can mitigate stress and foster psychological stability, thereby providing a robust basis for evidence-based strategies to create healthier, cognitively supportive learning environments.