Design principles for intuitive navigation, cognitive mapping, and reducing spatial anxiety in research environments.
Wayfinding is not merely about signage; it is a fundamental cognitive process rooted in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. When we navigate, our brains are actively constructing and updating a "cognitive map" of our environment.
Discovered by O'Keefe, Moser, and Moser (Nobel Prize 2014), these neurons provide the brain's internal GPS. Place cells fire when we are in a specific location, while grid cells fire at regular intervals to create a coordinate system.
These function like a compass, firing when we face a specific direction, independent of our location.
Design Implication: Environments that lack distinct features or have repetitive, uniform corridors can cause "remapping" failures, leading to disorientation and stress (e.g., Volker Hall basement). A research facility must provide distinct environmental cues to anchor these neural representations.
"A good building is not one where you don't get lost, but one where you don't feel anxious about getting lost." — "Gemini Lloyd Wright"
Navigational decisions require working memory. Use these strategies to reduce cognitive load:
Kevin Lynch's seminal work, The Image of the City (1960), defined five elements that make an environment legible (note: the linked scan contains multiple typographical errors). These scale down perfectly from cities to complex clinical and research buildings:
The foundational text on legibility and wayfinding. Essential reading for understanding "mental maps."
Wayfinding: People, Signs, and ArchitectureDefines "spatial problem solving" and provides practical frameworks for complex buildings.
Hippocampal and Entorhinal Navigation StrategiesReview of the neuroscience behind spatial memory and navigation.