nutopia

My current interest in the dematerialization of architecture began with a four year experiment on manipulating atmospherics in the workplace to maximise innovation and creativity. (Glancey, 2000) Nutopia’s ‘office of the future’ was certainly not unique in promoting architecture as a source for neural stimulation however it was groundbreaking in suggesting design could improve cognitive performance simply by installing a multi-refracting interior of spatial complexity. De-ionizing salt water tanks, ultrasonic soundtracks, low lighting and aromatics transformed the windowless space into a stress free creative hotspot. EEG systems supported the hypothesis of increased theta activity (brain waves attributed to creative thought) together with real-time data visualization.

Neural feedback, tracking systems and real-time data visualization tools were used to support the hypothesis of increased theta activity (brain waves attributed to dreaming and creative thought).