Cognitive science perspective of human performance in built environments

Abstract

Built environments are design of spaces for individual, group of individuals and groups of individuals' i.e. from private spaces to public spaces to perform respective activities efficiently and productively. Human performances range from routine and non-routine types of activities in day-today life. The routine activities are rest, major work (profession) and navigation which are essential in everyday activities. The non-routine activities on daily, weekly, monthly or yearly bases relate to, and which support the activities that are essential ones. Built environments ought to provide a range of comfort factors to perform these activities, failure of which would lead to discomfort and thereby affects health and wellbeing of the humans. The concepts and methodologies in Cognitive Science are becoming essential in design of built environments to improve performance of various activities to maintain good health and wellbeing of the people. This paper reviews the importance of cognitive science perspective in human performance in built environments and there by pave its significance as a special topic. In summary, we propose that the cognitive neuroscience concepts and methods could be a viable methodology for understanding the problems related to the built environments as well as how they need to be designed to make the human performance better.