KU LEUVEN HEALTH HUMANITIES LECTURE SERIES:
Health and the Built Environment
'We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us’, or so Winston Churchill once said. For better or for worse, our constructed physical space – the so-called built environment – impacts on our behaviours, our social interactions, and our physical and mental health. The speakers of this year’s LCH² lecture series discuss various examples of the relationship between architectural space and human well-being, from across a range of health humanities, including architecture, literary and colonial history, sociology, and disability studies. In doing so, they will touch on themes as varied as the role of the corridor in hospital architecture, the connections between buildings and disabled bodies in science fiction movies, and the architectural evolution of retirement homes. Join us online and on campus, at KU Leuven, for a series of inspiring health humanities talks about the built environment.
Architectural Neuroimmunology: Examining the Impact of Architectural Form on Neurophysiological Activity
This talk is about architectural neuroimmunology. It examines how architectural forms influence neurophysiological stress responses and neuroinflammatory activity, focusing on the effects of visual exposure to design elements such as biophilic features and ornamentation in architectural facades. Using advanced methodologies—including functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), electroencephalography (EEG), computational analysis, and machine learning—this research quantifies the complex relationships between the built environment and neuroimmune function. The findings aim to inform evidence-based architectural practices that promote health and well-being. Additionally, the presentation explores the bioethical dimensions of integrating neuroarchitectural insights into professional practice and policy. By bridging together neuroscience, architecture, and bioethics, this research seeks to redefine the role of architectural design as an active, interdisciplinary contributor to human health.
Cleo Valentine
Cleo Valentine is a Vice Chancellor's Doctoral Scholar at the University of Cambridge, jointly supervised by the Department of Architecture and the Computational Neuroscience Group. Her research focuses on the impact of architectural form on neurophysiology. Cleo collaborates with Heatherwick Studio, is an affiliated researcher at UCL Spatial Cognition Lab and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Urban Studies and Planning, a visiting researcher at Cambridge Design Engineering Centre, and lectures on neuroscience and architecture at Politecnico di Milano. In 2025, she will undertake a fellowship at Harvard University to further her work on the built environment and human health.
