Exploring the Science of Spatial Experience
ArchPsych is an independent editorial platform exploring the reciprocal relationship between people and place.
Drawing on architecture, psychology, behavioural science and related fields, it examines how buildings, environments and spatial experiences shape human behaviour, wellbeing and everyday life, and how people, in turn, shape the places they inhabit.
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Rooted in the UK tradition of architectural psychology, ArchPsych seeks to make ideas from environmental psychology, people-environment studies and evidence-informed design more accessible to architects, designers, researchers, students and anyone interested in the human experience of space.
Through articles, essays, interviews and original projects, the platform brings together perspectives that are often separated by disciplinary boundaries. Rather than promoting a single theory or methodology, it aims to provide a space for critical reflection and learning across the broad landscape of research concerned with people and place.
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The built environment is increasingly expected to respond to complex questions around wellbeing, behaviour, sustainability, performance, inclusion and quality of life. Addressing these challenges requires more than design intuition alone. It requires a deeper understanding of how people perceive, interpret and interact with their surroundings.
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ArchPsych exists to support contemporary interdisciplinary conversations on people-environment relationships. As the platform continues to evolve, it remains committed to thoughtful inquiry, intellectual curiosity and the responsible translation of research into practice.
Ben Edwards is an architectural designer turned environmental psychologist based in London. Far more fascinated by the myriad ways buildings affect us than the way they look guided him towards environmental psychology in 2020 and since towards an understanding of the sensitive and emotionally nourishing architecture we require.
Ben
Collaborator, Writer
Editorial Position & Topics
Environments influence people. People influence environments. Understanding that relationship remains the central concern of ArchPsych.
We approach the built environment as a meeting point between design, behaviour and lived experience. We value interdisciplinary thinking, methodological transparency and intellectual openness. We welcome multiple perspectives while maintaining a commitment to evidence, critical reflection and constructive dialogue.
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Interested in contributing?
We would love to hear from you!
Architectural & Environmental Psychology
Overarching focus for ArchPsych, exploring how physical environments influence human behaviour, experience and wellbeing. From homes and workplaces to cities and landscapes, this field examines the dynamic relationship between people and their surroundings.
Spatial Behaviour &
Environmental Affordances
Investigating how people perceive, navigate, occupy and interact with space. Examining how environments invite, enable or constrain particular actions and behaviours. This includes the everyday patterns of movement, use, social interaction and experience that emerge within the built environment rooted in contemporary behavioural science discourse and Gibsonian theory.
Neuroarchitecture &
Cognitive Approaches to Design
Exploring how cognition, perception, attention and emerging neuroscientific research contribute to our understanding of spatial experience. Considering both the potential and limitations of brain-based approaches to design.
Research Methods &
Design Inquiry
Investigating the tools and approaches used to study people and place. From observation and surveys to experimental and mixed-method research, this area focuses on how knowledge about environments is generated and applied.
Applied Design Research &
Evidence-Based Design
Examining how research, participation and user insights can inform design decisions. Moving beyond assumptions, this area considers how environments can better support human needs, activities and outcomes.
The History & Future of People–Environment Research
Tracing the development of ideas connecting psychology, behaviour and the built environment from the early 20th century to contemporary re-emergence. Reflecting on past traditions while exploring emerging directions for research, practice and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Environmental Aesthetics, Neuroaesthetics & Art
Exploring why certain environments are experienced as beautiful, engaging, restorative or memorable. Drawing on psychology, design and aesthetics to better understand human responses to the sensory qualities of place.
Place Attachment, Meaning & Human Experience
Understanding how places become meaningful through memory, culture, attachment and lived experience. Exploring the emotional and symbolic dimensions of the environments we inhabit.
Origins of ArchPsych
ArchPsych first took shape in October 2020 as a private cloud-based journal created by architect and behavioural scientist Archontia Manolakelli. The original intention was to organise and share material related to architectural and environmental psychology.
The project emerged from a growing interest in the relationship between architecture, psychology and human behaviour, and from a recognition that valuable knowledge often remains separated across professional and academic boundaries. While architecture has long been concerned with how environments support human activity and experience, much of the research relevant to those questions remains scattered across journals, books and disciplines that can be difficult to access from practice.
The site was made public in February 2022 with the aim of making architectural and environmental psychology more accessible to a wider audience. Initially established as an independent collection of articles and resources, it sought to connect ideas, evidence and perspectives from across the broad landscape of people–environment research.