NeuroDesign Academy Integrates Neuroscience and Design for Well-Being

Furniture World News Desk on 9/17/2024

The newly launched NeuroDesign Academy is reshaping how design professionals approach their craft by combining neuroscience, design principles, and science-backed strategies to enhance well-being in built environments.

“NeuroDesign Academy is a new educational platform offering courses that are more than a learning experience—they are an investment in well-being,” said Linda Kafka, WELL AP and founder of the NeuroDesign Academy. The Academy will launch a series of micro-courses in November 2024, with expanded workshops and topics beginning in January 2025, focusing on designing for the non-conscious mind. The courses are based on studies showing that up to 80-90% of health outcomes are influenced by our homes and the built environment.

The Academy seeks to educate designers on the impact of design on human biology and well-being, as wellness real estate continues to grow. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the sector is projected to reach $580 billion in 2024.

“At NeuroDesign Academy, we champion the principle of ‘Form Follows Feeling,’ blending science, nature, beauty, and emotion to create spaces that resonate with individuals,” added Kafka. The Academy’s goal is to empower design professionals to apply neuroscience in their work, helping them create spaces that enhance emotional and cognitive responses.

The platform offers comprehensive, self-paced online courses for interior designers, architects, product designers, manufacturers, and even sales professionals. “Our brains and bodies are always interpreting the world around us, and the design of spaces impacts our biology,” said Susan Magsamen, Director of IAM Labs at Johns Hopkins University. “The opportunity to use this knowledge to create intentional spaces that support health and well-being is the future of design.”

NeuroDesign, a multidisciplinary field, studies how design elements affect emotional, cognitive, and physiological responses. By combining neuroscience, psychology, and design, the Academy teaches participants to go beyond aesthetics to create environments that positively influence human experiences. Dr. Colin Ellard, Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo, emphasized, “There are certain underlying principles of human biology and neuroscience that suggest how we ought to build and design.”

The courses cover topics such as biophilic design, which integrates natural elements into projects, and salutogenic design, which promotes holistic well-being. The Academy also addresses neurodiversity, encouraging designs that reflect individual needs rather than conforming to trends.

“More than ever, design professionals are turning to science to transform how we experience everyday spaces,” Kafka said. “Our mission is to educate the design community on creating environments that evoke positive emotions, reduce stress, and improve cognitive function.”

The NeuroDesign Academy’s curriculum focuses on the non-conscious effects of design elements such as sound, light, color, textures, and patterns. Its courses are designed to equip professionals with the knowledge to create spaces that enhance human health and well-being.

NeuroDesign Academy’s flagship course, Foundations in Science of Design, revised from its original 2022 version, provides certification and 18 CEU credits, including 10.5 Health Safety Welfare credits. Written by experts in neuroscience, environmental psychology, and cognitive architecture, the course sets a new industry standard for integrating science with design.

For more information or to enroll, visit NeuroDesign Academy at https://neurodesignacademy.com.

About NeuroDesign Academy
NeuroDesign Academy is an international online educational platform dedicated to bridging the gap between design and neuroscience. It offers foundational and micro-courses to professionals in the interior design sector, teaching the principles of neuroaesthetics and neurodesign and the physiological impact of environments. Through the concept of “Form Follows Feeling,” NeuroDesign Academy prepares designers to create beautiful, functional spaces that enhance human well-being. Established in 2019, our company focuses on supporting the trades as they navigate the competitive interior design sector, bringing easy to access information from the field of neurosciences.

About Linda Kafka, WELL AP
Linda Kafka, the driving force behind the NeuroDesign Academy and program creator.  Since 2009, she has been a trusted and valued educator, and advocate for residential interior design. She was instrumental in building and managing Canada's only trade design center, where she supported interior design professionals and emerging students through relevant programming.  

My journey in intertwining aesthetics and science took root in 2019 with the neuroaesthetic installation at Salone del Mobile, Milan, A Space for Being. This transformative experience ignited my dedication to enhancing the understanding of interior designers vital role by integrating scientific principles into education. I firmly believe in the power of design to improve health, and it is crucial that we redefine the value proposition of what YOU do in creating spaces that promote health and well-being. Linda invites design professionals and related industries to join her as we embark on a transformative journey that blends human focused science with interior design. Together, we can foster a world where design not only beautifies but also significantly enriches our lives.