Diffusion of Innovation: Neuroscience & Architecture from Pedagogy to Practice

Introducing instructional strategies for linking neuroscience and architecture resulted in willingness by students in several postsecondary architecture programs to consider these principles in their own work. Post-course discussions and surveys indicated that learning in the context of a neuro-architectural conceptual framework and using universal design objectives offered opportunities for students to think and create their designs in a more comprehensive way that incorporated sensory processing, space perception, and cognition. Using the diffusion of innovation as a model to examine how individuals and organizations begin to practice in new ways offers a lens for examining change and building a community of practice.