Cambridge Cognitive Architecture | Department of Architecture

Cambridge Cognitive Architecture, led by Assistant Professor Dr. Michal Gath-Morad—an architect with a Ph.D. in cognitive science—spearheads transdisciplinary research fusing architectural design and cognitive science. Our mission is to decode how the architectural design of physical environments affects human cognition, behaviour and social dynamics.

We are dedicated to inspiring and empowering design stakeholders with human-centred, cognitively-grounded, and evidence-based design knowledge and tools. Our ultimate goal is to facilitate the creation of humane built environments that prioritise legibility, inclusivity, and well-being, all while examining how evidence-based tools influence design creativity, communication and outcomes in real-world design contexts.

Research at Cambridge Cognitive Architecture focuses on three main areas, centred around three interrelated research questions applied to designing a wide range of architectural settings, from healthcare environments and cruise ships to space stations and ultra-mixed-use urban spaces:

(1) The Impact of Design on Spatial Cognition: How does the architectural or urban design of physical built environments impact inhabitants’ cognition, behaviour, and social dynamics?
(2) Developing Evidence-Based Design Tools: How can empirical findings regarding cognition and behaviour be effectively integrated into architectural design practice to create evidence-empowered and human-centred built environments?
(3) The Impact of Evidence of Design Cognition: What happens when architects employ evidence-based design knowledge and tools? How does it affect design cognition, communication, and design outcomes.

We are currently recruiting MPhill, PhD students and Postdocs, Please see more information regarding funding opportunities on our website.