Boring buildings
There could be more than an economic or nostalgic price to impersonal retail
and high-rise construction; boring architecture may take an emotional toll on the
people forced to live with it.
A A growing body of research in cognitive science illuminates the physical and
mental toll bland cityscapes take on residents. Generally, these researchers
argue that humans are healthier when they live surrounded by variety or work in
well-designed, unique spaces, rather than unattractive, generic ones. Urban
policy professor Justin Hollander and architect Ann Sussman review scientific
data to help architects and urban planners understand how, exactly, people
respond to their built surroundings, particularly at work. People, they argue,
function best in intricate settings, not "big, blank, boxy offices."
B Indeed, that's what Colin Nellard, a neuroscientist at the University of Waterloo
in Canada, has found in his work. Five years ago, Nellard became interested in a
certain building – the gigantic Whole Foods Market "plopped into" a notoriously
textured part of lower Manhattan in New York. Nellard partnered with the
Guggenheim Museum to analyze what happens when someone walks out of a
tiny neighborhood restaurant and encounters a full city block with nothing but
"the long, blank facade of the Whole Foods Market" building.
In 2011, Nellard led small groups on Lower East Side walks to measure the effect
of the urban environment on them. Participants recorded their response to
questions at each stopping point and wore sensors that measured skin
conductance, a response to emotional excitement. Passing the monolithic Whole
Foods Market, people’s state of arousal plummeted. Physiologically, Nellard
explained, they were bored. To describe this place, they used words like "bland"
and "passionless." In contrast, one block east at the other test site – a "lively sea
of restaurants with lots of open doors and windows" – people measured high
levels of excitement, and they listed words like "lively" and "socializing." Nellard
explains that the main objective of urban design should be to produce some kind
of novelty or change every few seconds; otherwise, we become cognitively
disengaged.
C The trick, it seems, is to design a world that excites but doesn’t overload our
faculties with a constant barrage of information. "We are, as animals,
programmed to respond to thrill," said professor Brendan Walker. In Walker’s
"thrill laboratory" at the University of Nottingham in the UK, devices measure
heart rate and skin conductance to see how people respond to adrenaline-
producing experiences such as a roller-coaster ride. A thrilling encounter moves
us quickly from a state of equilibrium to a desirable "disorientation." "Humans
want a certain element of turmoil or confusion," he said. "Complexity is thrilling
whether in an amusement park or architecture."
D Psychologists have found that awe-inspiring moments can potentially improve
our well-being. One study conducted by Melanie Rudd, Kathleen Vohs, and
Jennifer Aaker of Stanford University in the US showed that the feeling of "awe"
can make people more patient and less materialistic. In an experiment, the
researchers showed students 60-second clips of waterfalls, whales, or astronauts
in space. After only a minute of virtual images, those who said they were awed
also felt less pressed for time. And in another variation, people made
hypothetical choices between physical and experiential goods of equal monetary
value. Those who had just "felt awe" were more likely to choose an experience
over a possession, a choice that is linked with greater satisfaction in the long
run. In other words, a visual buzz – whether architectural or natural – might have
the ability to change our frame of mind, making modern-day life more satisfying
and interactive.
E It’s important to note, however, that architectural boredom isn’t about how
pristine a street is. People often confuse successful architecture with whether an
area looks pleasant. On the contrary, when it comes to city buildings, people
often focus too narrowly on aesthetics, said Charles Montgomery, author of
Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design. Some of the happiest
blocks in New York City, he argues, are "kind of ugly and messy."
In 2014, Montgomery’s Happy City lab conducted an experiment in which he
found a strong correlation between messier blocks and pro-social behavior.
Montgomery sent researchers, posing as lost tourists, to places he coded as
either "active" or "inactive" facades. He concluded that the former had a high
level of interest, that is they were messy, while the latter had no special features
such as long warehouse blocks. Pedestrians at active sites were nearly five times
more likely to offer assistance than at inactive ones. Of those who assisted,
seven times as many at the active site offered use of their phone.
F Fortunately, it’s not necessarily a dichotomy – new architecture can achieve
the optimal level of cacophony and beauty. Take the 2006 Hearst Tower in
midtown Manhattan. Designed by architect Norman Foster, Hearst Tower is a
glass-and-steel skyscraper, 40 stories of which are designed in a triangular
pattern, differing in style from the 1920s Art Deco base. From the outside, the
facade jolts city dwellers from their daily commutes, while energizing employees
who enter it each morning. For many who walk by, Hearst Tower’s design may
not be the easiest to understand; it’s both sleek and old. The top looks like it
travelled from the future. Inside, workers travel upon diagonal escalators, up a
three-story water sculpture, through the tower’s historic atrium, flooded with
light. Few New Yorkers who pass by would find this building boring. And they’re
likely to be happier – maybe even nicer to each other – because of it.
Questions 1-5
Reading Passage 2 has six sections, A-F.
Which section contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
NB you may use any letters more than once.
1. A description of a building that has a positive effect.
2. A reference to architecture affecting people's performance in their jobs.
3. Examples of the intensity of people's reactions in two urban settings.
4. Details of a study where seeing certain pictures reduced people's stress.
5. A claim about feelings experienced in response to both architecture and
leisure settings.
Questions 6-10
Look at the following statements (Questions 6-10) and the list of researchers
below.
Match each statement with the correct researcher, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 6-10 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
List of
Researchers
A Colin N Nellard
B Brendan Walker
C Rudd, Vohs and
Aaker
D Charles
Montgomery
6. The aim of good city planning is to provide variety in architecture.
7. People in untidy areas were more helpful.
8. People who had recently felt amazed placed less importance on material
goods.
9. Attractive' places are not necessarily the most enjoyable places to be.
[Link] particular building failed to provide visual stimulation.
Questions 11-13
Complete the summary below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for
each answer. Write your answers in boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet.
Hearst Tower
Norman Foster's Hearst Tower was built in 2006. The 40-storey modern
triangular-patterned building is made of glass and steel, contrasting with the
base which is in the style of the 1920s. The sight of the building's 11.
has a striking impact on commuters and employees. Some passers-
by may find the building's design confusing, as it mixes old and new elements.
Inside the tower, 12. carry employees up past a large water
sculpture in the light-filled 13. .
