For nearly a decade, HOK has led the conversation on neuroinclusive design, culminating in Kay Sargent’s Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces (Wiley, 2025). That work established that designing for the edges benefits everyone.

Neuroaesthetics is the study of how our brains respond to art, beauty and the built environment. Its findings show that our reactions to light, scale, pattern and material aren’t matters of taste. They’re a complex interplay of biology, culture and individual cognition. Because context and personal experience shift how a space is felt, designers must intentionally apply neuroaesthetic principles to consistently evoke a desired emotional response.

This edition of HOK Forward picks up where the book left off, exploring how that science can move our profession from intuitive design to biological intentionality. We want to design not just for how spaces look, but for how they make people feel.