For nearly a decade, HOK has helped lead 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 shape how a space is experienced.

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 for how spaces make people feel, not just for how they look. The chapters ahead make the case that design is not neutral, and the spaces we create impact the people inside them.

What We Do

HOK’s approach to neuroaesthetic design is based on our experience as designers and architects. Our focus is to provide our clients with a wide range of design options for their spaces to support the well-being of as many users as possible. However, we also understand that some individuals will have needs that cannot be addressed through design solutions alone.

The effectiveness of our design and consulting work is significantly influenced by the feedback and implementation of policies and processes developed by those with expertise in human resources, technology solutions and building operations. Working together, we all strive to provide options for spaces that better support the people who use them. However, it is important to note that we cannot assure any particular outcome for individual users.