Evaluation of the Geometric Shape of windows in the Residential Houses with Neuroscience Approach

Today, residential buildings account for a wide range of urban landscape in a way that most people are exposed to it. Façade is the first and most influential part of the residential environment that establishes a close visual link with users and passers-by, on arrival or the time of passage. In addition to evoking pleasant feelings, it can affect the users’ health and vitality. The constituent elements of building facades affect behavioral and psychological methods and patterns of the environment users. Advances in technology and the emergence of tools to capture and record brain signals made neurology help designing and building in the area of architecture and urbanism and also understanding other sciences.The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the geometry and the percentage of windows in the facades of residential houses on the human brain when dealing with buildings; this purpose uses laboratory methods to record the brain signals using an electroencephalogram device when displaying the designed facades, so that we can design a facade compatible with the human brain and nervous system. In this study, to understand the brain activities of subjects when dealing with different windows and their effect on the activity of their brain signals, in the laboratory, using electroencephalogram device, brain activities of 10 male and female were recorded when displaying various windows; and finally, analyzing them with MATLAB and EEGLAB software, it was observed that the various windows have different effects on brain signals so that brain activity of windows with curved and orthorhombic lines show a significant difference with windows having steep angles such as triangular and sternum windows. For this purpose, the brain signals of 11 men (18 to 37 years old) and women (20 to 32 years old) were recorded by electroencephalography (64 channel electrodes) while showing the windows on the screen located in front of subjects (50 cm). It should be mentioned that the facades appeared on the screen were modeled with sketch up software. So, 24 facades were created and each facade was displayed 5 times to users The EEG signals were used in different frequency bands: delta (0.5-3 Hz), theta (3-7.5 Hz), alpha (7.5-13 Hz), beta (13-31 Hz), and gamma (31 -100 Hz) frequencies. Hence, The collected scores were used to analyze the electroencephalographic (EEG) signals for each behavioral dimension in the tetha, alpha by means of time-frequency analysis and topographic statistical maps have been produced. We also used a notch filter to remove eye-blinking artifacts and the 50 Hz noise, respectively. Finally, by analyzing the signals using the software, it was observed that different windows have different effects on brain signals so that activity of brain for windows having curved lines and rectangular shape shows a significant difference with brain activity while looking at windows that have sharp angles and zigzag like triangular windows. For example, in facades with combined openings, the combination of windows with square geometry with a 45% windows level is more unpleasant compared to the combination of square and arch windows.