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Gehry Auditorium
On May 11, 2023, neuroscientist Colin Ellard took us on a journey back to his childhood visit to Stonehenge, where he felt an overwhelming sense of awe and anticipation. This experience ignited his exploration of how architecture can stir emotions. Ellard shared fascinating examples, like Bernini's Baldacchino in St. Peter's Cathedral, conveying suffering, and Frank Gehry's playful designs with their curvy, organic forms.
The event took place at the Novartis Campus, where new work models have been pioneered for the past two decades. With debates about the future of the workplace taking center stage across the globe, it is more important than ever to consider the impact of architecture on human psychology and behavior, and how buildings can inspire us to achieve great things.
Biography
Colin Ellard is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Waterloo and director of its Urban Realities Laboratory, working at the intersection of urban design and experimental psychology. A practising scientist and sought-after international lecturer, Ellard also works in collaboration and partnership with architects, museum curators and NGO representatives to enrich the public debate about the importance of the built environment. His most recent book is Places of the Heart (Bellevue Literary Press, 2015).