A U.S architectural firm based in Ontario California called HMC announced recently plans to work with neuroscientists to examine ways in which natural surroundings and healthy outdoors lighting can be incorporated into the design of hospitals, which ultimately help patients  heal faster.

The idea behind the project is to identify which elements in the surrounding that might have an impact on patients that would improve their health. The firm confirmed that they will be working with a team of neuroscientists form the University of California-San Diego, citing recent studies showing building design, color and lighting effect patient health.

“Neuroscience provides a means for us to measure how the brain, body and building interact,” said Dr. Eve Edelstein, a UCSD neurologist and senior vice president at HMC. “Neuroscience gives us the tools to understand how the engagement of our senses in architectural space influences our emotions, behavior and health itself.”

A high tech devise called StarCave designed and developed by UCSD is going to be used to measure brain response to simulated building designs. “We’ve synchronized the technology in the cave so that we can record a person’s brain waves at the same time they’re moving about in a simulated architectural environment,” Edelstein said. “So with this technology, we can test out architectural designs without having to build them. We can test which features work and which features don’t work by measuring the influence of architectural features on mental and physical function.”