Can the future be shaped by spaces?
NEUROARQ was born where science meets human sensitivity. It comes from the belief that architecture needs to look at human beings more deeply again, because architecture takes an active part in the lives of people and of society.
And the challenges of our time call for spaces that can respond to the tensions of contemporary life. Mental health, aging, new ways of working, changing cities, the climate crisis and quality of life all depend, in different ways, on the relationship between body, brain and environment.
We believe the future can be shaped by the spaces we build and by the way they affect people's lives.
That is why we exist.
To strengthen neuroarchitecture in Brazil with depth, science and commitment. And to train professionals who can bring more well-being, more quality of life and more meaning to the world we are designing.
From the start, our network has grown through welcome, exchange and connection between people who share the wish to understand human beings better and design with more intention.
We believe in a more human architecture because we believe in a more human future. And when people return to the center, architecture finds a new path too.
Two architects, a conference and a certification.
In 2018, Gabi Sartori was starting her studies in neuroscience applied to architecture and went with Priscilla Bencke, who had already been researching the subject for a few years, to the conference of ANFA, the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture. That is where the two found they shared the same values and decided to act.
Both completed the NewSchool course in neuroscience applied to architecture in San Diego (Priscilla in 2018, Gabi in 2019) and returned to Brazil with an international certification in the field.
NEUROARQ® was born in August 2019, with Brazil's first neuroarchitecture conference. The country's first continuing education program on the subject followed that same year.
We really connected over our values, over a very genuine feeling of: my God, this content is incredible, other professionals need to know about this, people in Brazil need to know about this.
The gap that gave rise to the method.
In our training there, we didn't get any direction, any path, any basics like: look, this is how you apply neuroscience, this is how you apply psychology in a project. That didn't exist. What we got were loose pieces of knowledge that often didn't speak to each other.
In the programs they took in the United States, the two found plenty of knowledge and no path to apply it.
Back in Brazil, with their own studio and projects underway, they began building what they hadn't been given: a method that connects scientific evidence to design decisions. The starting point was their own practice, and the context was different.
“What we saw of how it was applied in the United States didn't work for the Brazilian context.”
In 2021 came the proprietary tools, EAPA® and EAMME®, which turned the method into a design instrument.
The journey, in milestones.
- The ANFA conferenceGabi Sartori and Priscilla Bencke attend the conference of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture together.
- 2018 and 2019International certification at NewSchoolBoth complete the NewSchool course in neuroscience applied to architecture in San Diego: Priscilla in 2018, Gabi in 2019.
- NEUROARQ® is bornWith Brazil's first neuroarchitecture conference and the country's first continuing education program on the subject.
- The method takes shapeDeveloped from the design practice of the founders' studio and from the Brazilian context.
- EAPA® and EAMME® arriveThe proprietary tools that apply the method to projects.
- Ambientes que InspiramPublished in 2023, the bestseller Ambientes que Inspiram (Spaces that Inspire) connects architecture and neuroscience with a scientific basis and practical examples. Written by architects Gabi Sartori and Priscilla Bencke, the book brings together the whole NEUROARQ® methodology.
The founders
Gabi Sartori
Co-founder
Neuroarchitecture | Person-environment experience | Childhood | Education
Architect and urban planner, master's candidate in Architecture, Technology and City at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), internationally certified in Neuroscience and Architecture, Design and Urbanism by NewSchool (USA). She also holds a degree in Social Communication and is a specialist in Commercial Architecture, Neuroscience and Child Development. Co-founder of the Brazilian Academy of Neuroscience and Architecture (NEUROARQ® Academy), where she leads the institution's academic and educational project, including the MBA in Neuroarchitecture. Author of the best-seller Ambientes que Inspiram (Editora Gente), she works as a speaker and consultant in Neuroscience and Architecture, with several media publications and experience in scenographic and architectural projects.
- Childhood and development
- Person-environment experience
- Learning and educational spaces
- Emotional memory and space
- Neurodiversity and inclusive spaces
Priscilla Bencke
Co-founder
Corporate spaces | Mental health | Career and productivity
Architect and urban planner. Co-founder of the Brazilian Academy of Neuroscience and Architecture (NEUROARQ® Academy), internationally certified in Neuroscience and Architecture, Design and Urbanism by NewSchool (USA). A specialist in Neuroscience and Behavior and in Interior Architecture, she holds certifications in Mental Health in Organizations (Hospital Albert Einstein) and Positive Psychotherapy (Núcleo de Psicologia Positiva). International office quality consultant (Quality Office Consultant – Germany) and founder of Qualidade Corporativa® Smart Workplaces. Author of the best-seller Ambientes que Inspiram (Editora Gente), she works as a speaker and mentor to Architecture and Design professionals, guiding journeys of positioning, authority building and professional growth. She is a reference in Neuroscience and Architecture, with several media publications and an appearance as a TEDx Speaker.
- Corporate spaces and productivity
- Mental health and well-being at work
- The future of workplaces
- Career and positioning for architects
The academy in numbers.
- community members
- 563+
- students
- 753+
- people reached by NEUROARQ® initiatives
- 12.000+
- years of work
- 7+
- NEUROARQ® DAY editions
- 5
- active licenses for the EAPA® and EAMME® tools
- 643+