Our research

Everything people do, they do in a physical environment. The physical environment shapes what we do, feel and think. Sometimes we are aware of this and seek out specific environmental opportunities to reap specific benefits, for instance, we may go for a walk in the park for exercise or relaxation.

People also shape their environment with their actions, sometimes intentionally (e.g., move a chair to sit closer to the table), sometimes unintentionally (cause air pollution when driving).

Research aims

Our research aims to understand when and how people interact with different types of environments and how these interactions affect both the quality of that environment and people’s own wellbeing.

As such our research examines both how people act towards the physical environment, as well as how they may act differently in different environments, and how the environment affect them – their thoughts, moods and behaviour. We study a broad range of environments from the home, to the workplace, the city to the global climate. However, most of our work falls within our following research themes:

  • The natural environment
  • Place and space
  • Sustainability.

Discover our research