MMM…yes. Where can I find such a place? 

If you, too, are in the London area and need to reduce sensory input for a while, in an airy space with high ceilings, try the top floor of Weldon Library at the University of Western Ontario. It’s super quiet, the ceilings are high, and you can sit there for free, surrounded by angled ceilings, skylight windows, plate glass overlooking the fringes of campus and grassy, undeveloped land. 

High-ceilinged spaces are good for you, says a study from the University of Minnesota. 

“Most of us spend a lot of time indoors - and that ceiling somewhere above our heads has a lot of influence on us psychologically.

We’re more creative in spaces with higher ceilings. All else being equal, people are more innovative in places with 10 foot ceilings than they are when the ceiling hovers 8 feet above the floor.

When the ceiling in a room we’re in is lower than about 9 feet, we start to feel crowded and want other people (except those we’re on really good terms with) to stay farther away from us. If we feel crowded or cramped we get stressed and distracted from whatever we’re trying to accomplish.”

Not that we needed a rigorous study to tell us why most offices suck, but…there it is. Full story here:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/people-places-and-things/201007/looking

On Mondays, I’m usually craving a clean (ideally clean-to-the-point-of-being-nearly-empty) space to work. So I’m headed up to the UnLab. Will post a picture or two of the work space there. The ceilings are high. It’s a great space in which to let your mind wander…so long as you’re careful to block out the occasional gurgling from the big black pipe with the giant green sticker marking its contents: “SANITARY”. :-)

Happy Monday, people.

unhappyhipsters:

At the harried week’s end, few things top a thorough retina-cleanse in isolation.

Photo: John Clark; Dwell)

1 year ago  /  115 notes  /  Source: unhappyhipsters