ann sussman

"Sussman and Hollander have delivered a major advance in the creative union of human biology and architecture in the service of happiness." - Edward O. Wilson, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University

Ann Sussman is interested in how buildings influence our behavior. Her books, including Cognitive Architecture and Urban Experience + Design, written with Justin B. Hollander, reveal the unconscious tendencies at work when we navigate the world around us. These ‘hidden’ predispositions reflect our long evolutionary trip per recent research in psychology and neuroscience, and can help explain why we favor certain urban conditions and building configurations and shun others. Understanding ourselves better, Sussman believes, can lead us to build more humanely and ultimately, more successfully for people.