The Subconscious Home

Project title: The Subconscious Home

Project duration: October 2023-ongoing 

Project leader: Sara Hayball

Supervisory team: Professor Matthew Jones (Director of Studies); Professor Elena Marco; Associate Professor Mike Devereux

UK housing design is routinely shaped by metrics of affordability, density, and regulatory compliance, often at the expense of emotional and psychological well-being. This research challenges the assumption that architecture is neutral, repositioning housing as a form of urban care capable of improving well-being. Drawing on an interdisciplinary framework spanning architecture, psychology, neuroscience, and creative practice, the project demonstrates how the built environment actively influences mental, emotional, and physiological health.

Sara’s PhD both informs and is informed by her broader research and teaching, which explores human-centred approaches to design across areas including dementia-inclusive neighbourhoods, healthy ageing, and architectural pedagogies.

• Hayball, S., Marco, E., and Devereux, M. (2025). The Subconscious Home [Presentation/Talk]. Re-City Conference 2025 - Urban Democracy and Radical Care, 30-31 October 2025, Tampere University. 
• Hayball, S. (2025). The subconscious home: Why the inclusion of emotional response in the housing design process matters [Video].

For more information about the project, please contact Sara Hayball (sara.hayball@uwe.ac.uk).