Understanding how we experience our surroundings: research on wind turbines and well-being

Thursday 2 October 2025

Understanding how we experience our surroundings: research on wind turbines and well-being

From February to May 2025, researchers from the University of Primorska (Slovenia) and NTNU (Norway), both partners in the WoodStock consortium, completed a pilot study to explore how people perceive wind turbines through both sound and sight. This included the effects of being inside a wooden building which partially blocks visual and auditory stimuli. This research forms part of a broader effort to understand how built environments influence human health and well-being.

Using a brain-imaging tool called functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), the team monitored brain activity in regions associated to hearing, vision, and decision making. Over thirty volunteers participated, wearing an fNIRS cap while experiencing carefully calibrated low-frequency noise and synchronised video footage of wind turbines. The experimental setup was designed for precision and reproducibility, allowing researchers to gather data on how the brain responds to these environmental stimuli.

This pilot study supports WoodStock in developing zero-waste solutions for healthy living. By examining how people neurologically respond to auditory and visual stimuli from wind turbines, the research provides a strong foundation for future studies on how multisensory interactions, such as sound, sight and material preference affect human comfort and well-being. These insights are essential for designing environments that are not only sustainable but also cognitively and emotionally supportive.

A report is currently in preparation, with early results highlighting the value of combining neuroscience, acoustics, and architectural research to better understand how people experience the spaces around them. Future experiments will build on these findings to explore how introducing underutilised wood into everyday environments can contribute to designing healthier and more comfortable living spaces.

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