…car dealerships and their architects and developers might really like high-ceilings and double-height spaces (like this one Meda did for Skoda in Ellesmere Port, England)? Me to, aside from the usual back-story about commercial building-design being driven by future re-use investment criteria, as much as any brand or owner’s demands.

I’ve always thought it was rather odd, given cars are mostly not all that tall. And sometimes a big, echo-y dealership can ‘look’ rather unwelcoming. But perhaps I’ve been ignoring my head over my heart, as it looks like Our Brains Love High Ceilings.

Here’s the story – “part of the appeal of high ceilings seems to be that they capture our visual attention and engage our desire to observe our surroundings.” The researchers also report that “Across several experiments, the researchers found evidence that high ceilings seemed to put (us) in a mindset of freedom, creativity, and abstraction, whereas the lower ceilings prompting more confined thinking.”

So next time you wander into a great, hanger-like space and don’t feel uncomfortable, you’ll maybe understand why.