Text by Tuula Jyske
Funded by the Research Council of Finland, this mobility grant project aims to identify key factors that influence human well-being in the design and planning of built environments while fostering new research networks between Finland and Taiwan. In Taiwan, we’re partnering with Tamkang University and National Taiwan University, both based in Taipei.
As part of this initiative, we were thrilled to collect survey data from citizens about their comfort levels and perceptions of different office environments, particularly those featuring biophilic visual elements, such as large-scale photos of Finnish and Taiwanese nature. To facilitate this, we invited participants to join our study with VR headsets at the campuses of National Taiwan University and the University of Helsinki, Viikki, in October and November 2025. This setup created a fun and interactive experience for everyone involved.
We started by approaching individuals in public spaces and inviting them to participate in our study. Once they agreed, participants received a brief overview of the research and were asked to fill out a pre-data survey on their mobile phones. Afterward, they were given a VR headset and embarked on a virtual tour of various immersive spaces designed to evoke different feelings of comfort and perception. Throughout the VR experience, participants were prompted to evaluate their comfort levels and perceptions of the spaces they visited through a follow-up survey.
Group photo of three research teams.
In addition to the surveys, we organized a roundtable discussion on the topic of “Urban Green Coverage and Resident Wellbeing in Taipei and Helsinki”, together with the groups led by professors Ying-Chieh Chan (3rd from left in group photo), Tuula Jyske (6th from left), and Tzen-Ying Ling (8th from left).
The field work allowed us to gather valuable cultural insights into how different working and studying environments impact comfort and perception. We are eager to analyze the data and understand how biophilic elements influence individuals’ well-being in built environments.
The project continues with the analysis and reporting of data from our recent fieldwork and previous studies in close collaboration between the groups in Helsinki and Taipei. We look forward to sharing our findings and contributing to the ongoing conversation about resilience and well-being in built environments.