Image Credit: Wolfgang Staudt | Flickr

A recent study was done, mentioned in The Economist article entitled Pricing and the Brain: Hitting the Spot, where actual changes within the brain occur that substantiate this: If told something is more valuable, then a person actually enjoys it more. As the article explains, there may be something to this involving expectation. So how does this relate to architectural design?

Well, what if upon entering a building, someone told you that it was designed by a very famous and prestigious architect? Do you think you would enjoy your experience within that building more than if you didn’t know this fact? Perhaps you would pay more attention to the building, its details, and engage with it more than if you had never known about its renowned creator. Would you take extra time while within the building to savor it? My guess is that the average person probably would.

But the implication of this notion of heightened perceived value affecting architectural enjoyment doesn’t end there. Read more

Advancements involving architecture are most always a great thing. But what happens when such advancements like technology detract from an architectural design? I think the answer to this lies in the hands of the individual architect for that given project —specifically regarding what aspects of technology they choose to make visible versus invisible.

You see, technology for architecture can bring much value to a project — giving it new kinds of capabilities. But there are also times when a given technology exudes “side-effects” which conflict and/or detract from a design. An example of this “foe” relationship between architecture and technology can be seen in all sorts of building types ranging from retail stores to hospitals.

Take, for instance, the lighting in a clothing store. If not specified correctly, flourescent lighting in the dressing rooms may detract from the very purpose of the store: to sell clothes. The painful lighting makes those trying on clothes look worse, not better. Conversely, well specified lighting would be semi- invisible technology as it would make the occupant benefit from great lighting, without thought of where it is coming from. It would simply become a seamless part of the shopping experience.

In hospitals, medical technology helps to save lives, makes the building more efficient, and serves to assist patients in pain. There exists a “friend” relationship between architecture and technology until…those side-effects surface. From lighting to the aural environment, hospitals could stand to be better. After all, painful lighting from Read more

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There is a principle when it comes to systems optimization which says that if one part of the system is broken, you should look at the part just before it — because it is likely that that is where the problem really originates from. And to me, this principle can be carried through into architecture as you begin to look at how an occupant travels through built forms, from space to space, or from room to room. I think of course that the design of the grand featured and climactic gesture within an architecture is of paramount importance, but I also think that the transition which leads occupants into and from that featured space is of extremely high importance as well. With a transitional space within architecture, you have the power to “set up” an occupant impression. You can give them hints about what is to come, or you can minimize what awaits them to ultimately give them a grand surprise. Similarly, as an occupant exits a main and grand featured architectural space, a transition can help them to synthesize what they have experienced, as they form their last memories and impressions that they will carry with them once exited. Transitions can occur in the exterior and the interior, and within what is between the two. The key is to think about transition as a means of preparation for what is next, or synthesis of what has come. Because your occupants will always be taking next steps as they experience your building, those transitions will help them to synthesize what they are experiencing, while also preparing them for the desirable reaction which you as a designer hope for.

Image: ralphbijker | Flickr

When we experience space by traveling through it, we interact with it affecting its acoustical behaviors in what can be unintentional ways — but what if an architectural design could make its occupants think more carefully about how they move through built space, where their movements yield more intentional acoustic behaviors? Instead of aural experience always being something that seems to happen in the background (from an occupant’s perceptual point of view), why not make it a part of the interplay between building and occupant that not only informs occupants, but also promotes enjoyment, awareness, and/or goal oriented cues.

Of course, within architectural space there is rarely just one person that occupies it. So often, occupants must make use of collaboration and teamwork, as well as help to foster a sense of community and enjoyment while engaging interactively within a building. Take, for instance, a museum where visitors may be educated by exhibitions both individually and through interactive collaborative learning moments. Within such a building, exhibits might use tools like what you will see in the following video, where interactive musical instruments can be coordinated on the fly by willing participants. I think this has merit because if this concept were to be taken further, museum visitors would have more of an immersive and social cooperative learning experience about a subject — where they could draw Read more

Image: shadows44 | Flickr

It is undeniable that mobile phones with operating systems that get updated frequently are becoming more widespread globally. In fact, phones like the iPhone are helping people with a variety of tasks ranging from keeping track of their health and finances, all the way to realizing new types of face-to-face communication, social media and now 3-D video — see the new Samsung W960 phone here.

The introduction of 3-D into the world of mobile gadgets makes me think of what might happen when these “gadgets” are being carried around by occupants within architectural designs which include office buildings, museums, schools and even hospitals. Is there any reason why you as an architect should ignore such devices and what they can do to help your architectural designs? Think mobile augmented reality here.

Such mobile devices can be not only a great way to pool information about your occupant(s) “status” within your building, but can also serve to help you design new adaptive systems within your building in entirely new ways. Just imagine the more personalized experience and better collective effect your architecture can give them.

Here’s a quick example:

In much the same way as you might design a large architectural design element in one place, and then indirectly refer to it through your design within a smaller element somewhere else, you could design a 3-D video or hologram visible to occupants that might carry their Read more

Image: Torley | Flickr
A Second Life shopping mall design that reflects trends instantly, showing what people buy, current fashions, quality levels and so on.

I wonder if one can say that what you put into your architectural design, your occupants will get out of it? Yet, I do not necessarily think that the amount of time or money spent on a project is linearly reflected in its positive or negative outcome for occupant experience. Yes, it can help…but with the proper design ingenuity and by capitalizing on the right leverage points within your design process, your architectural designs can speak volumes to your occupants no matter how large, small or costly the project.

However — does the level of “immersion” with which you design get carried through into your occupants’ experience of your design? And what makes for good design immersion?

Well, another word for immersion is “absorption”, also defined as “the state of being deeply engaged or involved. In light of this definition, I must say that most often reaching the proper level and state of immersion while you design user experience in a building can work wonders for creating an equally immersive environment for your occupants. For, such an environment will cradle your occupants in such a way as to not only alleviate their functional needs, but to also present them with an architectural world that seamlessly and almost invisibly brings beauty into their lives. Read more

Image: Circotasu | Dreamstime

“Architecture arouses sentiments in man. The architecture’s task; therefore, is to make those sentiments more precise.”

– Adolf Loos

Architecture is like music, with ability to arouse specific emotions and other reactions at particular moments in time. To arouse sentiment is a delicate task, and the key is to engage occupants. Human mood, behavior and physiology will all benefit from such an awakening.

To arouse precise human sentiments, architecture must integrate features like timing, materiality, information and the designer’s intent — all in an effort to engage occupants. Not only should architecture awaken occupant emotion, but it should play a role in Read more

As architecture evolves by gaining renewed methods of interaction, I think it is good for architects to gain perspective from the field of interaction design. The following video reviews some key concepts that interaction designers use to execute their designs. Look out for the three leading questions that drive all interaction projects.

VIDEO REVIEW

Interaction design is defined by Wikipedia as the “discipline of defining the behavior of products and systems that a user can interact with”. In this video, Bill Verplank explains very clearly what Read more

Name: Color, Environment & Human Response by Frank H. Mahnke
URL: Color, Environment, & Human Response (my affiliate link)
Purpose: to explain the physiological and psychological effects of color in architectural environments

THIS BOOK WILL LAST A LONG, LONG TIME

Color, Environment & Human Response is filled with seventeen chapters of detailed insight about how color really impacts occupants within architectural designs. The author, Frank H. Mahnke explains color and its various complex dimensions, from neuropsychological aspects to human emotion and beyond.

I particularly like the following excerpt from this book where Mahnke explains some fundamentals about the relationship between color design and human reaction: Read more