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mcouvil
Joined: 23 Oct 2007
Posts: 8
Location: Greenville
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 Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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| I am right there with all of you. I believe that point of architecture is to create space for people and psychology is the study of people. This creates a perfect over lap of the two fields. And if architects can have an understanding of psychology then the built world can promote better life. I am a student at Clemson University in South Carolina and I am a double major in psychology and architecture. I am currently trying to figure out some research to get both departments involved in. We already have a pretty good base for this type of thing but a lot of the focus is on Hospitals. I would like to see more of an interest in the day to day interactions of people and their built surroundings.
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Married To The Job
Joined: 23 Jul 2008
Posts: 36
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting topic -- it's been a while, but I took an elective entitled Psychology of Architecture back in the '80s. The Edward Hall book mentioned before was one of our texts. Still have it around somewhere.
Another book from that class was "Personal Space: The behavioral basis of Design" by Robert Sommer (pub. 1969). Surely there's been more written since these. I suppose it would be worth a mention in your course on when architecture crosses the line from being an issue of sociology to an issue of psychology.
In an aside, I remember another required reading was Alexander Kira's "The Bathroom" (pub. 1975). I wasn't sure if the professor truly thought this was applied psychology or if he wanted to see if he could get the class to discuss a book which included dozens of photographs on angles that people pee.
And it would be worth some study to address the growth of 'architecture' as mere shelter to the point where it was deliberately manipulated for psychology's sake. And since meaning in architecture can be individual, the topic of cultural interpretation would be relevant, I would think.
A long time ago, discussing regional vernacular architecture adapted to contemporary builder design with a friend without a design background, we were on the topic of the image of 'plantation house' as a desired image. She shook her head and said she had no interest in a replay of 'The Big House', especially as a space she would inhabit (or any little cutesy 'slave quarters', as she called them). Her desired image of Home was very different because of her cultural heritage (African American). The very materials and massing of such a building were abhorent to her.
But then again, it would be necessary to define what are sociological issues, vs. psychological. And necessary to define psychology as well.
And don't leave out issues of utopian communities -- at some point, there is (explicit or otherwise) the setting of designer as god. Case studies of failed communities (don't they all?) and similarly heavy-handed single building projects (or urban projects) would be something for students to sink their teeth into.
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mcouvil
Joined: 23 Oct 2007
Posts: 8
Location: Greenville
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| Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 7:55 am Post subject: |
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| Those are very interesting points. I particularly found interest in your comment about your friend and her thoughts about plantation houses. I've been thinking a lot lately about the cultural influences of design and that it seems a lot of how we feel about design is based on what we have been told is pretty or good. Sure there is an inate since of beauty but there is an obvious learned element to our sense of design as well.
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cryingbaby615
Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:58 am Post subject: |
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| Hello....I will read those books that you all suggested. It should be very interesting!
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djswan
millennium club
Joined: 17 Aug 2007
Posts: 1119
Location: Montana, USA
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Married To The Job
Joined: 23 Jul 2008
Posts: 36
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| Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 4:00 pm Post subject: |
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Came across a mention in a catalog and thought of this post:
The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton, 280 pp, 2006/8.
Review...
"Erudite yet accessible, The Architecture of Happiness is a philosophical and psychologial rumination on the relationship between human emotion and architectural design. In chapters with such titles as "Ideals of Home" and "The Virtues of Buildings," Alain de Botton examines architectural movements in furiture, houses, public buildings, places of worship, even entire cities. He relates changing aesthetic trends to the ability of object design to communicate an ever-evolving understanding of happiness. Generously illustrated, The Architecture of Happiness pays profound and eloquent tribute to the significance of our constructed environments."
Review in Bas Bleu catalog.
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SalehaAhmed
Joined: 03 Feb 2009
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 6:13 am Post subject: architectural psychology(thesis) |
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heyy....i m a final year architecture student....n now planning to have ma thesis on architectural psychology.....i m seeking built design as ma end product....primary focus would b on the relationship between architectural design and psychology variables and how this relationship can contribute to the creation of better buildings and environment and how architecture reflects the needs and preferences of people and how design mould and shape behaviour...i am seeking ma research transforming into better institutional , recreational facilities,or some sort of healing spaces in some other domains.
Its just a start,so your replies and suggestions would be helpful...what do u think about my topic ? . please help me. A quick reply will be higly appreciated
Thanks..
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SalehaAhmed
Joined: 03 Feb 2009
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 6:15 am Post subject: architectural psychology(thesis) |
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heyy....i m a final year architecture student....n now planning to have ma thesis on architectural psychology.....i m seeking built design as ma end product....primary focus would b on the relationship between architectural design and psychology variables and how this relationship can contribute to the creation of better buildings and environment and how architecture reflects the needs and preferences of people and how design mould and shape behaviour...i am seeking ma research transforming into better institutional , recreational facilities,or some sort of healing spaces in some other domains.
Its just a start,so your replies and suggestions would be helpful...what do u think about my topic ? . please help me. A quick reply will be highly appreciated
Thanks..
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colinellard
Joined: 13 Apr 2009
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:39 am Post subject: architecture and psychology |
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| Shameless plug for a book which does contain much material connecting architecture and psychology (details at www.colinellard.com) but more importantly an invitation for conversations. I'm a psychologist with an active research interest in understanding (and measuring) how people respond to and behave in built spaces both real and virtual. Always happy to talk over email.
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Marc072288
Joined: 21 Apr 2009
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 12:17 am Post subject: >>>Maybe it could help<<< |
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From Marc Jansen
URL Modern landscapes Sydney
Imagine how much more effective the design process would be if you knew what your clients were really thinking.
What colors inspire them? How do they interact with their physical environments? How does sunlight make them feel?
Answers to such questions are rarely gathered during typical pre-design planning sessions. For one thing, design teams rarely delve that deeply into the human psyche of end users. And most people have difficulty verbalizing this kind of subjective information, says Christine Del Sole.
"Research shows that only 5% of what the average person thinks can be expressed verbally," says Del Sole. The other 95% is hidden deep within the subconscious.
Del Sole's Pittsburgh-based consulting firm, fathom, applies a staid research technique to probe the conscious and subconscious thoughts of user groups and then translates these thoughts into design approaches. Think of it as a shrink session for building occupants.
Developed by Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, the technique has been used for years by Coca-Cola, DuPont, and other Fortune 500 companies as a market research tool for product and brand development. Now, fathom is bringing it to the architectural community to help designers create better environments.
"We ask questions a typical designer would not ask, and in ways that uncover the deepest thoughts," says Del Sole.
Key to the process is the use of art therapy during initial one-on-one interviews with end users. "We ask them to bring six to eight images that explain their thoughts and feelings about their most recent experience at the facility," says Del Sole. "It's a snapshot of what's going on inside their head."
Fathom consultants then analyze the resulting graphical collages to look for common metaphorsideas like "transformation," "energy," "control"among the group of end users. "With the metaphors, we're able conduct brainstorming sessions where we come up with design and human objectives that tie back to those metaphors," she says.
These objectives are then matched with the client's programmatic needs to come up with a prioritized design guide.
Del Sole points to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, currently under construction, as an example. One-on-one interviews with 29 patients, nurses, and doctors resulted in metaphors like "control," "energy," and "connection."
"The children wanted the new hospital to feel home-like and comfortable, but not too much like home because they felt that they wanted to be able to leave [the hospital]," says Del Sole. As a result, the architects reworked the design scheme, introducing bright, vibrant colors, softer materials, and patient-friendly features: a healing garden, private rooms, and individual temperature controls for patient rooms.
"We also found that the kids were very intimated by the height of the beds," says Del Sole. "We're working with a manufacturer to design a bed that is much lower to the ground, but can be raised when nurses and doctors come in."
Since launching in June 2004, fathom has completed research programs for eight projects, including a public library, a high-rise condo tower, and a public park. Healthcare and residential have been its strongest markets, says Del Sole, and she is looking to expand into the K-12 market. "Figuring out what the kids need and want in a learning environment would be fascinating," she says.
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menta rocks
Joined: 20 Apr 2009
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