urbanLab Magazin 2021 - Transformation

Fig. 1: In the architectural design process, multidisciplinary approaches are taken into
account: the structural solution of the vaults, the perceptual aspects of the concert halls,
or the urban connectivity to the city. Jorn Utzon, Sydney Opera House. (Own illustration)
WHAT IS THE MATTER?
Up to the date, there is no a defined way
to bridge (a) the perception of the architectural
space by users and (b) the spatial
properties of the architect’s design.
In other words, the architect still misses
– in most of the cases – the feedback of
the user of buildings in order to modify
his/her design. This normally leads to
problems such as unsatisfying experiences
for users, budget increase with
rehabilitations and adaptations of the
building, or waste of efforts for the architect.
The final goal of this [PAAD initiative]
research proposal is to elaborate a
method which categorizes the architectural
design based on: (a) the vocabulary
describing the spatial perception from
both architects and users and, (b) a set
of already existing metrics describing
the properties of the space -in terms
of geometry, visuals, acoustics, etc.
The built environment is exposed to the
judgement of everybody: from those
who already used the building, or those
who never stepped on the building
floor, those who only saw a previsualization
of what is going to be built, or from
those who only see its plans and drawings.
The built environment ranges from
the city to the domestic space. Therefore,
the community of judgers is composed
of, primarily, the building designers
on one hand, and the building users on
the other; in both modalities of inhabitants
and visiting; judging already existing
buildings or still in plan. Then, the
collection of judgers altogether emits
an evaluation of architecture which impacts
on several aspects of the building
environment. The formal judgement of
architectural designs is gaining popularity
in specific situations. Particularly,
Fig. 2: The education curriculum of architecture students also shows the multiplicity of disciplines
involved. As an example, this is my own curriculum: a collage of multidisciplinary appraches. Time runs
in the horizontal axis, while involved institutions are listed in the vertical axis. (Own illustration)
HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN
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