Psychological Effect of Built Environment and Architectural Psychology

Psychological Effect of Built Environment and Architectural Psychology

Introduction

The impact of architectural designs on people’s lives has been the subject of many studies. The results of such studies indicate the existence of a consensus among experts that human behaviour is influenced by the structure of a building and its interior. Most experts are of the idea that there seems to be a relationship between people and the design of structures they walk through, work in, and reside. It seems that people’s minds cannot help but be influenced by the spaces they frequent, whether built or natural. Therefore, the environment appears to have the potential to lift people’s spirits or provoke aggression and anxiety. The goal of the research is to study the effect of the built environment on human psychology.

The science behind human psychology relies on the study of the nature and behaviour of people that encompasses the human body and mind. This definition highlights the differences that exist between individual human beings. It implies that people are different and unique based on their nature and behaviour. Architecture is related to human psychology since it expresses people’s experiences. Essentially, it defines the integration of plans and designs, facilitates the construction of geometric forms, and creates new ambiance and space. It does all these out of the conception of the human mind. Studies show that human beings generally spend between 80% and 90% of their time indoors. As a result, human psychology is directly impacted by the colours, form, acoustics, lighting, and aesthetics of interior architectural space. This impact defines people’s design needs and wants. Architects have to satisfy both the wants and needs of their clients in their architectural designs. Both interior and exterior spaces have to be planned and shaped to adhere to the psychological demands of people in the vicinity.

Research Questions

Major Question:

What is the effect of the built environment on human psychology?

Sub-Questions:

1. What attributes of a design influence human psychology?
2. What is the psychological impact of the aesthetic elements?

• What is the psychological impact of outdoor and open spaces?

1. What is the psychological impact of accessibility and circulation?
2. What is the psychological impact of privacy?

Project Rationale

The dawn of the 21^st century came with several challenges concerning urban design. Urbanization gave developers the need to design denser working and living spaces. In light of rapid urbanization, experts are advocating for an increase in the role played by environmental psychology in modern building design and the construction sector in general. Thanks to psychological studies, experts now have a better understanding of the kind of urban environments that are likable and stimulating to people.

The environment mostly determines human behaviour. Humans are poised to respond to what is referred to as environmental stimuli. Research has shown that people’s response to environmental stimuli depends on factors, such as the individual and their environmental experiences, together with the landscape and its patterning, novelty, and complexity. The project is essential since it expounds on how the built environment impacts human behaviour. It details how people become aware of the relationship between human psychology and built space. It discusses how human faculties of senses (sound, taste, smell, touch, and sight) take the concept of space to human cognition. The perception of the effect of lighting, landscape, texture, colour, function, and form present within any built environment occurs through these senses. As a result, the project builds its argument from the assertion that these senses make these attributes of the built environment to impact human psychology directly.

Generally, the project will fill the gap in research by consolidating all the ideas presented by different studies in the area. Such an extensive analysis of different works of literature will help establish a subtle and deep connection of architecture with the human subconscious and conscious. The findings will thereby directly justify how the built environment influences human behavior, thus proving crucial to the design practice. Architects will be able to make plans and designs by first getting in touch with the effect the design might have on people. As a result, the outcome of designs will create value for people.

Authoritative Source

Several scholars have studied the relationship between architecture and human psychology. Hunter researched environmental psychology in the design of classrooms. The study seeks to determine how psychological principles can be adapted to classroom design to influence creative problem-solving skills among students. It reviews research conducted on the impacts of the physical environment on learning and creative problem-solving skills by environmental psychologists, such as Carol Weinstein, Paul Gump, and Ann Taylor. The findings of their research were used to develop the design criteria of learning spaces.¹ The research establishes that classrooms should be designed to have a combination of individual, small group, and large group spaces. Secondly, the spaces should have flexible classroom layouts to encourage participation and discussion. Thirdly, the rooms should have colours that reflect the discipline being studied and aesthetically pleasing environments capable of stimulating creativity and cognitive abilities.¹ Hunter uses the resultant set of design criteria based on environmental psychology to create a new model for classrooms. Since the research only studies the effect of spaces, colours, and aesthetics, it leaves room for further research for other environmental stimuli.

Tomassoni et al. studied the psychology of light. The research sought to determine how light influences people’s health and psyche. It classifies light as one of the stimulators of human perception. Apart from being a stimulus of human perception, it also influences the psychophysical well-being of people.² The research investigates the relationship between light-based behaviours and emotions, and psychological responses people have to a well-lit environment. The findings categorize light as an emotional driver, cognitive map, and gestalten device used by people to understand and interpret reality. Since Tomassoni et al. only studies light, the study on the effect of other environmental stimuli would help fill this gap in research.

Yingying studied how visual comfort and daylight shadows are perceived in library reading areas. The study presents a library setting as a built environment whose design can easily affect human psychology. It tests the assertion held by artists and architects that shadows are critical elements that affect the emotions of occupants of any building. The research used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Pre-test and post-test surveys and interviews were conducted in three libraries in Oregon.³ The data analyzed from 93 respondents indicate that people tend to feel more comfortable when they have positive perceptions regarding daylight shadows. Having majored in lighting as an environmental stimulus, the research leaves a gap concerning how other stimuli affect people in libraries.

Hamdy studied how interior design impacts human psychology and behaviour. The literature identifies interior architecture elements that are of great influence on people’s psychology. The research therein used a descriptive and interpretive approach. The approach analyses open spaces feature, degree of accessibility, health concerns, privacy and safety impacts, and aesthetic sense as interior architecture elements that affect human psychology.⁴ By analyzing these design elements, the research provided an insight into how several built environment stimuli affect psychology.

The research by Edginton focuses on how the design of asylums impacts human psychology. It used the York Retreat as a case study. According to the literature on architectural history, the design characteristics of asylums have been made similar to prisons, and workhouses.⁵ The designs emphasize the need for control and confinement. Few attempts have been made to understand how the design of asylums became part of their medical discourse and how the designs shape the treatment program therein. The research collected data by interviewing the founder of The York Retreat and the responsible architect. The findings indicate that architectural form only realizes the intentionality of design. However, the failure to discuss the effects of design elements of asylums on the psychology of patients presents a unique gap in research.

Edginton also conducted research that focused on the application of architecture in therapy. The paper aimed to analyze the application of LSD as a methodological technique of getting into the phenomenological world of schizophrenics patients to design their treatment spaces.⁶ The idea was to find a way of designing a space that would fit into the psychological needs of people with mental disabilities. The research established that designers should embody the perception of mentally disabled patients when designing their accommodation spaces. Such spaces would prevent the exacerbation of their illness and assist in healing their condition. However, the topic and consequent research do not establish the specific elements that should be incorporated into an architectural design. Therefore, the topic leaves a unique opportunity for future research.

Applied psychology was the topic of the literature written by Augustin et al. in 2009. The paper focused on applied psychology for interior architecture. It uses quantitative and qualitative research to develop a guide to person-centred place design that directs experts, such as interior designers, landscape architects, and architects, on how to create spaces that enrich the human experience.⁷ Findings show how factors, such as spatial composition, textures, scents, and colours, affect the experience of a place. The literature leaves room for further research on how these factors are applied to different types of built environments, such as retail stores, schools, healthcare facilities, workplaces, and residences.

According to research by Namazian and Mehdipour, the concepts of crowding, territoriality, personal space, and privacy are central to the study of the relationship between behaviour and the environment. Environmental designers and social scientists have studied each of these concepts over the years for various reasons. The findings establish that too much contact between many people increases interpersonal stress.⁸ Further research on the areas of privacy, personal space, and crowing would help establish how human psychology responds to the built environment.

The concept behind environmental psychology has been the subject of many scholars, one of them being Bechtel. The paper discusses environmental psychology as an interdisciplinary science that defines the relationship between people and the environment.⁹ It aims to fill the gap in research concerning the presence and influence of the physical environment on people. The consensus is that the physical environment shapes the tastes and preferences of people. However, the paper does not compressively discuss the effects of the physical environment on people’s behaviour.

Kang et al. conducted a study on the impact of various landscapes on human psychology. It employed a visual effect evaluation of landscapes. It also used an electroencephalogram as the evaluation index of psychological impact.¹⁰ The index reflected the amount of human emotion, hence indicating the relationship between human beings and the environment. For three types of basic landscapes, the plants’ landscape, water landscape, and the pavement, the research conducted several predominant brain wave experiments. The findings established that the pavement landscape has the least effect on the human mind, while the plants’ landscape has the greatest effect.

Popow’s contribution to the research area was in the form of a report on psychology and architecture. The report aimed to establish whether people can perceive patterns in artificial forms. With this kind of ability, it would be easy to understand people’s responses in the presence of different forms of architecture. The report establishes that people react emotionally in the presence of buildings, such as the Medieval Chartres Cathedral and the Guggenheim Museum since they can perceive the forms of these structures.¹¹ Either consciously or unconsciously, humans are biologically able to recognize structure and design.

O’Connor contributed to the literature by analyzing colour psychology and therapy. Many articles have been written on the behavioural, biological, and psychological effects of colour.¹² The paper evaluates several claims of colour psychology and therapy discussed in popular culture. It concludes by noting the similarities between colour psychology in popular culture and the writing of early theorists.

Unlike many other works of literature, the paper by Gary and McCoy focuses on the forms of the built environment that negatively impact human health. According to the article, people spend 90% of their lives within buildings while oblivious of the effects of ambient environmental conditions on their health.¹³ The heuristic of psychological stress is used to develop architectural dimensions that potentially affect human health. The set of environmental dimensions related to stress include restoration, control, affordance, coherence, and stimulation. Interior design elements define these dimensions. The research is useful since it can be used to link interior design elements to human behaviour.

Exemplars

Modern forms of architecture have developed since the disastrous St. Louis’ Pruitt-Igoe housing project. Though iconic, experts claim that the structure had far-reaching effects on the psychology of residents. Discussed below are some of the projects whose design impacts human psychology.

1. Barbican Estate – London

Barbican estate is an excellent example of a brutalist structure. Generally, buildings with designs that follow brutalism are not always suitable for mental health since most of them have depressing aesthetics. Despite such negativity, the Barbican estate has several positive attributes, such as the presence of greenery, balconies, lakes, good lighting, and pedestrian walkways. The presence of proper lighting makes people feel safe. All these are attributes that are generally considered by experts to reduce stress by increasing comfort and feelings of safety.

2. Seattle Central Library

According to Cornel et al., a sense of direction is vital inside buildings. Despite its international recognition, the Seattle Central Library is among the structures notorious for their disorientated design. The library was designed with a large one-way escalator that takes people from the ground floor. However, the absence of an obvious means of descent confuses people. According to user testimonies, the search for an exit leads to high-stress levels that could easily cause anxiety attacks.

3. Heygate Estate – Southwark

This project was known for its high crime rates that formed half of the average number in the area. Reports indicated that the structure encouraged social housing. Social housing attracted people with low income that led to poor school performances that later repelled middle-class residents. This effect increased the stress levels of residents by making them feel abandoned and isolated. The rising stress levels triggered the high crime rates in the building

4. La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia is an ornate cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi. In his design, Gaudi employed several aspects of environmental psychology. As a result, the cathedral is widely acclaimed since it was built with patterns that resemble the natural environment. Since nature is a stress reliever, exposing people to nature triggers a stress-relieving effect on people’s psychology.

Lexicon

Behaviour: Behaviour is the mannerisms and actionable decisions made by systems, organisms, or individuals concerning themselves and their environment. In this case, human behaviour is used to define the function of attitudes and actions of humans within their environment.

Experimental model: This is a phrase made by the words experimental and model. In conjunction, the words are used to describe the process of experiencing the consequences that come with certain design decisions, summarizing principles used in design solutions, and adopting the concepts learned by evaluating the design.

Privacy preference: It is a term made from the words privacy and preference. In conjunction, they are used to refer to biased interpersonal boundaries used by people to regulate their interaction with others.

Built-environment: The term built environment implies the man-made environment meant to serve as a setting for human activity. These settings range from buildings to cities. The term is often referred to as the built world.

Psychology: The term refers to the science of mind and behaviour. It includes the study of phenomena that are both conscious and unconscious. It is also the study of thought and feeling.

Environmental stimuli: The term refers to objects or pictures an individual views in the environment that elicits a reaction or response. Environmental stimuli include things like trees and different forms of structures, either natural or man-made.

Therapeutic environments: The term refers to psychological, social, physical spaces that create a feeling of safety and healing. In practice, it describes a physical space set to allow people to recover from medical issues.

Trajectory

The research will be conducted based on a descriptive and interpretive approach. The research will involve an analysis of how attributes of notable buildings and influence people’s stress levels. The attributes to be reviewed include aesthetics, outdoor and open spaces, accessibility and circulation, and privacy. Relevant data sources include official internet websites, conferences, journals, and books.

Bibliography

Hunter, Katie. Environmental psychology in classroom design: Principles adapted from environmental psychology can be applied to the design of a classroom to improve creative problem-solving skills in gifted children. University of Cincinnati, 2005.

Tomassoni, Rosella, Giuseppe Galetta, and Eugenia Treglia. “Psychology of light: How light influences health and psyche.” Psychology 6, no. 10 (2015): 1216.

Liu, Yingying. “A Study on Perception of Daylight Shadows and Visual Comfort in Library Reading Areas.” American Solar Energy Society. Oregon (2012).

Hamdy Mahmoud, Heba-Talla. “Interior architectural elements that affect human psychology and behavior.” (2017).

Edginton, B. “The Design of Moral Architecture at The York Retreat.” Journal of Design

History 16, no. 2 (January 2003): 103–17.

Augustin, Sally, Neil Frankel, and Cindy Coleman. Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.

Edginton, B. “Architecture as Therapy: A Case Study in the Phenomenology of Design.” Journal of Design History 23, no. 1 (2010): 83–97. https://doi.org/10.1093/jdh/epp053.

Namazian, Ali, and Armin Mehdipour. “Psychological Demands of the Built Environment,

Privacy, Personal Space, and Territory in Architecture.” International Journal of

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences 34 (2013): 109–13.

Bechtel, Robert B. “Environmental psychology.” The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology (2010): 1-3.

Evans, Gary W., and Janetta Mitchell McCoy. “When buildings don’t work: The role of architecture in human health.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 18, no. 1 (1998): 85-94.

KANG, Ning, Shu-Hua LI, and Fa-hong LI. “Study on the Effect of Different Landscapes on Human Psychology [J].” Chinese Landscape Architecture 7 (2008): 69-72.

Popow, V. “A Report on Psychology & Architecture.” Grand Lodge of Manitoba 20 (2000): 2013.

O’Connor, Zena. “Colour psychology and colour therapy: Caveat emptor.” Color Research & Application 36, no. 3 (2011): 229-234.

Kondo, Michelle C., Sara F. Jacoby, and Eugenia C. South. “Does spending time outdoors reduce stress? A review of real-time stress response to outdoor environments.” Health & place 51 (2018): 136-150.

Cornell, Edward H., Autumn Sorenson, and Teresa Mio. “Human sense of direction and wayfinding.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 93, no. 2 (2003): 399-425.