evidence-based design

design informed : driving innovation with evidence –based

design; robert brant, gordon h chong, w mike martin

evidence-based design for multiple building types; d kirk

hamilton, david h watkins
 what is the definition of evidence-based
design?

Evidence-based design process for

is a
conscientious, explicit, and judicious use
of current best evidence from research and
practice in making critical decisions, together
with an informed client, about the design of each
individual and unique project.

Architects have always relied on engineering

science, statistics and strength of materials,
geometry, physics, soil mechanics, construction law
and real estate economics, among the many
disciplines founded on sound evidence.
designers must turn to new fields as sources
of evidence

Architects are expected to turn to new disciplines

for additional sources of evidence in other
fields.

Designers are increasingly required to have

considerable knowledge beyond their own
field and outside the domains of knowledge that
constituted their original professional education.

Evidence-based practitioners must be ready to cross

the traditional boundaries of their field to
explore the vast possibilities of information from
unfamiliar fields.
evidence-based design is not a product; it is a
process

The designer must have meaningful collaboration with client

and users.

The designer must use the best available credible evidence

from a variety of sources.

The designer must recognize and respond to the unique

context of each project.

Interpreting the implications of the research and design

decisions require critical thinking.

A chain of logic should link the research finding to the design.

Once discovered, relevant new information must be seriously

considered.

Designers have a moral obligation to honor their sacred trust

to protect public safety and health.
 some practitioners have voiced objections
to the idea of evidence-based design

Evidence-based design doesn’t mean rigid rules

and standards.

Evidence-based design doesn’t mean loss of

creativity or the art of architecture.
Evidence-based design doesn’t mean that architects
must specialize.

Evidence-based design doesn’t mean that the client

will make all the decisions.
Some objection to the concept of designing with
evidence might be based on fear.
the practitioner’s case for evidence-based
design is quality and competitiveness

diligent and earnest

The most practitioners who are
in their application of a process based on the
used of the best evidence will ultimately be more
successful.
Evidence-based practice has the potential to provide a
powerful competitive advantage.
Prospective clients will place greater trust in
architects whose practices can demonstrate rigor and
documented results.
the client’s case for evidence-based design is
economy and improved outcomes
The client will have a natural affinity for a design
process that promises rational decisions based
on solid reliable
and information,
economical solutions, and positive
measured outcomes that are keys to
organizational performance.
 Practice Today Practice Near Future Practice Far Future

Formalistic Building Human

Attributes Performance Performance

Education Today Education Near Future Education Far Future

Evidence Evidence Evidence

Form/geometry Sustainability Human experience
Intuitive/experience Quantitative Qualitative
Qualitative Model, Simulation, Quantitative
Spatial language Data mining Neuroscience
Social science
Every day, more evidence is being created that
demonstrates the power of architecture to affect
human experience and environmental
outcomes.
We must be able to rely on evidence to anticipate the
effects of our work. In order for this information to help us
make a high impact, positive
design choices must be
transparent, accessible, understandable, and
applicable.
Modelling, Simulation, Data Mining Social Science Physical and Natural Science
Modeling
is a set of activities that structures innovation, collaboration,
and creativity in design by creating physical and
virtual models of objects under investigation by designers.

Simulation
is a process for understanding the interactions of the
parts of a system and the system as a whole, through
digital representations of the design elements in
question and the resulting performance under specific
testing scenarios.

Data mining
is the extraction of hidden relationships from large
databases.
 City Car

RoboScooter
 Camera Obscura Construction Matrix

Batwing Structural Framework

Modelling, Simulation, Data Mining

These computational tools are reshaping the

landscape of design, architecture, and construction.

They are at the center of a major evolution, and maybe

revolution, in how we work, what we work on, who we work with,
and how we measure the value we contribute.
The Social Sciences

The environments designers create are the settings that enable or

inhibit human interaction; promote or stifle human development;
and foster or harm human well-being.

Social sciences, particularly sociology and psychology, and

design have been married for over 50 years. In some ways, it’s
been a rocky marriage but one with many more highs than lows.

After these many years, these disciplines together proffer

extraordinary promise for informed design. Innovation is occurring on
two fronts. The first is the use of social science methodology to
create evidence that will help us better predict outcomes of
design decisions. The second is about the application of
knowledge about the causes of human behavior, e.g., how
people learn (cognitive science) and how physical settings affect
learning (environmental psychology).
The Social Sciences

Primary areas of investigation

Attention

Perception and cognitive maps

Preferred environments

Environmental stress and coping

Participation

Conservation behaviour
The Social Sciences

Methods
1. Problem Statement
2. Theory Assumption, Background Literature
3. Variables and Hypothesis
4. Operational Definitions and Measurements
5. Research Design and Methodology
6. Sampling
7. Instrumentation
8. Data Collection and Ethical Considerations
9. Data Analysis
10. Conclusions, Interpretations, Recommendations
The Social Sciences

Tools
Ask
• Nondirective and Structured Interviews
• Focus Groups
• Surveys/Questionnaires

Observe
• Trace Observation
• Behavioral Mapping
• Ethnography
 Average Occupancy of
Assigned Workspaces:
Systematic observation
reveals much less time
spent at an assigned desk
than self-reported. This
often-repeated pattern
creates an opportunity for
shared spaces that will
reduce occupancy costs and
provide more interesting
work settings

This store
coverage map illustrates
the percentage
of shoppers moving
from the front to the
rear of the store. The
stores are divided
consistently into four
roughly equivalent
sections for this measurement
The Social Sciences

There is a prevalent absence of knowledge about research methods

among design professionals. As a result, the research is sometimes
undervalued and thereby not even sought. At other times, evidence
is viewed as a panacea. When this is the case, the result is a
desperate search for immediate and absolute answers that do not
exist; overgeneralization (application to the wrong project
circumstances); and ultimately disappointment in the results and
erosion of credibility. Better understanding what contributes to
research quality would help design practitioner’s develop higher
value information and know when to apply it.

Knowledge frees the designer from the stress of having to invent

without genuine inspiration. It stimulates with compelling and
provocative hypotheses about the power of the design to change
outcome. It engages decision-makers and gives them the backup
they need to try new and more inventive approaches. It provides
insights to break through constraints.
The Natural and Physical Science

Within these scientific disciplines, research in both the natural and

physical sciences deals with the very basis of elements—
matter, molecule, atomic or cell structure. At this basic level,
research—coupled with the logic and mathematics—uses a very
strong foundation of metrics against which outcomes are evaluated.

Physical science research is integrally linked to understanding

“building performance.”

By contrast, the natural sciences provide insight from a biological

(whole organism) perspective and inform “human performance”
in both qualitative and quantitative measures. These qualitative
measures may be more subjective but are considered no less valid
than the quantitative, objective measures.
The Natural and Physical Science

The Research Methodology

The research methodologies, protocols, and (peer review) standards
used in the natural and physical sciences are similar to the traditional
ten steps on social science. Perhaps the primary differences from
the social science in methodology are:
1. Greater dependency on controlled laboratory experiments;
2. Highly specific, defined, and focused experimentation;
3. Greater use of instrumentation;
4. Consistent use of quantitative metrics;;
5. Laboratory experiments scaled to smaller samplings in “controlled
and blind” settings;
6. Consistent isolation and manipulation of individual variables; and
7. Consistent ability to replicate the experimental conditions.
Modeling of Hybrid Modeling of Hybrid Lightweight, Long-Span Structure Using
Structures to Produce Efficient Structures to Permit Design Fiber-Reinforced Polymer
and Environmentally Expression
Responsive Structures
The Natural and Physical Science

The Physical Sciences : Building Performance

Given the political, social, financial, and ethical support for
sustainable developments, it is no wonder that many of the most
innovative building performance studies center around issues of
energy conservation, use of renewable resources, and thermal
comfort.

The Physical Sciences : New Material Development

This type of work related to the physical sciences is being strongly
influenced by firms committed to innovative design expression.
Technological advances are attributable to sustainable design
practices, structural engineering feats, and new methods of
construction sequencing and fabrication. These have sparked a
surge in the creation of new materials and building systems.

The Natural Sciences : Neuroscience

Seize the opportunity to design buildings that affect human
performance and change the mindset of “buildings as an end” to
“buildings as a means.” The value of buildings will be understood
to align with the continuum of human occupancy, rather than the
shorter period of design and construction focused on the building.
California Academy of Science
 c o n c l u s i o n

architecture will always be knowledge-based

architects arenot only required to design a more

diverse range of building types, but also asked to
respond to an increasingly complex and expansive
set of design criteria

today’s building involve vastly more domains of

knowledge