5058069

The Power of Spaces

Every day after school, I walked through a neighborhood different from the day before. I

met new people with the same face, but variations of clothes and hair. I was the one changing

everything about the combination of buildings on a small square board of ten-inch sides. My

character walked through the LEGO structures that had daily themes varying from Star Wars to

Spiderman. I spent most of my childhood playing with plastic bricks to live in my own world of

creativity. This led me to observe the world around me when traveling.

The design of spaces became the center of my attention. My memory still leaves space to

save the emotions I experienced when meeting new designs. It was incredible to walk through

the unique hotel in LA, interweaved with plants because it created a lobby that was worth

walking down three stories of stairs. The entrance of the dinosaur museum I visited in first grade

made me run around in joy. The lion statue in the lobby of the MGM Grand made everything feel

luxurious.

Walking around my neighborhood, I examined the spaces that my life revolved around.

For a reason I did not know, some rooms at school felt comfortable, but some did not. I slowly

started to learn about the reason when my family decided to design the interior of our new home.

We looked through books full of wallpaper and floor textures. We all worked together and had to

consider the effects that each color and texture would have on us. Designing our home led me to

be interested in the subject of architecture.

The summer of my sophomore year, I signed up for a virtual camp on the basics of

architecture. There, I started to learn by analyzing paintings and interpreting them into my own

model of a building. Because it was an online class, I spent much time contemplating how art

1
 5058069

needs to be interpreted. Then, I built a model of foam board cutouts to remake the art into a

building with a purpose of my choice.

Through the feedback from the teacher, I learned the importance of how my designs will

affect the inhabitants. In my case, the art museum needed to give the people help in focusing on

the art. While the model was art in itself, the materials and use of lighting were manipulated to

direct emotions in the right way.

I have kept my interest in architecture after the camp, and I still read and watch analyses

of different architects and their styles. I know the emotions that can be felt but are hard to put

into words. Learning about why we feel that way will help me fully understand the sentiments I

receive from architecture. Thus, I want to learn about the question I have had since I was a child:

How does architecture affect human behavior?

The designs of the surrounding environments give people relief and help them rest.

Buildings that prioritize recovery focus their attention on connecting inhabitants with the outdoor

environment: “The majority of the hospitals and healthcare centers have an outdoor landscaped

area where patients can go and sit, surrounding natural habitat” (Haval). To help the mental

health of patients, hospital buildings are designed to reduce stress through natural elements.

Outdoor connections help calm them as they get a view away from the unchanging and dull

objects that are indoors. Because they spend most of their time lying on a bed, the fresh air and

noises from nature help to refresh their minds. The opportunity to step on the rough soil and

touch plants like flowers gives a chance to freshen up one’s senses. One easy method to provide

relief is through windows: “Presence of windows increases the speed of recovery from stress and

attention fatigue” (Heslinga). By providing an outlet for stress such as a window, inhabitants

benefit greatly by gaining more strength to focus on their tasks. The period of rest is shortened

2
 5058069

by a short tunnel that takes the mind into the outside world. The small tunnel can bring fresh air

and vivid lighting into the office. Having a view looking outdoors from the comfort of staying

indoors gives a sense of relief along with comfort. The variety of clouds and their precipitation

hitting the windows can also bring diverting experiences. Another reason for windows and open

spaces is because of the benefit of natural light. After observing the influence of windows,

Heslinga concluded, “Natural light helps relax and ease the occupants’ stress level.” The main

reason why windows are crucial is because of the entrance of natural light into the building.

Natural light is an element that changes throughout the day, which also brings a sense of a

dynamic environment that differs from standard LED lighting. Through windows that show

nature and bring in natural light, architecture aids the recovery from the stress that modern-day

society goes through daily.

Good architecture gives a boost in productivity. Elements like lighting and color are one

of the most important when considering settings that help focus. When observing the moods of

the elderly, “Warmer light (3000K) was found to enhance the willingness to help in the next

experiment and to resolve conflicts as compared to cooler white light (4200K)” (Kuijsters, et al.).

By observing the willingness to help an experiment, the level of productivity in warmer light is

inferred to be high. The correlation shows the influence of lighting on moods, which influences

the behavior of inhabitants in terms of production. For environments such as research labs,

warmer light is more appropriate to encourage problem-solving and collaboration. The same

study has found that “employees working in colorful offices tend to experience more positive

moods than employees sitting in neutral or colorless offices” (Kuijsters, et al.). Positive moods

will place employees in better conditions to work. The color of the walls and desks plays an

important factor in keeping the people intrigued in their tasks. Colors evoke moods such as

3
 5058069

passion, comfort, and power, but also ones like anxiety and sadness; manipulating the triggers

can lead to designers receiving the behavior that they wanted from the occupants. When they feel

good while sitting in a colorful office, they will be prepared to work and produce good results.

Accessibility of the building is also an important part of making employees feel motivated:

“Shared buildings such as homes and offices that encourage personal control, including climate

control by room and access to the outdoors, improve productivity and reduces stress”

(“Architecture and its Effect…”). By adding more elements for the inhabitant to be involved,

buildings can keep them feeling in control of many factors they deem important. The detailed

control of their own environment makes available the ‘perfect’ setting for them. It is beneficial to

provide many accessible features because the mind is subjective, meaning that no environment is

perfect for everyone. But the problem can be resolved by a small fraction if there are

customizable components. While good designs can promote mental health, bad ones deteriorate

the mind.

Experiencing chaotic designs like cities can cause a disturbance in mental well-being.

Cities tend to have a negative effect on human psychology. In 2008, “researchers in the UK

found that a ten-minute walk down a South London main street increased psychotic symptoms

significantly” (Golembiewski). A crowded street causes disturbance through the abundance of

elements found in the setting. Every event happening there starts from the architecture, which

influences the first settlers, then builds up to the crowded city in the present day. The style of

entrances to stores and the layouts of the interiors all influence the actions of producers and

consumers. Another study found the negative effects of city life: “growing up in a city doubles

the chances of someone developing schizophrenia, and increases the risk for other mental

disorders such as depression and chronic anxiety” (Bond). The stimulation that one receives from

4
 5058069

the city causes terrible results to the mind. It is not possible to entirely remove the chaotic

elements of a big city, but there are solutions that some cities have proposed. Vancouver’s

downtown has policies that ensure that residents have decent views of mountains and the ocean

to the north and west. For designing insight from a professional, I interviewed Mr. Wood, who

works as an architect in the Bay Area and teaches an introductory architecture class at the

Academy of Art University in San Francisco, which I took. He currently teaches at Stanford

University while working on his own projects throughout the Bay Area. The majority of the

interview consisted of discussions about positive architecture and memories from it, but when

asked if he has experienced any architecture that affected him negatively, he said that he feels

disappointed in any design that prioritizes cars instead of people (Wood). Although many cars

like delivery vehicles and garbage trucks serve vital purposes in everyday life, they can cause air

and noise pollution, leading to stress for pedestrians and drivers. If roads are managed

effectively, traffic can be reduced, and provide more economic and environmentally friendly

methods of transportation. By encouraging people to walk, they can see results in improving

mental health through the release of endorphins and more social interactions. While personal

trouble can be caused by architecture, problems in the community can also be created.

Architecture shapes new communities, and the design is what influences the outcome of

the new environment. Past failures prove that architecture guides the behavior of communities.

The Pruitt-Igoe complex is a notorious failure that the world considers the prime example of a

disappointment in design: “1950s Pruitt-Igoe housing complex in St Louis, Missouri, whose 33

featureless apartment blocks – designed by Minoru Yamasaki, also responsible for the World

Trade Center – quickly became notorious for their crime, squalor and social dysfunction”

(Bond). The increase in crime right as the project was built shows the effect of its failure as a

5
 5058069

design made to provide homes. While one can create a famous monument such as the World

Trade Center, his experimental design led him to failure in another project. The housing complex

failed to lead to a successful harmonic community, which led to a rise in crime. The main errors

were the “wide open spaces between the blocks of modernist high-rises discouraged a sense of

community, particularly as crime rates started to rise” (Bond). Because there was no

consideration of the behavior of future residents, the designs prevented the residents from feeling

included in the community. In order to succeed as a home of various communities, it needs to

encourage the formation of a big community through public spaces. Residents had to walk

through galleries to reach their apartments. Skip-stop elevators left some galleries available for

gangs that would threaten residents who would walk through their hangout spot. Because the

public spaces were not able to serve as places for positive interaction, the Pruitt-Igoe project

failed to invite a community that would ensure safety. Personal space was also a factor in the

failure: “The lack of space, and the constriction of such, did not build camaraderie amongst

tenants. They were thrown into this confined space, which did not stimulate positive social

behavior, nor did it provide new paths or places to reflect” (Koh). Multiple families were living

in one room at the housing project. It may be assumed that the setting of families living together

will force a tight-knit community, but it only violated personal space. Because it came to the

point of not being able to differentiate their roommates from intruders, residents were living in

fear most of the time. Safety is an essential factor in a building that needs to successfully host

visitors.

By providing safety to occupants, good designs gain more visits and provide comfort.

One of the priorities of design is to be a safe environment allowing safe evacuation in case of

emergency. To learn from the perspective of a structural engineer, I interviewed Mr. Zabolzadeh,

6
 5058069

who works at CalTrans, collaborating with many different disciplines to construct California’s

transportation necessities. When asked about his priorities when starting a new project, he

replied, “So, this says what aspects of… safety is first and then to me the looks of a building is,

is quite important…” (Zabolzadeh). Mr. Zabolzadeh currently works in highway construction,

which leads to his perspective focusing on safety. He explained that the main point of a project is

to have people safely enter and leave the area. For a constructed project to serve its function, the

most important objective is to let people leave safely so that they can revisit, or so others visit

and enjoy the building. If looking at the extremes, an unattractive building can serve its purpose,

but a broken-down one cannot. Spaces for safety are also necessary for overall comfort in life:

“Space that makes us feel not just physically, but also mentally and socially safe is as important

as many of life's other necessities” (Betsky). The author argues that safe spaces are just as

important as other essentials in life. When one feels safe in a building, that would mean that the

occupant is comfortable, and therefore, possess a more positive mood and behavior. When one

lacks a necessity, it results in a tragic outcome because mental stability will not persist for long.

It is notable that just by providing safe environments, positive influence will hit the inhabitants in

every way involving behavior. It may be easy to forget about the effects of a dangerous home if

living in a great neighborhood, but as seen in the Pruitt-Igoe housing project, the feeling of

insecurity brings on critical results to communities. Also when looking at perspectives of

designing a city, signs and lights are strategically placed to insure safety: “Our contemporary

wellbeing owes much to … warning lights, traffic signals, road markers, and safety symbols that

dot the built landscape … do their part to keep you in one piece” (Mars 63). All parts of society

are built to ensure safety first. Before one even steps into a building, civil engineers ensure safe

transportation. As observed earlier, it can be concluded that engineers attempt to provide the

7
 5058069

necessary elements for security. Tools as small as road markers leave their mark in providing

security, which means that buildings made by architects take security as priorities because they

know the amount of influence they can hold. When designing school buildings, the plan for

security becomes more serious: “To plan in advance for safety threats, architects keep in mind

things like the number of entrances and exits, visibility inside classrooms, placement of all

windows and doors, design of main lobby area, and so much more” (“Promoting Safety and

Security…”). In the case of buildings, the placement and number of safety elements can

manipulate the progress of threats and danger. Studies of behavior and routes of evacuation are

made prior to building so that there will be no accidents that could have been prevented. All

components of the school shall have safety in mind before their placement. To best ensure the

performance of students, they need to feel safe in their classrooms, which is done through a

considerate design.

In conclusion, the design of the built environment greatly affects human behavior. By

controlling visible elements such as natural light and color, moods can be directed toward the

intended goal. It is also vital to manipulate invisible components like safety. As the priority of

many projects, safety provides the opportunity to invite visitors and prepare a setting so that any

of the visible components can effectively work as intended. Conversely, chaotic designs and lack

of personal space contribute to negative emotions and stress, leading to mental health issues. In

order to create a successful design, it is important to consider the behaviors and needs of those

who will inhabit the space, and integrate elements that promote safety, mental health, and

productivity. As society moves on through new eras, new environments are created; in order to

make great advancements, human workspaces should be ideally designed to maximize the pace

of evolution. The ideal piece of architecture will have the inhabitants living in comfort, making

8
 5058069

them feel like they belong and motivating them. “Every time a student walks past a really urgent,

expressive piece of architecture that belongs to his college, it can help reassure him that he does

have that mind, does have that soul.” - Louis Kahn

9
 5058069

Works Cited

“Architecture and Its Effect on Mood and Physical Well-Being.” PDH Academy, 28 Dec. 2017,

https://pdhacademy.com/2017/11/06/architecture-effect-mood-physical-well/#:~:text=Bui

lding%20materials%2C%20lighting%2C%20ventilation%20and,minimizing%20the%20r

isk%20of%20injuries.

Betsky, Aaron. “Aaron Betsky on a Sense of Safety in Architecture.” Dezeen, 18 Dec. 2015,

https://www.dezeen.com/2015/12/18/aaron-betsky-opinion-sense-of-safety-in-architectur

e-public-buildings-spaces/.

Bond, Michael. “The Hidden Ways That Architecture Affects How You Feel.” BBC Future,

BBC,https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170605-the-psychology-behind-your-citys-de

sign.

Golembiewski, Jan. “Building a Better World: Can Architecture Shape Behaviour?” The

Conversation,https://theconversation.com/building-a-better-world-can-architecture-shape

-behaviour-21541.

Haval, Abha. “The Impact of Architecture in Our Lives.” RTF | Rethinking The Future, 24 Sept.

2021,https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/narratives/a5201-the-impact-of-architecture-i

n-our-lives/.

Koh, Michael. “The St. Louis Problem: Pruitt-Igoe and the Social Factors That Led to Its

Eventual Destruction.” Thought Catalog, 3 Aug. 2015,

https://thoughtcatalog.com/michael-koh/2014/05/the-st-louis-problem-pruitt-igoe-and-the

-social-factors-that-led-to-its-eventual-destruction/.

10
 5058069

Kuijsters, Andre, et al. “Lighting to Make You Feel Better: Improving the Mood of Elderly

People with Affective Ambiences.” PloS One, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 20

July 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4507869/.

“Louis Kahn Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore,

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/louis_kahn_114813.

Mars, Roman. The 99% Invisible City. Hodder & Stoughton, 2020.

“Promoting Safety and Security through Design.” Architecture Matters_Final_16052019-03,

https://architecturematters.org/portfolio/architects-design-safe-and-secure-buildings/.

Heslinga, Olivia. “How Architecture Affects Human Behavior.” IMotions, 16 Nov. 2022,

https://imotions.com/blog/insights/research-insights/how-architecture-affects-human-beh

avior/.

Wood, Ethen. Personal Interview. 21 March 2023.

Zabolzadeh, Mohammad. Personal Interview. 3 March 2023.

11