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ABSTRACT
Humans spend the large part of their lives at designed spaces
whether it is residential or commercial spaces and less of their lives in
natural environments which has an effect on their behavior. There are
a direct and indirect effects of architectural designs can either by
enhancing suitable functions and aesthetically pleasing to humans.
Particularly, it is alternating architectural designs that impact or
manipulate human behavior; therefore, Architecture can inspire human
behavior in positive and negative ways such as the health and well-
being of humans, as well as human performance.
Interactive architecture consider one of the best ways to achieve that
concept by create new types of interactive relationships between
people and the space environment. Such a conversation between users
and the systems in order to increase sensing and inefficient actions,
and then change them according to environmental conditions. In this
research, computational design strategies are used to perform specific
activities in specific spaces to achieve goals related to the space
function (e.g. hospital, airport, or museum) as a smart, sensing
environments which helps users interact with virtual or physical items
and with other humans without neglecting their sociological,
psychological, physiological behavior aspects.
The paper describes Human Behavior Architectural Concept, and
presents using of a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) methodologies
tooling procedure in an abstracted case study of library model design
process as a practical work.
It is worthy to compare between an imaginary approach which considers human behavior and
sets out to change it, in which human behavior be the secondary side of the space vision by
ignoring or relegating it. In fiction, Ayn Rand’s Howard Roark (in The Fountainhead, 1943) is
perhaps an archetype; Sommer’s architect who “learns to look at buildings without people in
them” [15].
Architectural spaces shapes and qualities inspired human experience and behavior, as we can
control the spaces of our built environment and not the solid walls, roofs, and columns that shape
it. People preferred positive spaces because of it’s high social interaction level. Unlike negative
spaces that encourage movement rather than dwelling in place [4].
Fig. 1. Relation between ground and figures Fig. 2. A college “quad” is usually the preferred
space on a campus for social interaction
and hanging out [4].
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Positive architectural space must be designed to support and serve a specific program,
experience, or purpose. That can be happened by avoid drawing a rectangle or standard shape on a
floor plan, but label it to know if will be suitable for space functions according to users desires and
requirements details to determine the specifics of the activities that will take place there, therefore
space can be designed to accommodate and enhance them as “Architecture is the thoughtful
making of space.” Louis Kahn
4 figures arranged randomly with The same 4 figures arranged to create The same 4 figures arranged to create
negative space resulting positive space ( a triangle ) positive space ( the letter A )
“Designers often aspire to do more than simply create buildings Fig. 4. Solid-void theory
that are new, functional and attractive—they promise that a new
environment will change behaviors and attitudes” [11].Where
architects expressly announce their intentions and ability to
influence behavior, such as in Danish firm 3XN’s exhibition and
book Mind Your Behavior (3XN, 2010), the behaviors intended
and techniques used can range from broad, high-level aspirational
strategies such as communal areas “creating the potential for
involvement, interaction and knowledge sharing” in a workplace
(3XN, 2010) to specific tactics, such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s
occasional use of “very confining corridors” for people to walk
along “so that when they entered an open space the openness and Fig. 5. Guggenheim Museum,
light would enhance their experience” [7]. Frank Lloyd Wright, 1959.
The proposed research aims to do that by using computational design strategy which respect
human behavior through the design process in order to achieve larger goals as determined by the
organization that occupies the built environment.
Libraries have been chosen as an applying space, designing libraries is a complicated task because
of the wide range of users and the variety of functions that are carried out in the same location.
This formalization is advantageous for the purposes of our research, because it provides a
comprehensive and agreed-upon set of behavior patterns on which to build the model.
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COMPUTATIONAL BEHAVIOR CONCEPT
Human Behavior and Design Strategies
Privacy is the process in which users can defined themselves more or less reachable to
others. In an office interior space, privacy may be formed by protecting individual from
physical, visual and sound transmission through the use of partitions. Also the privacy
level can be established by the office plan analysis according to space functions and
human needs.
Interaction levels one of the techniques that affect level of privacy desired ratio as
people discern their relationship with others in terms of distances, or spaces, between
them. In fact each person in need of suitable space to
interact and achieve different tasks in specific time. This
space can expands and contracts to serve individual needs
and social circumstances. In addition to perceptions,
experiences, and uses of that particular environment
which determined by the space size. Edward T. Hall in
"The Hidden Dimension " defines four several distances
at which interpersonal cooperation normally take
place. These are categorized as intimate, personal, Fig. 6. Sociological determinants
social, and public [6].
Territoriality is the way of control that provides security and identity through personal
and defined individual interactions. Territorial exclusive control of a space also involves
by an individual or group. This control reveals privileges and may aggressive actions
occurred during defensing. If privacy achieved its desired level; territoriality take place.
Crowding which happens due to ineffectively functions for both personal space and
territoriality, reflecting to the poor external social contact. From the sociology view, users
respond with a various ways toward crowding depending on their situation, as crowding
may be unpleasant if it is only temporary. In other situations crowding may be attractive
if it is considered as “part of the fun “. At the other hand, crowding can cause
psychological annoyance if it appears in a confining way.
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2- Psychological Human Response
Understanding human responses to the environment are complicated, it divides in to three
psychological stages of human behavior: perception, cognition, and spatial behavior.
Designer directs these psychological stages by creating environmental stimulation, behinds the
secondary processes that involves motivation, effect and development. Interior designer consider
the environmental expectations as a deciding element which developed side by side with gained
experience and interaction with the environment. Sensations came as an integration between the
environment expectations and human perception of a space.
3- Physiological Determinants
Physical needs of the users affect the physiological determinants such as functionality,
ergonomics, life safety, and health concerns. These factors must be considered during the planning
stage that deal with physiological responses.
By knowing the activity taking place in the space and how the users will react, the designer can
create his conception vision for the project. As the physical environment linked with behavior
patterns of the people using the space by behavior setting.
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According to various studies, user’s productivity increase with environment
improvement, the following specific environmental conditions help in raising user
efficiency related to his needs.
Life safety and health is an aspect cares about individual negative natural response
towards danger sensing which transform to fighting or escaping forms. That make
designer priority is how to support individual with a suitable timing facilities through an
assurance of acceptable travel path capacity for the users of the space, and a clear
indication of a safe exit meaning. It is urgent to design the guiding mechanisms with
highly visible and clearly stated as people do not have the opportunity to decipher codes
which may show safe passage at panic or emergency situation. So, it’s necessary to
control the visual environment and be aware of the criteria of sensing that supply the exit
systems development which considered to be the desire of both designer and user. And
generally applying the design concept purposed through the overall planning.
Health aspect is more effective when space functions applicable for the tasks needed, which
reduce the causing of physical harm such as repetitive strain injury (carpal tunnel syndrome) or
back pains. So, ergonomic design is an aspect of health awareness. Health responsibility is to be
aware of selection materials like paints or carpet adhesives smokes that may cause headache or
bronchial stress, also smells that raise worker absence percentage even the non-toxic elements. The
designers cannot control this aspects because health are less visual than life safety, but they must
be conscious of material selections as it impacts on occupant’s health and to prevent this materials
from spreading.
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Human Behavior and Computational Intelligence
Many engineers and computer scientists trying to find a way to embed the computational
intelligence inside an environment of any space through researches done at the late of 1980s.
Computer not only placed as a personal computing model which occupies all the attentions,
but it also consider the social aspect of the human inside a space where it may be invisible at
this situation. Constantly space and the objects inside are always connected to each other by a
computer network, thus the human strongly interact with the space and socially integrated
through the computer methodology [5]. A large number of built projects disregarding the
importance of the three dimensional aspect of spaces and concerning on the skins and surfaces
to put the issue of the human behavior into consideration which brought them into an artistic
endeavors, recognizing the skin and surfaces of the building is also important to be considered
but in a different way. The skin condition of the building deals with conditions of the external
environment and the internal environment which is translated into the inhabitants inside as
well. Substantially it required to deal with behaviors to create a dialogue with the users, as
one's own actions and other's actions must be understandable inside a space to make a
relationship, also the environment dialogue must be realized.
At the time of design multi-aspects' problems, interactive architecture takes a role of being
the joint between these different aspects, each one of them has its own force and they have not
necessarily to be equal but they have to be balanced, also it means to neutralize the aspects of
different forces by each other to achieve a specific level of interaction, as each factor has
different influence [13].
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1- The Computation of Social Behavior
Place Sensing means that if two people setting in a crowding place trying to have a private
conversation, it will be difficult because of the volume of the background noise, and the result will
be that their conversation gets mixed up with other conversations. As the general condition of the
room is designed for a large group but is not designed to accommodate a private conversation. It’s
architecture role to create the space shape to be more adaptable and comfortable to a more private
conversation between the two people, An interactive architectural environment allows people to
understand that the environment had successfully served their need and facilitated their desire, also
provide a unique sense of space which increased by the regularly changing information exchanges
in small or large groups.
Good interaction get the better of traditional goals of a space to be prepared of having a
successful conversations, Because when communication is clear and the results are gratified, sense
of achievement can be allowed by the user.
When human-computer interaction raised to be at the same level of human-human interaction,
there is an increased in users desire to experience communication they expected. An interactive
space can also effect on many psychological aspects, from being a relaxing space comparing with
the stressful life of the city, to a stimulating social environment for a person who is alone. For
example creating space that promote relaxation and reflection through a calming environment of
light and sound, preventing sense of tension by controlling user footsteps or tone of voice.
Interactive environment concerns focus on how to deal with
social conditions is to make them respond, interact, and adapt
like human behavior. One of user expectations is that the space
provides them with adaptation and their needed desires,
however, it would also shape their experiences, as interactive
spaces can shape individual experience by expecting their
response and prepare them to be able to realize a changing
spatial environment according to individual actions
within the system, as method of interaction can Fig. 9. Successful Place Qualities
encourage conversations that are social and not just http://www.pps.org/reference/grplacefeat/
individual.
Example of form expansion due to parameters of users into spaces concerning on social
behavior aspect, using grasshopper software to adapt the relation between size of expansion and
number of humans inside (figure 10).
Fig. 10. The illustration explains the definition of the simulation which shows the parameters
And network relation between number of people and space volume
using parametric software (Grasshopper)
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2- The Computation of Psychology Behavior
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) methodologies has obtained valuable conclusions based on
voice, vision and touchscreens, such as Smart environments that understand human natural
behavior. Sensing spaces consider to be an effective and practical way to increase human’s
interaction with virtual worlds. Intelligent building automation, e-health, surveillance,
entertainment, edutainment (educational entertainment ) and smart factories are the most common
applications of sensing environment that are acceptable for many fields [16].
Sensing environments encourage people to move and interact with virtual or physical items and
with other humans by avoiding the use of non-natural input devices such as keyboard and mouse,
also avoid the need of semi-natural interfaces like touchscreens, which makes users required to
learn the computer interface paradigm. [20].
Sound Sensing is one of the application of architecture interaction, sounds must be in the positive
way not in the negative one, taking the aspect of acoustic into the form, many positive attributes
will be considerable and negative one will be suppressed, sounds can connecting the sense of the
space through translating the negative associated acoustics into positive associated acoustics.
Smell Sensing also can associate positively into an architecture spaces, so interactive architecture
facilitate the management of controlling the odor and the air movement, also emotional reactions
can be affected by smells as well.
Touch Sensing means the sensual and experiential aspect of touchable interaction for future
architectonic aspects, such as walls, floors and ceilings, which designed with interactive,
programmed behaviors that afford new kinds of human experience depends on sense of touch [14].
For example, Model optimization respecting psychological and human comfort through
architecture form deformation using algorithmic software (figure 12).
Fig. 12. The illustration explains the definition of the simulation which shows
the parameters and Sun algorithms at the form using parametric software
(Grasshopper – Ladybug Environmental Simulation)
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3- The Computation of Physiology Behavior
Space Controlling
Controlling and adjusting capabilities of space can be alternate, encouraging the emotional
collaboration between environment and users can be held by a clear communication, increasing the
experiences of the spaces, as there is ability for users through space manipulation, also ability for a
new connections types with each other. For example, there will be many solutions with different
strategies to open a door inside a locked space containing a group of individuals as they learn to
how to open a door for exiting the space. So, they will in providing the true operations to open the
door, if those strategies are the successful and the clues are provided to the group, so it would be a
cooperating potential to find the suitable solution for the problem and communal sense of success
when finally the door was opened.
Doors always has a specific operation, they have handles and hinges that's facilitate to open up
the door so if a normal person didn't have a past experience to open this object, this means that it
will not be easy as well, from that point the conclusion is that interactive architecture application
for change are developed with a new potential, either potential transferring and communications
means must be obvious, for the successful system.
Space Collaboration
Biological systems has an intimated explanation specially with the architecture in the interaction
manner, it obviously presenting a clear difference with our constructed environment built in the
past times, A strong sense of interaction inside an architecture space produced when it has a real
ability of communication, “Our society tries to understand its own structure, and builds its
physical extensions on the earth’s surface, guided by the blank slate hypothesis.” pointed by
Salingaros [17]. When humans exist into an architecture environment they influences it by a
conditional forces. As elaborated by Arendt— “whatever touches or enters into a sustained
relationship with human life immediately assumes the character of a condition of human existence.
This is why men, no matter what they do, are always conditioned beings" [1]. Arendt elaborates
that human conditioned due to his existence of his supposed character through environment and
object, and he can't stand as an independent conditional force," things that owe their existence
exclusively to men nevertheless constantly condition their human makers" [10]. Therefore, this
creates a common relationship between human and his environment, as the human becomes
conditioned force and conditioned entity as well, also the environment takes the role of
conditioning force and conditioned entity at the same time, such as the Physical deformation
through conditioning force (figure 13).
Fig. 13. The illustration explains the definition of the simulation which shows
the parameters and forces at the form using parametric software (Grasshopper - kangaroo Plugin)
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METHODOLOGY
The design process itself runs through a systematic and interactive methodology to create an
innovative and functional design solution whereby the expected needs and resources of the users
are satisfied. This process has been applied in form of library prototype designed by authors.
Architecture Drawings
The plan shows the homogeneous space which allows people to get interact with each other, and
to apply various activities through this open space provided by functional steps ups and downs.
Section clarify the strong integration between the floors addition to the easy access between slabs
and how to move from floor to other in a simple manner.
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Design process
1- Starting with an initial basic form “Box” with dimension (12*12*12) as it
is the most suitable size for a pavilion prototype in the public spaces to be
submitted into multiple different regions.
2- Creating three floors to receive many numbers of visitors and users and to
produce various zones for activates mainly for reading facilities, addition to
public spaces for other activities like music concert.
4- Adding a glazing from the four sides of the pavilion using semi-
transparent glass to avoid the sun radiation harming, it let the users inside
feels freedom, as a strong psychological aspect.
5- Changing the slopes of the slabs into steps providing users an easy access
to all zones and also gives the pavilion inside many functions beneath this
steps.
Fig. 16. Design process diagram
Interior
The interior of the pavilion shows the human interaction inside as in the first two levels is quite
suitable zones for reading using steps of shelves and up steps of lights, also it is appropriated for
meeting and gathering.
The roof designed to be an open space for concerts and music festivals, and it can occupies a
large number of audiences, addition to natural lighting at morning and artificial light at night.
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Tooling
The illustration of the computational transformation of the floors through digital program and
algorithms due to the conceptual design of human behavior influence through spaces, which
conclude a comfort spaces for human respecting his behavior aspects.
The floor transformation from flat slabs to such an harmonic integrated slab then to steps
through its contour level, so computer programs used are Rhino and grasshopper with kangaroo
plug-in simulation, this program give us a simulation of a force acting on surfaces, which
corresponding to the human sensual forces acting inside spaces and the result actually suited for
the real human behavior.
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CONCLUSIONS
The success of any design depends upon the degree to which it creates an interface
between users and the environment.
Designed environments influence people’s behavior in a variety of ways, and some have
been designed expressly with this intention.
Affective response in architecture can extend its existing capacity as a setting for human
action within the built environment, by facilitating more intuitive and inclusive user
interaction.
This can range from high-level visions of influencing wider social or community
behaviors, to very specific techniques applied to influence particular behaviors in a
particular context; the use of patterns facilitates re-use of techniques wherever a similar
problem recurs.
In practice, patterns may be applied in combination to create different kinds of space with
different effects on behavior.
Some concepts related to influencing behavior in the built environment may be
transposed to other designed systems and contexts.
We cannot control human behaviors with buildings. However, we can design a dynamic
architecture with four dimensions: length, width, depth and Time. Thus, human behaviors
can also be one of the designers of buildings so that they have an interaction with each
other.
Architects are well equipped when conceptualizing applications in Interactive
Architecture, because their background is in visualizing space and understanding both
user and environmental demands.
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REFERENCES
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