ARCHI_PSYCHOLOGY

  BV DOSHI India’s most celebrated architect, 2018  Pritzker Prize  laureate Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, started his professional education in Bombay in 1947, the year  India  became an independent nation. But he soon went to  London  without ever completing it to prepare for the exam at the Royal Institute of British Architects,  RIBA . From a friend he found out about Le Corbusier’s projects in India and joined his office in  Paris  in 1951. He worked there on the designs for the High Court and Governor’s Palace in  Chandigarh  and then on the Mill Owners’ Association building and Shodhan House in  Ahmedabad . Starting from 1955, Doshi supervised the construction of Le Corbusier’s projects in Ahmedabad, where he settled and opened his own practice the following year. Doshi met leading architects and engineers such as Kenzo Tange and  Buckminster Fuller  while accompanying them on their visits to Ahmedabad t...

  THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN The interplay between architectural design and human psychology is significant, yet it remains largely unnoticed or even ignored both in and outside the design industry. Moreover, the relationship between design and psychology is not only consequential, it is bidirectional. On the one hand, successful design has been shown to have clear psychological and physiological impacts; on the other, psychology, human experience, and the function of our neurological systems all play a significant role in what we perceive to be successful design. Successful design patterns are reviewed, including those that evoke the same sense of security sought by our human ancestors, as well as those whose specific patterns have a meaningful psychological basis. Similarly, reasons why some design forms and themes have not been successful are explored, as is the modern-day challenge of human stress that results from those poorly designed buildings and s...

  SECURITY & CRIME Spatial structures are also associated with safety and security issues. If spatial structures fail, measures such as alarm systems or surveillance cameras often come into play. Certain structures can therefore attract crime or vandalism, but can also help to improve security and provide security. PERSONALITY & EVOLVEMENT The living environment in which we dwell and are surrounded by, and thus also our surrounding built environment is fertile ground for our individual development and evolution. In a positive sense, spaces can contribute to strengthening our sense of self-esteem and satisfaction. Deficits in this area might cause dissatisfaction, restlessness, alienation and listlessness. Many buildings, according to the  Deinsberger-Deinsweger , have deficits of various kinds which are usually not immediately noticeable. Housing and social policy researcher Danny Friedman also sees correlations between poor housing conditions/neighborhoods a...

                                           We spend 80–90% of our lives indoors, surrounded by forms, artificial light, colors, furniture and soundscapes. Isn’t it time to ask how much these built environments affect our lives and our personality? In this series, we explore questions about how architecture affects our thinking, our cognitive abilities, our mental and physical well-being, and our emotions. A relatively new field of research, namely “architectural psychology”, has been intensively dealing with such questions for several years. The aim of this academic field is to explore the impacts of architecture on humans, their feelings and behavior, and to formulate recommendations for the planning and design of buildings. This research area poses questions about the effect of outdoor and indoor spaces on people in cognitive, emotional and social terms? How can homes, offices...