Overview of Human Response

Thoughts on the study of Human Response

Having graduated with a bachelor in architecture and two years of work experience in the related field, I would have through I have a sufficient level of understanding in how human response in the built environment.  Looking back to those years of study and work, I can say that I did not pay enough attention to this topic, as I should have.  In architecture, many attentions have been placed on how the building would influence and impact the surroundings.  The focus is on the external factors and not internally.  As the buildings are designed for human, I feel that the focus on how human interact inside those spaces is just as important as how they would affect the surroundings.  For a project to be successful, designers must design for both the human and the surrounding.

During this course, I have became more critical in interior space of different settings, looking for elements that could cause discomfort and negative effects to the human, hence also what could be done to achieve a better environment, designing for our well being.  It prepared me to design at a more in depth level and it got me to look at things more in the user’s perspective.  I have also taken in lots of different results from numerous studies and experiments, looking at how human react under a certain element inside the interior environment.  One of the most interesting one was how integrating nature into the interior space could have a restorative effects on human.  I have always known the importance of having nature inside the interior environment but I did not know it would have such astonishing effect.  I was also fascinated by the topic on good ergonomics designs, increasing my awareness of both short and long-term benefits it could have on human.  It inspired me to put more consideration on the users, creating better working and living environments.  The class on five sensory was also of my interest.  I remembered that we were asked how we could design for smell; it got me to think more on how a space would interact with human through their five senses like never before.   Trained me to think and design for an enhance experience in the future.

This study of human response is very essential to me, developed me into a better designer for the field of architecture and interior design.  It taught me to design and be more thoughtful on the occupants, building for their well-being.  In addition, this course also educated me on the differences and requirements of different types of settings, such as residential, working, educational, exhibits and healthcare environments.  It was very interesting to look at prison and institutional environments too, as I have never came across prison designs.  They all got me thinking that human response is essential in our built environments, as designers, we should put more consideration on how human would react within the space and how we could create a positive environment for them in all different types of settings.  

Human response to Museums and Exhibits

Purposeful Manipulation of Human Response in Interior spaces

In my undergraduate architecture course, I remembered one of my final projects was to design an extension for the London Tate Modern.  It was a huge power station, which later on transformed into an art museum at the heart of London.  I knew then the circulation and flexible exhibition space were essential factor, hence the ease of navigate inside the museum were also as important.  Day lighting was also a major area I looked at in my project.  In addition, from my own experience, I know that by integrating food and beverages areas into the museum could further enhance the experience of the visit.  As a result, I put a lot of focus into those elements when I was designing the project (fig.1 and 2). 

However, after my human response class on museum and exhibit, I found out a lot more important elements than those I knew before.  Temperature, lighting, security, and humidity are the most notable aspects I could have designed for in my project.  Apart for the human response inside the exhibit spaces, I feel that the care for the artwork is just as important.  Lighting is essential in exhibit spaces, as a sufficient level of lighting is required for visitors to be able to visually access the work at a comfortable level, hence, designers should be careful of any light glare created by lights, causing discomfort to the visitors.  Furthermore, UV ray are said to be damaging to works of art, hence lighting should not be shined directly onto artworks as light could be damaging to the works over time.  Therefore, designers should keep in mind what kinds of work are on display when they select which type of lighting.  The color inside exhibit spaces is essential too.  For example, if the background color is too bright, then the work on display will lost its focal point inside the exhibit.  Therefore, keeping a neutral background might help to bring out the best visual effect of the displays.  

Temperature and humidity are critical elements in keeping a comfortable exhibit environment for the visitors, and damage free surrounding for the artwork.  Depending on the work on display, ideally the temperature and humidity should be kept at 60-80 degrees and 55 to 65 percent relative humidity - experts from Chubb Group.

Security and fire protection should be in place for the safety of both the visitors and artworks.  Fire and security shutters could be installed around artworks to reduce chances of any lost due to fire and theft.

Lastly, furniture inside exhibit spaces could be introduced to increase the comfort and experience for visitors.  Sitting arranged in the direction of artwork could provide additional comfort to visitors while they perceive the works. 

Human Response to Prison and Institutional Environments

Challenges of Human Response in Interior of Prison and Institutional

In my class on prison and institutional design, I came across some very interesting facts about prisons.  Historically, the conditions of the prisons were very poor, where they had mixed inmates of men, women and children (fig.1).  The lighting was very limited and the prisons were usually located in the basements or in tower.  It is also said that prison are a combination of workhouse, poor house and jail.  The HM Prison Wandsworth, United Kingdom, is an example of a workhouse jail (discipline plus work), where the objective was to install a habit of industry.  The prison was built in 1851 when it was known as "Surrey House of Correction". The Inmates had to farm and produce products that were sold in the market (fig.2). 

It was very interesting to see early prison designs.  Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), an English advocate of the prison reform, also the founder of “Panopticon” prison design.  The prison was designed in circular form, with all the cells located around the radius of the structure (fig.3).  Bentham invented a watchtower at the center of the space, so the guards could see all the inmates with ease.  However, due to security problems most of the Panopticon prisons have been closed.

In the United State of America, There are different types of prisons for different level of security (max, medium and minimum.)  The common objectives of all levels of secure prisons are to organize and operate to minimize the possibility of escape and violence, impose limitation on movement and freedom of inmates.   However, as the security level reduces, the freedom and movement would increase.   I have different feelings about the idea of having different prisons for different level of security.  For example, if ones were to be moved from a medium level to a minimum level of secure prison, they would have to be transported from one to the other, which in turn would increase the chance for them to escape.   Therefore, having a prison with different levels of security would greatly reduce the chance of escape, as the transportation between levels would still be inside the prison.  Hence, introducing security gates in between spaces could further increase order and security within prison. 

In addition to designing for safety and security, the selection of furniture and materials are also essential.  Designers should consider using fixed furniture that does not have any sharp edges.  This would greatly reduce the chance of inmates using furniture as a weapon during riot (fig.4).  I also feel that by incorporating nature into prison’s environment could help create calmness to the inmates, which in turn might help reduce the chances of fights and riot.  I believe in making a better living environment could help to reduce the hatred and anger inside the inmates, creating a happier environment could promote them to change the way they treat themselves and others, bettering themselves as a person.  The following images are examples of living environments inside different prisons.  

Human Response to Healthcare Environments

Infection Control and Human Response to Healthcare Environments

In my recent human response class, we looked at some interesting facts on HAI – hospital acquired infections.  I was amazed at the number of people that got acquired infection in hospitals.  The figure stands at 1.7 million people in the year 2002, around 4.5 people per 100 admissions, furthermore, 99,000 died from HAI.  In 2007, some 6.65 billion of dollars were spent fighting HAI - figures shown in a report by Jan Malkin (2010).  However, it was interesting to see how much money could have been saved just by preventing one person from HAI ($20,542 - $25,903).  Looking at those figures, I feel that, as designers we should look for ways to prevent and control the spreading of viruses within our healthcare environments. 

To tackle this problem, first we need to know how bacteria spread and what they need to grow from.  Those microorganisms can spread everywhere, such as through air, water and human contacts.  They need oxygen, food (dirt and moist) and a surface to survive.  Therefore, it is essential to keep those in mind when designing for infection control.

I remember some time ago, when Hong Kong was hit by an outbreak of the SARZ virus.  Hundreds of people were infected in a matter of days.  At that time, nobody knows how so many were infected in a short space of time, and as a result, people had to evacuate their homes to go to a safer place.  It was a truly frightening time for people of Hong Kong, as the virus was unknown at the time.  Later on, investigation conducted by experts shows that, the plumbing and ventilation systems were the main cause for the fast rate of spreading.  Because of the denseness of the apartment units, the virus would exit ones ventilation system and enter nearby units through openings.  Similarly, the virus spread in alike fashion through the plumbing systems.  For that reason, I see the importance of having controlled ventilation with high capacity filter and plumbing systems in our healthcare environment, as they could greatly reduce the spreading of bacteria through those systems.  Hence, to further control the spreading, room humidity should be controlled, as this would reduce the growth of microorganisms. 

Furthermore, materials with solid surfaces, such as stainless steel are better for reducing the growth of virus.  Therefore, designers should apply materials of solid surfaces to areas where infection control are required.  In those spaces, designers should also consider the ease of cleaning, as regular cleaning is essential in killing the viruses.  In addition, incorporating biocide to the finishes could further reduce the growth of the bacteria. 

Finally, it is just as important to educate patients the importance of self-cleanliness in combating HAI.  Hand sanitizers and sinks should be placed at visible locations to promote hygiene throughout the healthcare environments.

Human Response to Healthcare Environments

Designing for health in health care Environments

I have never thought about health environments until recently.  I have been to quite a few different hospitals in Hong Kong, depending on the ownership of the hospitals (private or government), their interior environments can be quite different.  I recently went on a field trip to the Emory University hospital; it was very interesting to see the differences in the hospitals environment of different culture.  We were only allowed to tour the ground level of the hospital, therefore our observation was limited.  However, there were many elements of the interior that caught my attention, such as the scale of the lobby, amount of natural light, integrating of animals and ease of way finding.  Some of those elements are very similar to the hospitals in Hong Kong but some I have never seen before.

Recently, the main lobby of the Emory hospital had been renovated.  Although the differences in scale, it actually reminded me of a private hospital in Hong Kong.  The lobby was designed in similar fashion of the hotel lobbies, the environment feels very comfortable with the reception desk very visible and a lot of sitting arrangements located throughout.  As hospitals generally give out a negative feeling, I think it is essential to create the interior environment as relaxing and as comfortable as possible to help ease that negative feeling amongst the patients.  In addition to create a comfortable space, the architects incorporated a lot of natural light and natural elements into the interior, further enhancing the level of comfort.  Natural light were able to fill the interior through the curtain walls and the skylight.   Trees, plants and water features were located in visible areas, generating a natural feeling to the atmosphere.

The other thing I have also noticed, was that the distant smell of hospital wasn’t present at the touring areas.  I feel that, to create a comfortable health care environment, removing that smell is just as important as bring natural elements into the interior.  Having that hospital smell would create a negative psychological effect on the occupants and in turn reducing their well being.

The biggest difference of the hospitals from Hong Kong and this hospital was the availability of nature.  In the Emory Hospital, connections with nature were located throughout the ground floor.  People could go outside and sit in the healing garden or the water pond.  Furthermore, they could watch the birds flying around in the two display rooms along the corridor.    As suggested by the Gifford book (p.xxx), a patient with a view to nature recovers faster than the ones without.  Therefore, having nature in the health environment are essential in the healing and restoring process of the patients.

Way Finding is also a very important elements in health care environments.  In many hospitals, the ease of way finding is very poor.  I remember a hospital in Hong Kong used stickers along the floor to indicate different directions to different departments.  From time to time, those stickers would come off and people would be lost and navigation becomes difficult.  In the Emory Hospital, the signs or directories are located throughout.  Although the font were not very big, but they were still quite clear as the text were contrasted to a white background.  Directories were placed at visible areas along the walls, hanged from the ceiling or placed in common areas in forms of stands.

From the lecture, it was interesting to know that doctors and nurses were trained to perform with the head boards on their left hand side.  Studies have shown, medical errors would reduce having the head boards on the left side of the medical staff.  For that result, when designing health care units, designers should keep that in mind. 

Reference –

http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=9B6FFC446FF7486981EA3C0C3CCE4943&nm=Articles&type=Publishing&mod=Publications::Article&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=58A9E934CD6248828966D832792764F8

Human Response to Color

Human response to color

Theories of color have long been discovered in our history.  It was suggested the principles of color theory first appeared in the writings and notebook of Leone Battista Alberti (c.1435) and Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1490) respectively.  Furthermore In 1666, Isaac Newton developed the Newton color circle (fig.1).  He also suggested white light is a light that contain all wavelengths of the visible spectrum.  From looking at those, it suggests color theory has a long history, however, do we know how color could affect our mood?

Different color holds a different meaning and in different cultures, certain color has different meaning.  For example, in western cultures, the color white carries a positive connotation and it is being associated with brides, angels and peace (fig.2).  In parts of the eastern culture, the meaning is completely the opposite; it is associated with funerals and death (fig.3).  Some years back when I was working for an architectural firm, I remember I was involved in designing a clubhouse for a residential project in china.  We incorporated a blue tint glass for the façade without knowing the full meaning of that blue tint.  It was a very good lesson learnt, as the scheme was rejected by the clients.  The reason being is that, the blue hue we used is actually associated to dead people.  As designers, we should be more careful when incorporating different colors in our projects, as they could mean something bad in different culture, and in turn create a negative reaction to the users.

Color is closely related to temperature, color is said to be warm or cold.  In respect to that, different color could be used to create a warm or cold sense to a space.  A study conducted by Itten 1961, the study involved a group of people sat in rooms painted in blue and red respectively.  The group in the blue room felt cold at a higher temperature when compared to the red room. 

Many studies have been conducted related to our built environment to see if different color could affect human psychologically.  In 1949, Moruzzi and Magoun conducted a study involving Parkinson patients.  In this study, observations of the patient’s pathological conditions were recorded when they were placed in red and green rooms.   The observation shows that, patient’s condition in the red room actually worsened, and in the green room the condition improved.  Another study conducted by Gerrard in 1957, here brain scans were taken when the person were shown different color.  The results show that red hue could increase brain activity, whereas the activity reduced with blue, green hue.  Those studies are just the few from the many studies and researches.  However, it is hard to determine a solid conclusion to which color actually effect human in a certain way, as some of the study showed very contrasting results.  Having said that, we do know why color could impact our emotion, color stimulates the nervous activities of the hypothalamus (fig.4) -a part of the brain which controls our hormones; in turn impacts our emotions. 

Reference –

http://yorgonestoridis.com/web-design/web-design-color-theory/

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/b/bride-wars.shtml

http://dying.lovetoknow.com/Culturally_Creative_Expressions_of_Grief

http://forums.luxology.com/discussion/topic.aspx?id=33890

http://www.home-designing.com/2008/11/bizarre-themed-rooms

http://popdose.com/tag/hypothalamus/

Human Response to educational Environments

Human Response of Children in the Built Interior Environment

Educational environment plays a very important role in the development of children.  I could remember going to school in Hong Kong, where the confined classrooms were filled with 30 to 40 pupils (fig.1 shows in sketch of the layout of one of my classroom).  All the educational activities were done in the same classroom; even lunches would be delivered to the door and dished out to pupil’s desk (fig.2 shows a sketch of the desk I used to work on).  Therefore, apart from the morning breaks, we would spend the whole day in the same classroom.  Freedom to communicate and move around the school was very restricted back then.  However, I know the schools in Hong Kong are changing recently, in terms of the way children are taught and the systems of the schools. 

Educational spaces are much more fun to work in when compared to the past.  Fun spaces would encourage children to interact more in the class.  Designers could incorporate brighter colors or themes into designated spaces to attract the children, enhancing the connection of children to the educational environment (fig. 3 shows a Noah Ark themed educational space at the Skirball children learning center.)

Classroom layouts should be flexible to accommodated multi function or different activities of classes.  For example, tables and chairs should be easily movable to suit the needs of different class activities (fig.4 shows the node chair by IDEO, it has wheels at the base of the chair, offering the ease to shift and transform classroom layouts to suit different activities.)  Similarly, teacher median should not be fixed to one location, as this will restrict the freedom of transforming the layout of classroom. 

Lighting in classrooms also plays a very important role in the development and performance of children in class.  In the Robert Gifford book (p.338), a study suggested children in a classroom with daylight paid more attention to the teacher when compared to the ones without daylight.  Hence, reading scores were higher in the class with daylight.  Looking at those evidences, I could say it is essential to bring natural light into classrooms wherever possible (fig. 5 shows a classroom filled with natural light)

Noise is another element that designers should design for in educational environments.  In a study conducted by Arline Bronzaft from the Gifford book (p.333), the study consists of two classrooms, one had a frequent train passing by and the other had a relatively quiet background.  The study shows that, reading scores were lower in the class with train background.   Therefore, unwanted noises can be very distracting, and in turn, it could affect the performance of the children and teachers.  Designers should incorporate acoustical treatments to classrooms where distracting noise are present. 

Reference –

http://www.handycrafuniqe.com/interior-design-for-noahs-ark-at-the-skirball-children-learning/

http://www.thedesignblog.org/entry/node-chair-boosts-up-learning-in-contemporary-schools/

http://www.tah2.org/think/spaces/light

Human Response to Residential Environments

Creating Comfort at Home

I recently had a human response class on residential design, we talked about big houses or a space within a house doesn’t always bring comfort to the users.  It was fascinating to see how a home could be comfortable in a smaller and confined space.  We looked at architect Sarah Susanka, who was the author of The Not So Big House.  In all of her residential projects, she showed comfort could be achieved through beautiful made, simple, functional small spaces inside a house.  She also pointed out that, well made things last and people tends to preserve them.  I think this is true not only in our living environments, but also in every other part of our lives.  As a designer, it is essential to keep the balance between the functional aspect and the arts crafts of the project.  The project won’t be successful if either one of those elements were missing. 

Furthermore, I feel that users are equally as important as the elements mentioned above.  This is because, different people rates comfort differently, and therefore to create a comfortable living environment, designers must first understand the users of the spaces.   Designers should pay attention to the characteristics of the users, such as values, personality, culture, gender, age, occupation and etc.  All those elements would influence the desires of the users.  For example, designing for a female living space would be very different to designing for a male.  Therefore it is essential to tailor make the living space for the users.  What does a female space need?  What does the user expect the space to have to suit their needs?  Many questions would need to be asked before any designing begins. 

To create a comfortable home would require communication with the users, to understand their needs.  Hence design and make a well crafted and functional place that meets the requirements of the users.

Human Response to Residential Environment

Needs in Multi Family Housing

High rise apartments are the most common type of housing in Hong Kong.  This is due to the fact that, to the lack of land to house such a high population, therefore developing vertically is the only answer for the time being.  I cannot record spending a week in other types of housing, other than an apartment.  However, if I had the chance to choose which type of housing to live in, I would still prefer to live in an apartment.  Elements such as culture, background, financial have influenced my chose.  On the other hand, I could say Americans tends to prefer single family housing over the multi family housings.  As a study by William Michelson in the Gifford Book (p.246) suggests, over 50 percent of people were satisfied in single family housing, where as less than 25 percent were satisfied in multifamily housing.  There are many results to why people would prefer living in single family housing than in multi storey apartments; this might be due to some physical or psychological concerns related to multi family living.

Spaces are very limited in some of the apartments I have lived in.  Designers are continuously finding new ways to generate multi functional spaces within small compartments.  Performance should not be limited than small spaces, therefore, having multi functional spaces are very essential inside the small apartments.  (fig.1) is an example of multi functional space, where different functional spaces are hidden behind those movable walls.

Noise is a major problem in multifamily housing.  All the units are separated by a partition walls and ceilings; usually they are very thin and without any acoustical treatment (fig.2).  It can be quite disturbing at times to hear what our neighbors are doing.  I remember from some time ago, I was living in a unit under a family with two kids.  Almost every Saturday morning, I used to get woken up by crying noises, ball bouncing, or moping floor.  I used to get really upset, as that was the only morning that I could sleep in.  If only the walls and ceiling could be treated with acoustic materials, then all those unwanted noises wouldn’t be a problem in multifamily housing.

Privacy could be another concern in some apartments.  As the units are so closely put together, privacy could be hard to come by.  For example, balconies are so closely placed or something they could be linked together only separated by a thin partition (fig.3).  If ones were to step out onto the balcony they would have to be careful of what they wear or what they do, as other tendencies might see.  Furthermore, the location of windows could also provide concerns to ones privacy.  From the apartment I live in back in Hong Kong, I remember I could see my neighbors of the next block through the windows of my living room.  Architects should pay more attention to the direction of each unit facing before placing the windows. 

Nature tends to be very limited in multi story housing.  All the living units are elevated above ground therefore people would be disconnected to nature.  Bring nature together with our built environment is very essential to our well being.  In multi story housing, plants or other means of nature could be incorporated into the public space such as lift lobbies and staircase or even a designated floor could to be used as an outdoor garden (fig.4). 

Reference –

Human Response to Nature

Using Biophilia in Furniture and Furnishing Design to Evoke Human Response

What is Biophilia? It is a term created by E.O. Wilson to describe "our sense of connection to nature and other forms of life."  In our built environment, architects and designers have been finding ways to incorporate plants into our spaces.  Green roofs and green walls (shown in fig.1 and 2 below) have been invented to enhance our connection with nature within their built environments. 

I can say that, historically, furniture designers have been creating Biophilia furniture, because there were evident of connection with nature in the furniture.   From the trip to high museum, I saw a lot of furniture from the past were made with wood.  Hence, designers would carve nature elements such as animals or plants motifs into their designs (shown in fig.3.)  As technique and technology improves.  I feel that the Biophilia furniture should offer more in terms of visual connection. 

In my opinion, Biophilia furniture of the modern day should be able to connect the users to natural mentally and physically, therefore ones could see, smell and feel nature.  Recently, designers have found new ways to incorporated nature into our furniture.  For example, the growing chair by Michel Bussien (shown in fig.4).  

The chair has a polycarbonate frame which is filled with living plants.  

Furthermore, the shower mat (shown in fig.5) has a rubber base which houses different types of moss.  The moss would provide a soft surface to stand and they would take in all the water drops from your body when you exit the shower. 

I also feel that Biophilia furniture does not have to be entirely made with natural materials, or they could be made by manmade materials.  As long as they could represent, remind or connect humans with nature in some way, then they would be Biophilia furniture.  For example, (fig.6) shows some pebbles inspired cushion designs.  Although the cushion would not have the hardness of the pebbles, but it could still visually connect the users to the nature.  

Another example I have experienced is that, every time I see or lay into a hanging swing chair, it would automatic remind me of the beach and the palm trees.  

Reference-

http://dallasgreenbuildingalliance.com/planning-design/design-strategies/green-wall-technologies/

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/07/chinas_learning.php

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/furniture.htm

http://fashiontribes.typepad.com/main/2006/12/stylehive_buzz__4.html

http://www.thegreenchildren.org/tgcf/foundationpress/tag/history/