At LS3P, Design Excellence Means We Elevate the Human Emotional Experience
Early in our education, architects learn the three principles of a good design as described by the Roman architect Vitruvius: “firmitas, utilitas, et venustas.”
Translated as “firmness, commodity, and delight,” these tenets underscore the importance of a building’s durability and functionality, but also the human experience of a space.
Dean Rains, AIA, GGP, LEED AP // Project Manager©LS3P 2023
Early in our education, architects learn the three principles of a good design as described by the Roman architect Vitruvius: “firmitas, utilitas, et venustas.” Translated as “firmness, commodity, and delight,” these tenets underscore the importance of a building’s durability and functionality, but also the human experience of a space. We’ve all spent time in buildings which are durable and functional but bring no delight to the users. Design excellence requires something more.
The field of neuroscience-informed design studies the emotional impacts of the built environment and the ways in which people experience it. We process the environment through our senses - sight, sound, touch, even taste and smell – and often perceive individual meanings filtered through the lenses of memory, culture, and personal experience. These elements are difficult to quantify, but can profoundly affect our experiences. What are the elements that help users build positive memories within a space, from the initial visit through return visits over years or decades?
As designers, we may find it easier to talk with clients about the things we can quantify. We are comfortable with the design dialogues that resonate with clients, typically focused on easy to understand references such as cost, budget, technical details, and maintenance. We may shy away, though from talking about the emotional impacts of our designs because we lack research or we have difficulty quantifying outcomes. We have solid evidence to support strategies such as biophilia and its impact on health and productivity or selecting certain colors for healthcare facilities, for example, but we cannot say with certainty that our design will invoke a particular emotional response in the majority of visitors. Feelings are nebulous.
It’s important to remember that architecture is an art as well as a science. Some elements of great design are quantifiable, and others – equally important – are not. When Steven Holl designed the Chapel of St. Ignatius in Seattle, he probably anticipated an emotional response to the fragrant beeswax-covered walls and reflected colors and light in certain areas, and didn’t wait for scientific metrics to back up his instincts. The multisensory experience of the space is dramatic and inspiring. Key take-aways for understanding how we interpret space to elevate emotions include:
A building doesn’t have to be lofty to have this impact (and it doesn’t even have to be a building). Consider a German Stammtisch – a table reserved for regular bar patrons. The experience of the Stammtisch is shaped by the coziness of the establishment, the food and drink, the lighting, the sounds of hospitality and laughter, and the time well spent with friends over years. The Stammtisch is a physical place that helps forge deep social connections. On a loftier scale, a place like the Vatican is designed to elicit awe and convey layers of meaning through the grandeur of its art and architecture. Both deepen our emotional experience.
When we talk about human emotional experience in design, we raise as many questions as answers. How do we elevate the experience for all, and not just some, or a few? Who is the intended audience? What messages are we conveying in our designs, intentionally & unintentionally?
Memory & Space
The hippocampus stores locational and boundary information in the brain, helping to create an internal construct of our natural or built surroundings. The effects can be immediate (calming or energizing) or longer-term (like the sensation of echoes in a performance hall that informs memories as well as positive experiences).
Familiar Objects, Details, & Spaces
Most people absorb visual cues to understand a space, so using common, familiar design elements is important to orientation and navigation. Unusual elements, or typical elements in unusual places, can be disorienting. (For example, dark patterns on a convention center floor can be misread as holes or openings to those who are visually impaired or struggling with memory issues.) Designing with familiarity and wayfinding in mind helps to alleviate anxiety and make a place feel more welcoming.
A design which elevates the human emotional experience is more than a structure; it elicits inspiration, awe or connection.
Quality of Light
The quality of light within a space can profoundly impact mood, memory, productivity, and wellness. Natural light typically invokes positive emotional responses and creates a sense of connection to nature.
Psychological Impacts
A space can impact a user in both valence (the range from positive to negative emotion) and arousal (the intensity of emotion). Designing spaces to elevate the human emotional experience requires a deep understanding of how diverse users perceive the spaces they’re in. While individual perceptions of our work will vary, we can harness best practices and draw from our own experiences to create spaces to forge connections, provide comfort, or inspire awe.
Spaces for Connection
Professor of Architecture Ruth Conroy Dalton writes, “Finally, one other design feature of buildings that is likely to elicit a positive emotional response is if a building or neighborhood includes spaces intended for social interaction. There is an entire sub-area of neuroscience devoted to the social brain and how we process social interactions and for most people such experiences are strongly positive ones (high valence + high arousal).”i
These, and many other elements, all contribute to elevating the human emotional experience. Great places and great spaces are design, first and foremost, for people: understanding what moves us beyond function and efficiency and towards camaraderie, joy, connection, reflection, and wonder is part of the challenge and the poetry of what we do as designers.
i. Dalton, Ruth. N.d. “The Science Behind our Emotional Connection to Architecture.” Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.heatherwick.com/wp-content/uploads/Ruth-Dalton-The-Science-behind-ourEmotional-Connection-to-Architecture.pdf
Project Manager | Architect | Associate Principal Dean Rains brings over 23 years of expertise in commercial and public projects. An Associate Principal, Project Manager, and Architect, Dean is highly skilled at coordinating the requirements of the various user groups and regulatory agencies and aligning them with the client’s requirements and design vision to deliver a successful project. He brings significant experience in the design of diverse civic projects including cultural, library, and human services facilities in addition to his broad portfolio of commercial work.
Dean is an active member of the professional community and is currently serving on the City of Raleigh Planning Commission. He has also served three terms on the City of Raleigh Appearance Commission, the AIA Triangle Programs Committee, as a juror for the City of Raleigh Environmental Awards and Sir Walter Raleigh Awards, and guest reviews for student work at the NCSU College of Design School of Architecture.
