HCD and Arch

Norman states that, “Technology may change rapidly, but people change slowly. The principles, the examples, and the lessons of The Design of Everyday Things come from an understanding of people. They remain true forever.” Norman’s underlying principles mean that a good design requires good communication between technology and psychology (Norman 7). After two-years learning of architecture, I begin to realize the important role of human beings played in the design itself. For architects, customizing designing environments with an intimate understanding of the people who work or live inside is especially crucial. Human Centered Design (HCD) for architects means the effective relationship between the space and the emotion of human beings.  Especially during the rise of Modernism, the traditional historical styles, such as the Beaux-Arts style and Neo-classicism with lavish uses of decorations and colors, were abandoned and replaced by newly functional ones, in order to meet the requirements of modern spatial efficiency.

The below project I designed last semester for my arch class is a three-floor building on the sloped riverbank at Bald Eagle, which is designed for the skiing and boating purposes. My innovation compiles with HCD that each floor serves different functions for different tourists including for relaxing, shopping, skiing and boating storage. Methods of interaction and communication between people and environment are involved.                                            My arch design project of a boathouse

 

Four Principles:

An affordance is a relationship between the properties of an object and the capabilities of the agent that determine just how the object could possibly be used (Norman 11). From Norman’s example of glass, we can tell that the idea of affordance is largely applied to the domain of architecture. For example, the stucco in architectural design always affords finished layer as well as fire resistance. As an excellent and durable fire-resistant finish material for buildings, stucco is therefore well recommended. Unless there is a fire, this affordance of stucco is invisible, but for the architectural engineers, they would mostly perceive it.

Property of a signifier is some means of signaling presented when an affordance cannot be perceived (Norman 14). As for the signifier, I think one of the best examples in architecture is the triumphal arches. Those are undoubtedly designed to span a road. However, more importantly, with carvings and sculpted reliefs on them, they become the signs of triumph, which were designed intentionally for the purpose of commemorating victories during the old times.

Mapping is especially important in architecture as it incorporates all aspects including the space, time, events, etc. An example of mapping in architectural design can be the design of the lighting of Vodafone Headquarters in Porto. From the picture, we can tell that the lighting design serves as a guide for the space which can lead the people go through. It corresponds with the shapes of the hallway and illuminates the dark space. Therefore, the relationships of these two projects (light and space) are effectively combined into one concept. I believe that this design also successfully meets the best standards that Norman mentioned with “the aesthetics of form and the quality of interaction” (Norman 4). We can not only perceive the relationship and be directed by the integrated lighting but also feel the sense of beauty once when we get into the place.

                                           Hallway in Vodafone Headquarters in Porto

In architectural engineering, from my own experience, the feedback of the fire-alarm is important but controversial sometimes. Take the Pointe Apartment in State College for example, the smoke-detectors as a crucial feedback for residents made us annoying sometimes because it’s too sensitive. We are having trouble getting the smoke alarm not to go off almost every time we cooked. Therefore, we can see how it is important for an effective feedback in design, which directly determines the overall qualities of the project and the receivers’ experiences.

 

Image courtesy of Barbosa Guimaraes, some rights reserved.