Space use as an input to the design process

Abstract

By recognizing the reciprocity between space and use, buildings are conceived not only as stages but also as producers of human behavior, and their users are both spectators and creators of meaning by appropriating space. Hence, space use is the actual acknowledgment of the design process when encountering life. The most common ways of incorporating space use onto the design process are translated by general information, such as: standards, theoretical models and conventions. However, each project implies a deep recognition of its context, users and needs, properly suiting the space conceived by the architect to its future appropriation. Therefore, the study of space use is an operative tool for the design process, informing on quantitative and qualitative variables, invariables and specificities of a real life scenario. Despite having different study fields (whether of a more mathematical, phenomenological or sociological nature), disciplines in the scope of “Evidence-Based Design”, such as Post-Occupancy Evaluation, Space Syntax and Usability Studies, act as input to the design process - a feedforward technique that complements the architect’s options, embracing Schön’s (1983) “reflection in action” concept. Through these instruments, the project will result on a more thorough one, supported by user research outputs and the feedback of a broader stakeholders’ community. This will bring closer the space thought by the architect during the design process and the space lived in by the individual afterwards.