The way a space is designed influences human perception of it and the consequent behaviour. In this context, an interesting study has focused on increasing the concern about the importance of the interaction between interior architectural design and human psychological behaviour. It did so by inspecting the factors that could be more influential in the relation between architecture, interior design and the psychological status of people.
The study found that identity, privacy, safety and health concerns, accessibility degree, open spaces feature, and aesthetic sense are the main influential factors. But what do we mean by that? It means that the appropriate application of these features positively contributes to the well-being of people within a space. As we believe it is important to fully understand these features we are going to explain them a bit more in detail.
The feature of identity refers to the ability to enhance a sense of psychological identity about the architecture of a space that starts growing when people identify with the space itself. Citing the study, “the person defines the space but the space also defines the person”. The psychological identity sense and its interaction with interior architecture occur in both larger scale domains such as culture, religion, nation, city, gender, social roles or social class and smaller domains such as neighbourhood, family and homes. That said, this means that architects and designers, when designing a space, should maintain the identity of people and communities and respect their daily routines of life. They could do so, by demonstrating the background and motives of residents, the structure of cities, families and neighbourhoods. Local materials should be used and the diversity of arts that belong to the local tradition should be shown.
The second feature is privacy. In architecture, the central aspect is finding a balance between privacy and social relationships. This means designing and sizing a space where public and private spaces are well-defined with boundaries to allow people to interact but still have their privacy. One way to do so is to carefully design enclosed space through auditory isolation, dimmed lighting and semi-transparent dividers. Architects should focus on these elements to enhance privacy but they should also implement other elements to enhance connectivity and interrelationship.
Safety and health concerns are quite easy to understand. Everyone wants to feel safe within a space, they want to have control over it. Moreover, research has shown that a space perceived as safe provides major psychological benefits. To enhance a sense of safety and the perception of a healthy space, several things can be carried out. Elements such as sun exposure, temperature, wind, and humidity should be considered but also the materials, fabrics and paints that are chosen. Further elements to consider could be also the presence of convenient entrances, slip-resistant floors or the presence of comfortable and safe furniture with healthy design. These elements might seem obvious but you would be surprised to know that in many buildings these standards of features are not even thought of.
Related to safety is also accessibility. Having the possibility to access and move easily within a space makes people feel safe. Moreover, accessibility allows people to satisfy their sense of control within a space. To achieve accessibility within a space, it is important to create an environment as free as possible from obstacles. All the elements within a building should be clearly defined and provide adequate circulation between space units. Lighting is a fundamental element in this context. Every part of the building should be furnished with adequate light.
The presence of outdoor or open spaces with natural environments is one of the most important features to focus on as they have a profound impact on the psychological well-being of people. They contribute to reducing anger, and anxiety, enhance relaxation and improve overall health outcome. Moreover, seeing or psychically being within a natural space improves the ability to focus and increases the level of alertness. Moreover, it encourages social contact, leisure and cultural activities. Of course, to enhance such things it is essential to include some type of vegetation (e.g. flowers), but also design a space that enhances the visibility degree and minimise negative factors like noise and smoke. One of the most important things to do in this context is to create visual harmony between the indoor and outdoor spaces.
Last but not least, it is fundamental to enhance the aesthetic aspect. Aesthetics play an essential role in the emotional satisfaction of people within an environment. All the elements within a space (e.g. colours, textures, design, lights, materials etc…) should be carefully chosen to enhance moods and emotions that will positively influence the experience of people.
The relationship between architecture, design and human psychology is now recognised. More importantly, it is now known that the design of a space can have a profound impact on people’s wellbeing. Following this, it is now crucial to design human spaces. Spaces that take care of humans and positively impact their experience within them. These features can help to do so.
References
Hamdy, H. (2017). Interior architectural elements that affect human psychology and behaviour. The Academic Research Community Publication, 1-10.