DESIGN SOLUTION: PROXIMITY

Have you ever formulated a solution for a design problem, and then discovered that your solution created other new problems? For example, within museums exhibits are often placed near small micro theaters that play films all day. And while it is great to have this type of multi-media film experience, the film’s soundtrack creates noise that can actually interfere with other nearby exhibits. In this case, proximity of a design solution matters.

DESIGN SOLUTION:...

PROMISE OF THE HOLOGRAM

As technology continues to advance, it is important for designers to consider (and guide) how such technologies will affect and be injected into environments. This is particularly true for the long-promised technology which is now gaining ground in its development – the hologram. It has been reported that at Brigham Young University an “Optical Trap Display” is making it possible to project an object in real 3D space. (1) This can occur as a...

INSPIRING NEW KINDS OF CARE

What is the role of environments as we progress into the 21st century? Of course, they still provide places for living, working, learning, healing, and playing – but the way in which environments will nurture these activities is changing as we evolve into the future. In particular, the convergence of responsive design with multi-sensory design can bring about a new kind of nurturing, where building occupants learn and grow within environments.

Being more than...

TUNING ARCHITECTURAL SPACES

The design of architectural environments is becoming even more strategic; with an eye toward helping building occupants achieve higher levels of well-being. And this phenomenon is occurring around the world, as multi-sensory design gets applied to spaces in a multitude of cultures. As such, it is sensory design that can help people to achieve higher levels of well-being by tailoring environments to their needs.

Yet, multi-sensory design can be pushed much further....

FINDING YOUR “WHY”

Why do you do the work you do? As an architect, is there a specific threshold you are trying to cross with your design creations? Or are you simply designing building after building to meet basic needs, without giving much thought to what contribution your designs are making?

It is important for you, as an architectural designer, to bring your designs to that next level – where they push boundaries for better innovation. Perhaps you aim to have your design...

As an environmental designer, it is ever important to lift your work to the next level. This means that you never settle into a design process plateau where creative growth remains stagnant. And as you work to inject multi-sensory design into your architectural creations, you keep your design vision, decision-making, and communication skills at their peak levels. This is why I created the following top 5 list of best ways to grow your design creativity in the year ahead…

• Practice...

ENVIRONMENTS AS TEAM PLAYERS

What if architecture’s function was not only to meet a need, but to also help its occupants to achieve a longer-term goal? For example, a person may want to exercise more to increase health, or they may want to create an amazing presentation to win a big project at work. Can environments actually help occupants with such goals? Yes, I believe they can – and the following are a few examples of how this can be possible…

EXAMPLE 1: THE FUN GYM...

BEYOND PROGRAMMATIC REQUIREMENTS

When creating an architectural design, are you doing only what is necessary to meet programmatic project requirements? Or do you go above and beyond to ensure that the environment you create is benefiting its occupants at its highest potential? The way in which you answer the latter question will reveal how creative you are with your multi-sensory design efforts, which ultimately determine how great your design is for its occupants’ well-being.

You see,...

THE CREATIVE WALL

When working on design projects that always require high levels of creativity, there are times when designers hit a creative “wall”. This wall is not the same as having a complete creative block. Instead, this is a creative wall that seems to limit or cap further innovation. For example, have you ever felt that you were running out of creativity – where a sense of boredom or lack of excitement about your work surfaced? If so, you are not alone. Many...

INTRODUCTION – ADAPTIVE URBAN ARCHITECTURE

Urban design within cities around the world has impact upon the citizens they serve. As environmental designers, it is important to continuously evolve how cities beneficially influence citizens as they live their daily lives within these urban areas. A critical way by which to accomplish this is to design urban architecture within such cities so they cooperate and collaborate together to yield a relationship of co-creation with their...