The creation of spaces lies at the heart of architectural design. To understand how people are affected by the configuration of space, is essential in order to create human-friendly, and thus, sustainable environments. This course follows an interdisciplinary approach for evaluating the ‘usability’ of buildings by learning basic principles of human-environment interaction. In this course you learn (1) basics of human-environment interaction (wayfinding and spatial cognition, social interaction, spatial experience) and research-based methods for building (usability) evaluation and (2) computational methods for quantifying spatial configurations for evaluating design proposals (regarding visibility, accessibility and daylight). The course includes case studies, impulse lectures, reflective tasks, and participation in walks through real and virtual buildings. Finally, you will conduct a small study and document it in a short paper.

The seminar is mandatory for students of the project „Design by Research“.