Responsive Environments

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Responsive

Environments

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Responsive environments

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• The design of the environment can gr The design of the environment can greatly aecteatly aect the choices people

the choices people makmake at dierent levels. e at dierent levels. ItIt

aects where people can go, the range of uses

available, the understanding of these choices,

the degree to which people can use dierent

spaces of choice, and so on. Thus, the design of

environments where people go, work, and

interact with each other must be responsive.

(4)

Responsive environments

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• Places Places that that provide provide their their users users with with anan

essentially demo

essentially democratic setting, enriching theircratic setting, enriching their opportunities by maximizing the degree

opportunities by maximizing the degree of choice available to them.

of choice available to them. •

• The concept of responsive envir The concept of responsive environments focusesonments focuses on what

on what features makfeatures make an e an environmentenvironment

responsive to the needs of its users .

(5)

Ian Bentley and his colleagues have developed a set of guidelines which they claim make an environment responsive to the needs of its users. They do this using the following concepts !ermeability "ariety #egibility Robustness "isual appropriateness Richness !ersonali$ation

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!ermeability

%the property of how easy it is to move through an environment and depends

heavily upon the paths and ob&ects placed within the space

%relates to the way that a design aects

where people can go and cannot go within a city district

“The urban designer must always consider permeability rst because it involves pedestrian and vehicle circulation within the city district as a whole. The greater the number of alternative routes through an environment, the greater peoples freedom of movement and, therefore,

(8)

• !laces must be accessible to people to oer them

choice.

• !ublic and private access must be complimentary.

• !hysical and visual permeability depends on how the

network of public space divides the environment into blocks.

• There is a decline in public permeability because of

current design trends

scale of development' hierarchal layout' and segregation.

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)ualities of Responsive Environments

!ermeability' "ariety' legibility' Robustness' "isual appropriateness' Richness' !ersonalisation

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!rovision of paths*streets and its eective layout promote good

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This type of building design does not allow much permeability in which case accessibility is not easy and so may cause the people to feel

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"ariety

%refers to the range of uses that a place provides +e.g. housing, shopping,

employment, recreation, and so forth %refers to the range of activities, people

and building forms which can be found in a space

The varied nature of people, forms and activities will create a range of meanings and in turn the meanings may in"uence the variety of options available. #asily accessible places are of little use if their choice of

experiences is limited. _“_{The aim is to maximize the variety of uses for} a given pro$ect by, rst, demonstrating how one can assess the level of demands for

(16)

• "ariety oers users a choice of

e(periences.

• "ariety of e(perience implies places

with varied forms, uses, and meanings.

• -nfortunately, developers and

planners are more concerned with economic performance and easier management than with variety.

(17)

• "ariety depends on  main factors

range of activities/ demand' possibility of supplying aordable space'

e(tent to which design encourages positive interactions.

• it also depends on feasibility% economic,

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0i(ed/use buildings and blocks are a good e(ample of places that oer

(20)

Business and commercial centres also oer a choice of uses and

(21)

The 1venue des 2hamps/Elysees, one of the most famous streets in the world is a place where many things come together. Retail stores and shops, dining and drinking establishments, o3ces, residential and

(22)

The Bonifacio 6igh 7treet in Taguig oer a variety of e(periences to the people from shopping, dinking

(23)

0alls are one of the most common public spaces that oer a variety of uses and activities to people. 0alls also help establish ad&acent spaces and buildings outside it that further adds to the variety of uses the area

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#egibility

%is how easy it is for a person to construct a mental map of their environment and depends to a large e(tent to the form of the environment and the activities people undertake

%relates to the ease with which people can understand the spatial layout of a place

8The designer should determine and en hance the perceptual clarity of the

paths, landmar&s, boundaries, and so forth that have emerged through the consideration of permeability and

(26)

• 9egree of choice depends on how legible

it is' how layout is understood

• #egibility is important at two levels'

physical form and activity patterns

• #egibility In the old days/ important

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• legibility of form and use is reduced In

the modern environment

• 7eparating pedestrians from vehicles

also reduces legibility

• #egibility is strengthened by #ynch:s

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The layout of the city can be easily understood and important buildings stand out and serves as a landmark.

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In the older days, important public buildings were more legible than private buildings.

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;odes also help establish a good

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The use of cul de sacs to de<ne edges also help with the legibility of places.

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#andmarks, one of the most easily

remembered features of a place help a lot for the easy familiari$ation of the road con<guration and layout.

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Robustness

%describes buildings and outdoor spaces / the design of which does not limit users to a single <(ed use but, rather, supports many dierent purposes and activities

%Environments which can be used for many dierent purposes

“To design for robustness is to ma&e spatial and constructional organization suitable for the

widest possible range of li&ely

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• e(plores how a single space can be put to

multiple uses

• There must be a distinction between large

scale and small scale robustness.

• There are  key factors that support long

term robustness

building depth' access' and

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• The design of small scale robustness

depends on e(tra factors hard and soft areas

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Bedford 7=uare, #ondon. -sed to be mostly residential apartments and now

also contain o3ces and embassies. It also used to house a 7chool. 1n e(ample

(40)

>unction room, an e(ample of small scale

robustness. It can serve for a variety of purposes, e.g. venues for talking engagements and seminars,

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Robustness can be achieved by

(43)

In busy vehicular streets, robustness can be achieved by allowing a $one for amenities such as street trees, seating, bus shelters,

(44)

#arge public open spaces like town s=uares can be robust. Plaza +ayor, +adrid, (pain.

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"isual 1ppropriateness

%the way in which the design physically

can make people aware of the choices the place provides

%how the provision of cues can support variety, robustness and legibility

 city hall should loo& li&e a governmental building or that a row of wal&-up

(47)

• 9ecisions already made determine the

general appearance of the scheme/ ne(t focus is on details

• visual appropriateness focuses on

details

• "isual appropriateness is concerned

with designing the e(ternal image of a place

(48)

• Regardless of what designers want, people

interpret places as having meanings.

• 1 vocabulary of visual cues must be found

to communicate levels of choice.

• Interpretations can reinforce

responsiveness by

supporting the place:s legibility supporting the place:s variety

(49)

• It is vital if people are to correctly

interpret how to make appropriate use of an environment.

• !oor visual appropriateness are when

buildings are identical in colour and appearance making it di3cult to

(50)

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6ospitals. !icture to the left looks more like an o3ce building while the picture to right looks

(52)

2hurches. Ald churches are easily recogni$able because of its distinguished physical characteristics. 0odern

-;A/2ity 2hurch by architect 6ein$ Tesar, "ienna

(53)

overnment buildings, for the power it hold, should look digni<ed and authoritative. The building on top looks more digni<ed and

authoritative than that of the picture at the bottom.

(54)

ondominium uilding

A3ce buildin

The two buildings with dierent types of occupancy almost look the same. The popularly followed modern look of buildings makes it hard

(55)

ondominium uilding

A3ce buildin

Between the two images, it is more obvious that the image on the right are residential homes than that of

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Richness

%relates to the range of sensory

e(periences available, for e(ample sight, smell, touch and sound

%Is the variety of sense e(periences that users can en&oy

%concerned with how the e(perience can have an eect on the emotional state of those visiting the place

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• 9ecisions about appearances already

discussed still leave room for manoeuvring the most detailed level of design.

• There are two ways for users to choose from

dierent sense of e(periences

o ocusing their attention on di/erent

sources of sense of experience on di/erent occasions

(59)

• The sense of motion / gained through

movement

• sense of smell / can not be directed

• sense of hearing C user has limited control • sense of touch C voluntary and involuntary • sense of sight C most dominant in terms of

information input and is the easiest to control.

• The basis of visual richness depends on the

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7ense of smell

1 large herb garden. The beds are <lled with highly scented plants, whose aroma is concentrated within the wind/free space. In urban places, the potential of cafes, bakeries and the like open to the

(62)

7ense of motion

The 2entre !ompidou, by !iano and Rogers, uses escalators to provide a variety of movement

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The picture to the left oers visual richness than the picture to the left which looks monotonous due

(65)

Beautiful landscapes around*before

buildings provides

visual contrast through the placement of

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!ersonali$ation

%ability we are given to customise an environment on a large or small

scale

%refers to designs that encourage

people to put their own mark on the places where they live and work

Personalization allows people to achieve an environment that bears the stamp of their own tastes and

(70)

• 1llows people to achieve an environment that

bears the stamp of their own tastes and values.

• !ersonali$ation makes a person:s pattern of

activities more clear.

• 7mall scale personalisation can include

moving a chair in a room, large scale

personalisation being the ability to change the appearance of a building.

• -sers personali$e in two ways'

to improve practical facilities to change the image of a place

(71)

• -sers personali$e as an a3rmation of their

own tastes and values and because they perceive e(isting image as inappropriate.

• !ersonali$ation comes in two levels'

private public

• !ersonali$ation is aected by three key

factors'

tenure

building type technology.

(72)

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This row of houses lacks

personali$ation that may cause

(74)

)ualities of )ualities of Responsive Responsive Environments Environments

!ermeability' "ariety' legibility' Robustness' "isual !ermeability' "ariety' legibility' Robustness' "isual appropriateness' Richness' !ersonalisation

appropriateness' Richness' !ersonalisation

The image to the right impl

The image to the right implies that the owner of the house loies that the owner of the house loveve

plants and has a plentiful time for

plants and has a plentiful time for them, likes traditional andthem, likes traditional and

homey designs and loves

homey designs and loves nature. Dhile the image to the leftnature. Dhile the image to the left

implies that the owner of the building works in the o3ce, is busy,

(75)

These r

These residentiaesidential buildingsl buildings, having, having

similar forms would have been

hard to tell one from the other had

they not been given dierent

distinctive designs that helped

(76)

7imply putting up signs and

logos in the building:s facade

is a form of personali$ation

that can emanate

its uni=ue characteristic and

values. It becomes easily

(77)

1n e(ample of a large scale personali$ation in a public level. The building:s

appearance becomes the identity of the town.

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7ummary 

• permeability / designing the overall layout of routes

and development blocks

• variety / locating uses on the site

• legibility / designing the massing of the buildings and

the enclosure of the public space

• robustness/ designing the spatial and constructional

arrangement of individual buildings and outdoor spaces.

• visual appropriateness/ designing the e(ternal image • richness/ developing the design for sensory choice • personalization/ making the design encourage the

people to put their own mark on the places where they live and work