Multi-Sensory Design: An approach to explore the latent psychological aspects in interior spaces التصميم متعدد الحواس: نهج لاستكشاف الجوانب النفسية الكامنة في الحيزات الداخلية

23/12/2021

Professor of Interior Architecture & Interdisciplinary Design

Environmental Psychologist/ A Member of World Design Organization -WDO

There is currently an increased desire for sensory integration of visual, auditory, olfaction and kinaesthetic-tactile pathways in many fields. The perception of a space is emerging from the response of the different senses together. Although sensory cues are identifying human attachment to the environment by developing different degrees of sense, they are often neglected or misemployed.

The problem lies in the neglect of the logical connection between the role of multi-sensory design in guiding user’s perception in interior spaces through the latent psychological aspects that lead to form the mental images in user’s memory. Therefore, the approach that embraces human-being senses, sentiment, and memory as critical design factors is significant. Discussing the idea of examining the sensory responses that should be experienced by the user and therefore help in making design decisions regarding the appropriate space treatments became an essential need. We aim to further the growing body of knowledge about the multi-sensory-based design within the process of interior design solving-problem and to construct a conceptual framework that include set of indicators for characterizing spaces in many ways, including choosing routes while locomotion, orientation, spatial acquisition, perceived spaciousness, privacy and social interaction, stress and fear, and aesthetic judgments. The methodology should be based on constructing operational definition of multi-sensory design concept through the database collected from a theoretical framework of both descriptive and analytical concerns. The implementation of this framework requires an applied study of the psychophysical reality of the interior spaces that have been selected and investigating the effectiveness of the multi-sensory based design. Showing the significance of sensory design as a multi-modal process in which psychological aspects are important triggers for generating new design ideas leads to setting a list of design standards that help in maintaining the user’s experience in interior spaces.

Perception is an individual's ability to draw conclusions from prior experience when confronted with inputs and to establish patterns and interconnections between them. In addition, man and other higher animals use two common sensory systems to interact with the environment: The other three senses are olfactory, gustatory, and kinesthetic, all of which are utilised infrequently. It is defined as the process of sorting out, interpreting, evaluating, and synthesising stimuli using sensory organs and the brain in a comprehensive manner.

Place perception is also defined as the set of clues that allows a person to be aware of his position in a confined space as well as the objects in that space. Distance and depth are indicators that help with movement and orientation to the surroundings. In this context, the enclosed space is a physical three-dimensional space in which man can construct mental images.

Further researches reveal that man's perceptional appraisal is influenced by visualisation in three planes (horizontal, vertical, and distance, which can be expressed as length, height, and width), as well as the viewer's position and the gravitational force acting across the area.

This space category is characterised by floor, wall, and ceiling in the book "Genius Loci: Towards a phenomenology of Architecture." Other scholars claim that space perception is divided into two halves. As a result, form type and size are primary considerations, whereas other components are secondary considerations. However, a certain level of presence in a location is essential for man to function successfully in his daily routine of movement, conversation, and rest.

The following reactions are caused by the above assertions at this stage to support the claim that man's mood in individual space is induced by the following reactions: Pleasant, unpredictability, loneliness, restlessness, coziness, and other words that each person can think of that narrow down to the sensation of expressing largeness and smallness in an envelope space. While in medium space, the above space reactions present an indicator of good and negative reactions (large or small).

It's important to remind designers, but especially interior architects, that space is their most valuable asset. In this way, architecture is being rethought as a form of social life. Despite the many different ways to define architecture, critique of completed buildings by architects and architecture education all point to the assumption that architecture is the construction of a functional thing in a functional place.

The proponent that human behavior in a space is affected by: the arrangement of furniture in a room, position of rooms in a house and orientation of houses in a city is a pointer. The architect’s role in is that of intermediary between man and space. He manipulates all elements of design through design principles to make architectural space which the writer calls individual space. The task of the architect is the evaluation of all variables consciously incorporating the design tools in a scale of equal objectivity to favor the user.

The topophilia evaluation of individual (his heritage, biological upbringing, educational training, socioeconomic position and surroundings) to space is necessary for the architect so that space allotment and compartmentalization is handling in a friendly manner. Avoiding all levels of space monotony and taking the user via large/small spaces in a particular home can be one sure way of managing space phobia. The task of restructuring man’s fear of space is possible if the architects manipulate the scale of individual space with an understanding of the user’s perception and the sensitivity of the composition of the space. Design approach for homes should be more of evidence based and less of abstracting methods. From the perspective of the books on different dimensions of space which formed the background of this discourse, it is vital that while scientific values for space are adopted for the design of space, care should be taken not to neglect sociological, psychological, physiological and philosophical values especially as man’s existence in the environment is affected by all spatial values.

FORMULATING ANALOGOUS SOLUTIONS AS A CONCEPT TOOL IN INNOVATIVE INTERIOR DESIGN APPLICATIONS

31/10/2021

Prof. Dr. Noha Essam, PhD

Professor of Interior Architecture & Interdisciplinary Design

Environmental Psychologist/ A Member of World Design Organization -WDO

Design-by-analogy and Metaphor is a powerful part of the design process across the wide variety of modalities used by designers such as linguistic descriptions, sketches and diagrams. Many tools are needed to support people’s ability to find and use analogies, and a deeper understanding of the cognitive mechanisms underlying design and analogy is a crucial step in developing these tools. The level of abstraction for the representation of prior knowledge and the representation of a current design problem both affect people’s ability to retrieve and use analogous solutions. A general semantic description in memory facilitates retrieval of that prior knowledge. The ability to find and use an analogy is also facilitated by having an appropriate functional model of the problem.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Analogy is to manage an objective in correspondence to a source (base) in like manner to the similarities between them while thinking about the distinctions in the meantime. Similarity is the procedure of relationship between circumstances from one space (source) to another (objective) made conceivable through the foundation of relations or representations. Designs are analogous if they share at least one function or behavior, but not necessarily similar structures. Analogical association and recovery in human insight depend on how a problem is represented, where past research demonstrates that different representations encourage analogical thinking through the recovery of powerful and novel analogies put away in originators' long haul memory. the term analogy is characterized as outline of a thought by methods for another commonplace thought that is comparable or parallel to it in some critical highlights. The term metaphor is for the most part characterized as a non-literal articulation which deciphers a thing or activity through an inferred examination with something different; an image.

Analogy and Metaphor: defining the relative meanings of analogies and metaphors in design. Both compare a situation in one domain with the situation in another. Two systems have been theorized to exist within a person’s cognitive structure: (a) the symbolic system, and (b) the associative reasoning system. The symbolic or rule-based reasoning system is where abstract real world problems are reasoned about and solved through symbolic representations and rules. The associative, similarity-based reasoning system is where problems are reasoned about through associations or similarities with other known information. Although researchers disagree as to which system is dominant, this second system is significant because associative reasoning is viewed to be a fundamental part of expert design cognition.

Analogical reasoning is a function of the associative, similarity-based reasoning system. This type of reasoning is a method of activating stored schema based on the identification of connections, parallels, or similarities between, what are typically perceived as dissimilar items. Analogies serve as a type of scaffolding, where new information is anchored to existing schemata. Analogical reasoning is thus the use of schema analogues, or knowledge from previous experiences, to facilitate learning in a new situation. Analogies enable an individual’s symbolic ability or “the ability to pick out patterns, to identify recurrences of these patterns despite variation in the elements that compose them, to form concepts that abstract and reify these patterns, and to express these concepts in language”.

Researchers have concluded that analogical reasoning can be categorized into two different forms. First, analogical reasoning can be used to understand the operation of a new device. Schema, or stored knowledge, of how a device operates is used to reason about how an analogous device might operate or understanding how to operate a device can be inferred from knowing how the larger system works. Second, analogical reasoning uses schema, or knowledge already stored, to reason about, infer, and/or predict information to solve a problem. In other words, analogue schemata are used to compare what is already stored as schemata, to a new domain of knowledge.

Another important component of analogical reasoning in design problems is creativity. Four analogical processes can be used to spur conceptual change: (a) highlighting, (b) projection of candidate inferences, (c) re-representation, and (d) restructuring.

Metaphor used as analogy or representative from something that we wanted to describe. It is used from mere simplification to poetic used or even to construct meaning. In its broadest sense every form of exchange, identity transference or terminology transposition could be within the characteristic of metaphorical. Thus, metaphor is not only just a semantic form but a fundamental character of human linguistic relation with the world. There are at least three different idea of Metaphor derived from Aristotle explanation: (1) as substitution for a literal condition (2) as borrower from its original context (3) as deviation from usual using.

Designer knows better in the light of this, as designer always creatively created something from abstraction to its actual implementation. We know it as concept or idea. This concept or ideas usually based on three categories of metaphors: Intangible Metaphor, Tangible Metaphor and Combined Metaphor. The first could be understood as a concept, an idea, a human condition or a particular quality. The second associated strictly from some visual or material character, while the latter was when the conceptual and the visual overlap or juxtaposed with each other. In most cases tangible metaphor refers to a noun as it is close to literal expression and intangible metaphor refers to an adjective as it is close to experience.

Metaphors frame assist the designers in defining the design problem. Metaphors are normally used to outline's understanding, exercises and responses to an item. They enable understand client needs or physical traits from the wellspring of motivation.

Metaphor can be seen as a general classification enveloping analogies. An approach to recognize the two is to sort metaphors as things analyzed from an mysterious class and analogies from things thought about from various classifications.  Results from test information demonstrate that designers utilize both analogy and metaphor inside the plan procedure unwittingly. All the more fundamentally, the researches outcomes in such context recommend that metaphor use in the early problem framing stages of design to enhance understanding of a design situation. Metaphor methodology has a great impact on comprehension of the design itself. The consequences of these discoveries prompt a general philosophy to all the more viably utilize metaphors and analogies in design or innovation forms. This methodology might be adjusted for use inside specific classrooms, educational outline processes, or modern improvement forms.

Attaining SDG’s…The Choices Designers Make Today Affect Tomorrow

25/8/2021

Prof. Dr. Noha Essam, PhD

Professor of Interior Architecture & Interdisciplinary Design

Environmental Psychologist/ A Member of World Design Organization -WDO

“An entire vision is driven by this motto that prompted to a new platform of design thinking towards innovative smart design solutions, with a recognition to the four pillars of sustainability; human, social, economic and environmental in the shades of the global goals focusing on designs, products and services that contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Striving for resilient community development, Work toward the realization of “leaving no one behind”, with relational potential of insight, creativity and innovation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the last few decades, our Earth has deteriorated massively due to the careless actions of humans. There have been many environmental problems and natural disasters arising such as global warming, water pollution, climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, floods, tsunamis, blizzards and many issues that not only affect Earth, but they are also affecting us; humans and all the animals, above and below water. The harm we are constantly causing to our planet can not be measured, but hopefully it can be stopped.

The United Nations General Assembly decided to set 17 goals which are known as the SDGs in 2015. These goals are intended to be achieved by 2030 to end inequalities, control climate change and vanish all forms of poverty. Sustainable development has been defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (“The Sustainable Development Agenda”, 2021). All developed and developing countries are urged to work on these goals and achieve them by 2030, meaning that if all the world united in achieving these goals, by 10 years we will restore our planet and bring back its peace and prosperity. The 17 goals are targeted to enhance the lives of humans, animals, plants and most importantly our planet’s wellbeing.

In the past 10 years, researchers focusing on the sustainability of the built environment have unanimously concluded that the existing standards and tools pay serious attention to the environmental dimension of sustainability. In addition, they emphasized that generally available standards lack indicators on the background, social, cultural, and economic aspects of the buildings. Although there have been many attempts to establish new frameworks to more fully integrate sustainability into buildings and the built environment, their widespread adoption has been very limited. Today, the international sustainable development agenda has attracted more and more attention outside the public sector, and is increasingly integrated into private organizations and local practices.

The approval of the 2030 Agenda in 2015 marked a worldwide milestone within side the area of sustainability and sustainable improvement. The agenda, inclusive of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets, hooked up a clean expansive framework for improvement which dedicates  equal  interest to the  environmental, social and monetary pillars of sustainability. Moreover, the agenda’s  targets  have been strategically based around 5 key themes: people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. The 2030 Agenda gives a strong and worldwide definition for sustainability over the following 10 years that's observed via way of means of worldwide, notation and neighborhood commitments. This balance ought to gain the development sector, mainly designers, in  overcoming a number of the modern obstacles and help within the sector’s transition past its modern ecological and strength overall performance focus. Achieving significant integration of the 5 issues in constructing initiatives calls for  stepping again from the present quantitative standards for assessment, to take into account the wider capacity contribution of homes to the SDGs and their targets. It additionally calls for exploring the approach to translate the worldwide attention of the schedule to the nearby and project-particular level. Although there was some of frameworks proposed for attaining the SDGs, they stay basically conceptual in nature and are not tailored to particular desires of  creation, constructing and design initiatives.

Instead of an incontestable technique to sustainability, which ignores nearby information together with social, monetary and ecologic realities, researchers recommend to apprehend processes to sustainability as layout logics- wherein common sense may be described as a collection of thoughts or concepts, which provide means to social and bodily reality, that may be produced and reproduced, and that may increase via practice. sustainability can be perceived as an emergent assets of layout wondering via reflection-in-action.

Since the overdue twentieth century, buildings occupants’ expectancies of a greater modern, flexible,  and  comfortable  lifestyle  have  increased.  Meanwhile,  state-of-the-art technologies, synthetic intelligence, and robotics have skilled incredible leaps in progress.  The  emergence  of  the  information  revolution  further  inspired occupants’  desire  to  make  use  of  the  internet,  clever  gadgets,  web-enabled integration platforms, and IP-enabled gadgets of their each day lives. Technology has matured  in  its  practicality  and  economic  feasibility,  owing  to  solid  enterprise standards, increased  market  demand, and  sizable cost  reductions  that made era  available  to  a  greater  number  of  people.  These  attributes  additionally bolstered the growth of constructing demographics towards embedding era and community connectivity inside their infrastructures, permitting smart homes to become  part  of  the  mainstream.  Consequently,  this  stimulated  interior designers  to  develop  synergistic  design  concepts  capable  of  integrating  smart systems, fueled through an evolution in smart materials, smart gadgets, and sensors, as well  as a  wider  insurance of  internet  connectivity  and  applications. Smart homes are  therefore structured  on designs  that accommodate  changes for  the benefit of occupants, whilst controlling aid intake and analyzing occupants’ behavioral patterns. In addition, smart homes are characterized through their  integrated  communication  and  management  systems  which  enhance occupants’ accessibility, security, and manipulate over indoors environments, and intention to boom productiveness and consumer consolation levels.

Smart  interior design is  characterized  with the aid of using  its  ability  to  provide  actionable records concerning the overall performance of layout facilities; the layout will become a locus  for  receiving,  transmitting,  and  analyzing  data.  Smart  interior designs proactively  monitors  and  detects errors  or  deficiencies  within  layout  systems, making sure the pride and comfort of the building’s occupants. It additionally contributes  to  resource  rationalization,  real-time  reporting,  and  minimizing operational costs. Smart interior design presents fast, flexible, and monetary responses to the regularly various and complex requests made with the aid of using occupants, and determines the maximum green techniques for supplying a convenient, comfortable, entertaining, and effective environment.

Efficiency  of   smart  interior designs  can  be  measured  through  four  attributes. The  first  characteristic  is  integration.  When  smart interior design solution  are effectively incorporated with the bulk of layout components, this can serve performance,  ease  of  operation,  and  minimize  utility  consumption  over  the layout’s existence cycle. The second characteristic is the success of excessive verbal exchange facilitated with the aid of using smart designs. This consists of person-to-person, person-to-gadget, and gadget-to-gadget communications, each inside the indoors  surroundings and with the outdoor world, connecting homes in a cloud community that serves as an important a part of smart cities. The third characteristic is the functionality to evolve without difficulty to adjustments inside the area and be bendy sufficient to deal with new era requirements. Finally,  the  fourth  characteristic  that  smart interior design should contain is manage over constructing structures a good way to optimize strength use at the same time as supplying real-time and historic perspectives of occupant behavioral patterns. Moreover, using smart materials and furniture in conjunction with smart lighting fixtures and acoustic solutions allows occupants adapt to the interior design theme, thereby increasing occupant consolation and satisfaction.

Smart design facilities include all available devices, sensors, transducers, signal conditioners,  transmitters,  converters,  receivers,  logic  controllers,  displays, recorders,  and  actuators.  They  also  consist of  network  technologies,  internet connections, and function packages that serve the reason in their modules. Priority  order  will  be  set  based  on  the  developers’,  owners’,  and  occupants’ deliverable needs,  as well  as the  constructing type,  availability of  funding, and  the provision of gadget and carrier allowing technologies. Smart interior design solutions ought to comprise flexible systems that could accommodate smart design facilities. In  particular,  solutions  ought to  keep responsive cabling design, an open area with movable or demountable partitions, raised  flooring,  suspended  ceilings,  and  mechanical  flooring to permit  connection among different  design elements  throughout a  single  infrastructure, in  addition  to assembly the needs of future technologies. One  of  the  ultimate  goals  of  interior  design  is  to  offer  a  healthy, safe, and comfortable  indoor  environment.  Smart  design  systems  can  be  proactive  in controlling air quality through the measurement of humidity, pollutants, and toxic gas  emissions. Systems  can  reduce  these  undesirable  particles  thru  proper natural and mechanical ventilation.

Consequently, architects & interior designers have to inspire and recommend the use of smart designs and structures via way of means of embedding them into their solution specifications, in addition to explaining to their clients how those tactics will advantage all building stakeholders and their environment.