Cultural Meaning + Spatial Identity: Observing Public ...arch3711.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/04-2-lecture-observing... · 4/09/2015 · Cultural Meaning + Spatial Identity: Observing

Cultural Meaning + Spatial Identity:Observing Public Space + Behavior SettingsArch 3711 // Lecture 04.2

ANNOUNCEMENTS

RECITATION: Check-In #1 Spatial Syntax + Site Context

05.1 Lecture: Guest Lecture – Kristine Miller

Cities On Water Study Abroad

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Design through the Lens of Equity:Equity in our Urban EnvironmentsArch 3711 // Lecture 05.1 – Guest Lecturer: Professor Kristine Miller, PhD

ANNOUNCEMENTS

05.2 Lecture: Paper 1 Final Due

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OVERVIEW

+ General Comments on Paper 1 Drafts

+ Moodlemania Running Wild

+ Behavioral Concepts

+ VIDEO: The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces – William Whyte, 1988

+ Body Exercise // Free Writing

+ Observing Public Space

CRITICAL PAPER 1 DRAFT COMMENTS

Avoid anecdotal evidence

Beware the first person narrative (I think)

Cut the FLUFF

The importance of Topic Sentences

Make sure you substantiate your Thesis

Finish STRONG

APA Citations + Bibliography

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CRITICAL QUESTIONS + RESPONSES

For Weeks 4/5 Readings

Due every other week

At least two posts/responses













How do we make the professional language more understandable?-- Section 5 We always hear professors say that our diagrams can be more clear, there is a certain way that how we should represent our ideas professionally. Architecture drawing is quiet different than art drawing… My point is, we do all these thing and designs in a professional way, just like we are creating our own language that only people in our field can understand. … Brown mentioned in the book Mutil-cell analysis that we usually need two types of program documents. One have visual details that for the designer and another quality render for the clients. He agreed that is very hard to put them together and let them work equally. The clients will not understand the detail documents and the designer can’t design from a nice looking render. My question is, it there a way that we can make the details readable for the clients?

The House as Symbol of the Self- Section 11 The article The House as Symbol of the Self discusses how our society use their homes to reflect their personality, as well as how they would like to be perceived. …I think that this speaks true to the overall personality of America - that we must be different enough to be considered our own person, while not too different so as to become an outcast. I had never thought of this in terms of our houses, but it makes even more sense in the article's argued context of our houses reflecting those personal conflicts within us.

One question that comes to mind when I consider how our personalities influence our homes, is if that influence could be reversed. That is to say, if our personality is reflected by our houses, then who is to argue that our homes don't influence our personality? I think that this becomes more relevant as people settle down with families and start actually owning property, since it is then that one's personality is almost only shown through what they own, like their property and house. …

Re: The House as Symbol of the Self- Section 11 I think you make a very interesting point, that our homes may influence our personalities. For me, this is very true. Living in a dorm for the first time last year was a struggle. I do feel that the brick walls, banged up furniture, and generally dirty-beyond repair look of the room impacted how I felt. I did my best to clean and decorate, but there was only so much I could do with so many limitations. So from personal experience, I do think the idea that our personalities influence our homes can be inversed, and very easily too.





ANNOUNCEMENTS


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OVERVIEW

+ General Comments on Paper 1 Drafts

+ Moodlemania Running Wild

+ Behavioral Concepts

+ VIDEO: The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces – William Whyte, 1988

+ Body Exercise // Free Writing

+ Observing Public Space

- Cultures must be judged by their owninternal criteria

- Cultures must be understood within theirown context

- Such understanding provides perspectiveon our own cultural patterns & ways of thinking

Concepts: Cultural Relativity

Concepts: Etic & Emic Approaches

Etic & Emic ApproachesEtic = the professional perspectiveEmic = the native perspective

-The two concepts derive from thelinguistics terms (phonetic alphabet)

- phonetic- how sounds are described objectively by professional linguists

- phonemic- how sounds aremade by native speakers

Etic = the professional perspectiveEmic = the native perspective

Behavior Pattern-a stable pattern of activity & place/ a recurrent activity- a standing pattern of behavior

1. a particular layout of the environment-the milieu

2. a congruent relationship between the two synomorphy

3. a specific time period

(Roger Barker, 1968 from Lang Reading)

Concepts: Behavior Setting

Representing an activity, person or organization

Located in time and space

Culturally defined

Personal space –an area with an invisible boundary

surrounding the body into which intruders may not come

(Sommer, Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis for Design?)

Concepts: Personal Space

A process of regulating access to the self -importance of cultural differences-

(Altman & Chemers p77)

Concepts: Privacy

A feeling resulting from too little privacy, and associated with a lack of control over the environment

(Altman 1975, Rapoport 1977)

Concepts: Crowding

Image: James Cridland/Flickr

MSN

Territoriality- Claiming ownership or occupancy of a space or area

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Farm in Mali

Concepts: Territoriality

Occupancy claimLegal claim (Western idea)

Marking- Staking a claim to a territory by tagging

(Becker, 1978 in Lang 147)

Concepts: Marking

A theory that addresses our biological inheritance as both predator and prey, suggesting that we seek simultaneously to havea. maxiumum visual access (prospect) and

b. protection from the view of others (refuge)

(see Jay Appleton, The Experience of Landscape,Wiley 1975)

Concepts: Prospect-Refuge

Affordances-the physical properties of an object or setting that allow it to be used for some overt activity

(James J Gibson 1979 in Lang p80)

Concepts: Affordances

VIDEO: The Social Life of Small Urban SpacesWilliam Whyte, Observations 1970s, Video 1980s

EXERCISE: Personal SpaceFree Writing Exercise

The golden bricks of knowledge versus the structure of & generalizationDifference between the making of knowledge and the need to apply it

Traditional Social Scientist’s Perspective Typical approach of designers

Background: Two Approaches to Knowledge

Social Science vs Design Difference between

the making of knowledge and the need to apply it

The golden bricks of knowledge versus the structure of relationships between information & generalizationDifference between the making of knowledge and the need to apply it

Typical approach of designers

The golden bricks of knowledge versus the structure of relationships between information & generalization

Difference between the making of knowledge and the need to apply it


Traditional Social Scientist’s Perspective

The golden bricks of knowledge versus the structure of relationships between information & generalizationDifference between the making of knowledge and the need to apply it


Architecture 3711:Environmental Design & the Sociocultural Context

The golden bricks of knowledge versus the structure of relationships between information & generalization

Difference between the making of knowledge and the need to apply it




The integration of bricks and structure



Observation of Public Spaces: Factors in Observation

Constructing a Thatched Roof in Shirakagawa Japan (photo by JWR, 210)

From Zeisel Inquiry by Design, (2006) p 124

Elements in Environmental Behavior Observations

Who is Actor

doing what Act

with whom Significant others

in what relationship Relationshipsaural, visual, tactileolfactory, symbolic, etc.

in what context Sociocultural Contextsituationculture

and where? Physical Settingpropsspatial relations

Observation of Public Spaces: Factors Affecting Observation


Consider:

Vantage point

Interference/ Participant Observation

Documentation

Time & Cycles

Expectations--Whyte- 30 ft2 of seating per

1000ft2 of plaza

- Space Syntax- was it predictive?)

Observation of Public Spaces: Factors in Observation


Consider:

Vantage point

Interference/ Participant Observation

Documentation

Time & Cycles

(Expectations- Whyte30 ft2 of seating per 1000ft2 of plaza)

DISCOVERY!

Observation of Public Spaces; Behavior Traces


Mali: Millet Farm from the air

From Zeisel Inquiry by Design, (2006) p 124

Recording DevicesAnnotated diagrams/ mapsDrawingsPhotographsCounting

What to Look forBy-products of useAdaptations for useDisplays of selfPublic messagesContext

Observation of Public Spaces; Behavior Traces


Products of useAdaptations for useDisplays of selfPublic messagesContext (rules, conventions, etc)

Examples of Observation Studies: Behavior & Traces


Examples of Observation Studies: Observing a Bus Stop


Different variables Comments

Diagram

What do you see documented here?

Sequence, gender, apparent race/ethnicity?,

Examples of Observation Studies: Observing a Bus Stop


Different variables Comments

Diagram

What do you see documented here?

Sequence GenderLocationInteraction

Examples of Observation Studies: Annotation


Examples of Observation Studies: Annotation


Examples of Observation Studies: A Quick Hand


Examples of Observation Studies: Study of Mann


Examples of Observation Studies: Study of Mann Courtyard

Constructing a Thatched Roof in Shirakagawa Japan (photo by JWR, 210)Architecture Court Study: Young, Asseselstine,Hutts & Steigler, 1975

Student Project Work - Urban Courtyards

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Gather/Loiter

Nicole Sjternsward, Andra Zerbe & John Karlen, Calhoun Square & Block E Study, Fall 2013


)

Quinn Feller, Evelina Knoedel & Austin Young, Macmara Center and Central Library Minneapolis Fall 2013

McNamara Alumni Center Minneapolis Central Library


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Occupancy

Shawn Halvorson, Caitlin Dippo & Rah Riley, Butler Square & IDS Crystal Court, Fall 2012

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Cozy Hannula, Elizabeth Hendrickson &Wen Zhu: Global Market & United Noodle Factory Study, Fall 2012


)Cozy Hannula, Elizabeth Hendrickson &Wen Zhu: Global Market & United Noodle Factory Study, Fall 2012

Student Project - Urban Courtyards

)Cozy Hannula, Elizabeth Hendrickson &Wen Zhu: Global Market & United Noodle Factory Study, Fall 2012


Global Market United Noodle Factory

)Max Dickson, Shawn Gaebel, Caitlin Roberts Guthirie and State Theaters Study, Fall 2012

Number of People Entering the Two Theaters Gathering Spaces in Lobby Areasat 5-minute Intervals between 6:00 and 7:30 PM


Guthrie Theater State Theater

Activities on Chairs

Activities on Rugs

Floor Activities

Feet on Floor

Shoes & Jackets

Lighting

Location of Activities

Time

Graduate Student Work: Waldorf & Montessori Classrooms, 2009

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Amanda Severson, Observation Study: Montessori Classroom GD1, Spring 2009

04.2 LECTURE TAKEAWAYS

+ Activity in public places is Related to the body in a fundamental way

+ Observation of people is complex, but different methods allow focus on particular behaviors or traces of behavior

+ Documentation of behavior must be carefully done so that you have data that is useful and that you can reliably analyze

+ See Lecture Online for another Student Example

Study of Northrup Plaza, 2005- Honors Section

Bridgett Ayers-Looby, Claire Antelman, Ward Davidson, Julia Hill, Sarah Steadland

Documents

Cultural Meaning + Spatial Identity: Observing Public ...arch3711.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/04-2-lecture-observing... · 4/09/2015 · Cultural Meaning + Spatial Identity: Observing