In this chapter we present the findings of an investigation into the ways in which the discourses and practices of school design produce educational spaces which influence the discourses and practices of teaching and learning when the building is occupied. This investigation involved the development of a methodology for systematically analysing…

Informal education in museums is structured through movement in space. This article summarizes a range of research that examines the role of spatial layout in shaping the ways in which visitors explore, engage, and understand museums and museum exhibitions. It is demonstrated that behavior patterns are systematically linked to spatial…

In recent years the college dormitory has become a popular setting for examining chronic effects of crowding and high density in humans. Possible differences between corridor- and suite-type residents were investigated to examine the degree to which corridor- and suite-design dormitories influence assertive behavior of the residents. It was…

Attempts to define the fundamental dimensions of human activity and some of the social controls exercised over them in the built environment. Activity is treated as an abstraction of human behavior which can be usefully related to certain aspects of the environment. The explanatory power and use of activity studies are explored. (Author)

This study sampled 198 studentsin seven dormitories and 55 suites in an effort to elucidate the relationsh ip between social environment as measured by the University Residence Environment Scales, and subject mood states, friendship patterns, and perception of the architecture of dormitories. (JP)

The relationship between play unit complexity and the behavior of 24 normal 3- to 6-year-olds was examined in three Viennese kindergartens. Play units were rated as simple (a unit with one obvious use and no sub-parts or juxtaposition of two essentially different play materials, e.g., puzzles or clay), or super (a complex unit which has three or…

Delineates the field of the sociology of architecture and provides a typology for the study of the relationships between people and the designed environment. (WB)

An experiment conducted at California State College, Los Angeles, to test the value of social-psychological research in defining building needs is described. The problems of how to identify and synthesize the disparate objectives, concerns and actions of the groups who use or otherwise have an interest in large and complex buildings is discussed.…

The behavior of 80 individuals with mental retardation living in community residences was assessed to investigate the influence of architectural features identified with homelikeness. Results found that adaptive and maladaptive behavior covaried with homelikeness ratings. Associations between specific architectural features and the behavior of…

The behavior of the human organism in spatial situations is examined. Extensive research by the author in this subject area is supplemented by other studies. Among the research areas explored are small group ecology, territoriality, and the related concept of privacy. In these areas social interaction behavior is of particular concern. Social…

Building Research is urged to expand into areas concerned with human behavior, and a need for information on how people react physically and mentally, and how they perform their various tasks in environment created for them by the design professions, is cited. A research project at the University of Michigan is described, aimed at measuring the…