Architecture as a Means of Controlling Human Behavior - Term Paper Example

Architecture and the Environment Julie Johnson PSY460 Environmental Psychology of Phoenix January Architecture and the Environment “Architecture has such profound effects on the human being, on place, on human consciousness, and ultimately on the world, it’s far too important to be shaped by short-lived fashion appeal. It can have powerful negative effects, personal, social and environmental. Links with ill health, alienation, crime and climate change are now well known.” (Christopher Day, 2004, p. 13). This paper explores the nature of the human response to physical structure. In particular, it describes how physical structure affects human behavior, analyzes architecture as a means of controlling human behavior, describes the environmental psychological implications of commercial and residential design, including purpose and consideration, and analyzes the importance of architectural development supporting sustainability. Effects of Physical Structure on Human Behavior The behavioral effects of physical structure on humans are believed to be due to a number of factors such as surroundings, layout, light, color, texture, and so on. There are immediate feelings when one enters new places and this affects people’s moods. In environmental psychology, it is understood that our surroundings also affect our intellectual development. The effect can be either positive or negative but there is a relationship between environment and behavior regardless. Christopher Day (2004) explored the theme of how architectural design affects people and places in his book ‘Places of the Soul’. Close associations are shown between architecture and our consciousness, health and various other aspects of human life. Frumkin (2003) explored the evidence for the existence of healthy places, i.e. buildings, public spaces, etc. that could have a positive impact in terms of human health. It was found through various studies that the quality of a place, beyond its mere physical features, has important implications for public health. Architecture therefore has the potential to be used positively such as for promoting public health, as long as it is designed appropriately. Use of Architecture for Controlling Human Behavior Supermarkets make effective use of environmental architecture in subtle ways in order to persuade shoppers to buy its products. In this case, architecture is used to control purchasing behavior. Examples of environmental factors that contribute to influencing consumer behavior in the retailing context include store layout, interior design, focused in-store lighting, color effects using bright and warm colors, and background music. A study by Richardson et al. (1996) showed that the store atmosphere does affect consumers in the case of perceptions of store brand quality. Background music also helps to create the right ambient conditions to influence consumer behavior in service environments (Oakes, 2000). In the field of education, architecture plays a key role in Waldorf or Steiner schools and color is an important tool used for influencing student behavior. Rudolph Steiner described color as “the soul of nature”. Thus, in a Waldorf school classroom, colors are used to support specific stages of child development. For example, pink is used in the nursery and kindergarten because of its innocent and loving feminine quality. The rest of the colors of the rainbow are used for the remaining classes in order, which are believed to suit the child’s development. In Steiner’s philosophy, “the best architectural and utilitarian design does not arise only from considerations of structural and physical functions, but rather should be ‘living forms’ that also speak to the emotional, psychological, mental, moral, and spiritual natures of human users” (Adams, N.d.). These extra qualities of architecture are what grant it the power to control behavior. The control of human behavior is more pronounced in the practice of what is known as ‘correctional architecture’, which is underpinned by ‘correctional philosophy’. This is best observed in prisons where the attempt is to keep inmates pacified. This penal philosophy was first implemented following a meeting held by Quakers and freethinkers with the US president Benjamin Franklin in 1787 (Gill, 1962). Dr. Benjamin Rush was a psychiatrist at the meeting who presented his theory for treating criminals. It was believed that correctional architecture could provide a means to not only control but also correct human behavior. The Nazis undertook a more mass scale program of using architecture to control human behavior, such as when stadiums were fitted with theatrical devices for distorting mood. The use of architecture thus became a medium of social and political control. Sorkin (2001, p. 75) calls this an aggressive, destabilized form of ‘deconstructivist architecture’ and it played a key role in shaping the behavior of the public according to Nazi requirements. Environmental Psychological Implications of Commercial and Residential Design The design of our own or regular social spaces can also be made in such a way as to benefit from environmental psychology. Residential and commercial design is now explored and the important considerations that are made for them. Suitable commercial design allows the building users to easily access its contents as efficiently as possible. At the same time, there are similar needs to residential design in terms of the provision for some privacy and security. In residential design, there is a much greater need for personal privacy. The need in both cases is to balance the environmental architecture with the needs of users although both cater to different types of users, requirements, needs and activities. Another important consideration in both cases is illumination. Before artificial lighting made it possible to site buildings without regard to the position of sunlight, buildings were oriented and set according to the environment and surroundings. The aim was usually to maximize sunlight, which in turn makes buildings energy efficient. With the increasing costs of artificial lighting and heating, the environment is once again give due regard. In the case of hospitals for example, natural lighting has been shown to result in greater patient satisfaction and improved recovery times (Arkkelin & Veitch, 1995). Hence, it is worthwhile to reconsider environmental architecture for both residential and commercial buildings again to improve energy efficiency, natural illumination and take advantage of the various benefits that result. Sustainability is the way forward. Sustainability is a relatively recent consideration in architectural development however. Since ‘Places of the Soul’ was published in 1990, ecological features have become more desirable. It is said that the clients of 75% of US designers now prefer sustainable design and more than 50% of UK architects prioritize it over the quality of the design (Day, 2004, p. ix). Importance of Architectural Development Supporting Sustainable Development Sustainable design entails the need for buildings to be climatically resilient in terms of heating, cooling, ventilation, and allowing natural warming and the ability to shed wind. Installing energy efficient systems together with regular maintenance to ensure their optimum performance, optimizing natural daylight, and using renewable energy sources are examples of some measures for improved sustainability. The use of recycled and locally produced material is a further direct construction based measure. According to estimates by the USGBC (N.d.) for example, US buildings account for 39% of CO2 emissions, which is a large proportion. Most of the emissions emanate from fossil fuel combustion used for heating, cooling, lighting and powering electrical appliances and equipment. Sustainability is therefore important because it can make a significant contribution to making our built environment energy efficient and in turn climate friendly. The potential benefits is highlighted by the USGBC in mentioning that an average LEED certified building consumes 32% less electricity saving 350 metric tons of CO2. Sustainability alone however is not enough to make a true impact on people’s lives in a positive way. As Day (2004) puts it, the architecture must also be able to provide for the ‘soul’ in terms of the way it is experienced by humans. Conclusion The nature of our response to physical structure has been examined in detail in this paper. It was shown that various aspects of our environment affect our behavior such as lighting and color. Moods, thoughts and physical health are all affected either positively or negatively. This relationship is put to effective use in some places like supermarkets, schools and prisons, whereas it has also been used as a tool for negative social control. Residential and commercial design can also take advantage of environmental psychology, and environmental considerations are becoming increasingly important nowadays due to the need for sustainability. References Adams, David. (N.d.). Organic Functionalism: An Important Principle of the Visual Arts in Waldorf School Crafts and Architecture. Waldorf Research Institute. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2011 from http://www.waldorfresearchinstitute.org/pdf/BACraftsArchtRev.pdf. Web. Arkkelin, D. & Veitch, R. (1995). Environmental Psychology: An international perspective. Prentice Hall. Print. Day, Christopher. (2004). Places of the soul: architecture and environmental design as a healing art. 2nd edition. Architectural Press. Print. Frumkin, Howard. (2003). Healthy places: exploring the evidence. American Journal of Public Health, 93(91): 1451-1456. Print. Gill, Howard B. (1962). Correctional philosophy and architecture. The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, 53(3): 312-322. Print. Oakes, Steve. (2000). The influence of the musicscape within service environments. Journal of Services Marketing, 14(7): 539-556. Print. Richardson, Paul; Jain, Arun K. & Dick, Alan. (1996). The influence of store aesthetics on evaluation of private label brands. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 5(1): 19-28. Print. Sorkin, Michael. (2001). Some assembly required. University of Minnesota Press. Print. USGBC. (N.d.). Buildings and climate change. US Green Building Council. Retrieved Jan. 27, 2011 from http://www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/dgs/pio/facts/LA%20workshop/climate.pdf. Web. Read More