Integrating the Theory of Experience into architectural design workflow

Abstract

This research demonstrates how I introduced the Theory of Experience (Roth & Jornet, 2013) to create a novel architectural design process in a design studio context. Architects often seek to create spaces that not only fulfill functional requirements but also evoke memorable experiences for users. During the concept design phase, architects imagine and translate spatial experiences into architectural proposals. To conceptualise these spaces, they study precedent projects to inform their spatial design. However, these studies are often based on visual images found online, and the architects themselves may not have visited or experienced these projects in person. The Theory of Experience emerges as a valuable framework to assist architects in considering various experiences to inform their design and enrich their design process. This design-led research presents a new architectural design workflow that is built upon the Theory of Experience for architectural designers to explore and examine a range of experiences to inform their design. This new process was tested with postgraduate architecture students over a three-month period. The findings showed that time-based experience data had greater impact on the design proposals than space based experience data. These findings suggest designers may rely on time-based experience data to inform their design narratives and increase emotional arousal.