The Dynamics of the Psychological Approach in Designing Spaces: A Study of Architecture Students

The psyche of human mind is best expressed through architecture and the interior design of buildings. No doubt, architecture and psychology are interconnected domains of human experience; while building design is the physical illustration of the creative perception of human psyche. Human interaction with the built environment prompts the senses to perceive and react to it in different logical manners, exemplified through unique spatial expression of every single designer. It has been observed that students as future architects, while tackling with the design projects, put forth their own spatial experiences of interaction with the built environment. For this reason, students of Bachelors in Architecture program at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan were interviewed informally to document their psychological approach regarding spatial thinking and translating it into architectural designs of varying quality. The findings acknowledged that the architectural psychology of the designer and the psychological influences of environment impact the construction and building design industry. The diversity in design driven by the psyche of each student is interesting to note and it establishes the fact that every single design is dominated by the concepts developed during the design process. The study has significance as a vital contribution towards the psychological implications of architects for a well-designed built environment.