Open AccessShouldn’t All Architecture Be Designed with Empathy?
Author(s) -
Helena Sandman
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
architectural research in finland
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2489-6799
DOI - 10.37457/arf.78046
Subject(s) - empathy , context (archaeology) , process (computing) , architecture , design process , participatory design , engineering design process , action research , action (physics) , tanzania , process management , knowledge management , computer science , architectural engineering , sociology , engineering , business , psychology , operations management , work in process , social psychology , marketing , pedagogy , operating system , ethnology , quantum mechanics , physics , parallels , art , visual arts , biology , paleontology
Rapid urbanisation and, as a result fast growing informal areas, increase the need for affordable housing. This urgent need requires new forms of input from the architects active in the Global South. The profession must adapt and evolve. Based on previous research, I argue that to build sustainable communities, the residents must be heard and be part of the development process. To involve residents, architects can use new contextually suitable and effective design methods. The study comprised action research on an affordable housing design project in Zanzibar, Tanzania. This paper presents the early stages of a design process for a project still in progress. A close look at the Zanzibar case reveals four human-centred methods from the design discipline to the architectural design process: applied ethnography, empathic design, contextual design, co-design and participatory design. Through the analyses of these different methods, I explored the importance of empathy while designing in settings with contextual constraints. The study revealed the potential of developing empathic methods from the design discipline in the context of architectural design. Further, it suggests that empathic methods can be used by architects pursuing sustainable development.