Table Of Contentby C.M. Deasy, FAIA
in collaboration with
Thomas E. Lass well, Ph.
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A Handbook on
Human Behavior
for Architects,
Designers, and
Facility Managers
27.50
-= $
DESIGNING PLACES
FOR PEOPLE
By C.M. Deasy, FAIA
In collaboration with Thomas E.Lasswell,Ph.D.
This practical handbook shows you how to take
the needs and characteristics of human behavior
and apply them to the design of buildings and
interiors. A lot of information now exists that
could help designers create places where people
can function at their best, with less stress and more
satisfaction. Unfortunately, this information ap¬
pears only in scholarly books and journals; it is
largely inaccessible to design professionals in the
form in which they need it, when they need it.
This book is organized into 11 chapters. The
first two chapters explain the behavioral influ¬
ences that underlie the way all of us use our
buildings, and describe how the book has been
organized to translate behavioral information into
the handbook format architects and other design¬
ers are used to working with.
In Chapter 3 you will find a practical introduc¬
tion to the eight behavioral elements that people
expect from any architectural space. These are:
the potential for forming friendships; the need
for privacy and personal space; the opportunities
for informal groups to form (and ideal group
sizes); the need to search and find cues to the
nature of a space (such as graphic signage or thick
carpets); the need to communicate well; ter¬
ritoriality; and the concern for personal status and
for personal safety. These elements are used by
the authors as a base to give you the practical
information you need for designing effective
places for people.
The next eight chapters cover all types of spaces
in which people spend their days and nights.
Chapter 4 takes you into living spaces, including
houses, apartments, dormitories, and the neigh¬
borhood. Chapter 5 deals with designing an effi¬
cient workplace, and includes personal and
shared workplaces, as well as the private office.
In Chapter 6 you will learn about designing
places where people meet, such as conference
rooms (for example, the book will tell you the
varying design requirements for pre-meeting, the
meeting itself, and post-meeting gatherings), pub¬
lic performances, and open assemblies, such as
public meetings.
Shopping, buying, or bartering are perennial
human needs. The requirements of the shopping
place (including restaurants) are described in de¬
sign terms in Chapter 7.
Chapter 8 deals with learning—how to design
behaviorally effective classrooms, lecture halls,
and libraries. Chapter 9 deals with health care,
including the design of the patient’s room and
public spaces in hospitals.
Chapters 10 and 11 provide hints for designing
behaviorally workable public spaces, such as
building lobbies and waiting rooms, as well as out¬
side areas such as streets and small parks.
This book, with its practical drawings, photo¬
graphs, and design data, is indispensable to any
architect, interior designer, urban designer, land¬
scape architect, or facilities or personnel manager
who wants to create places that really work for
people.
144 pages. 8V4 x 11 (21 x 28 cm). 90 black-and-
white illustrations. Bibliography. Index.
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DESIGNING PLACES
FOR PEOPLE
A Handbook on Human Behavior for Architects,
Designers, and Facility Managers
by C.M. Deasy, FAIA
in collaboration with
Thomas E. Lasswell, Ph.D.
WHITNEY LIBRARY OF DESIGN
an imprint of Watson-Guptill Publications/New York
Copyright © 1985 by C. M. Deasy and Thomas E. Lasswell
First published 1985 in New York by the Whitney Library of Design,
an imprint of Watson-Guptill Publications,
a division of Billboard Publications, Inc.,
1515 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10036
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Deasy, C. M.
Designing places for people.
Includes index.
1. Architecture—Human factors. 2. Architecture—
Environmental aspects. I. Lasswell, Thomas E. II. Title.
NA2542.4.D4 1985 720'.1'03 85-3145
ISBN 0-8230-7152-9
Distributed in the United Kingdom by Phaidon Press Ltd.,
Littlegate House, St. Ebbe’s St., Oxford
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic,
electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
taping, or information storage and retrieval systems—without
written permission of the publisher.
Manufactured in U.S.A.
First printing, 1985
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 / 90 89 88 87 86 85
FOREWORD
I have always been amused by the photographs that architects take of their build¬
ings. They are invariably very artistic in intent and execution but do not include
any people. A building, no matter how well it may be designed, cannot be success¬
ful without people, and particularly people who are enjoying themselves.
Why is one restaurant more successful than another when both have similar
menu fare? Obviously it has to do with the ambience of the space and the warmth
with which the guests were greeted when they arrived.
Many times I have viewed similar buildings or spaces, the first devoid of people
and the second bubbling with activity. Why?
It is a criticism leveled at many architects and designers that they do not con¬
sider down-to-earth human frailties and desires when creating spaces for human
habitation. These professions must develop and encourage people who are, to a
much larger degree, “observers”—absorbing what people do and do not like. Cer¬
tainly one of the greatest human games is “people-watching.”
In short, does the human feel good in a particular space? To this end, the
subject of this text is of great interest to me and should be to all architects and
designers of “places for people.” Presenting the human behavioral issues to those
directly responsible for the architectural side of developing the world around us
and in a language specifically geared to these professionals, as this text does, helps
fill a surprising void of information available in this held. Information that can
and should be used by designers every day in their work.
As Mr. Deasy points out in his opening, the nature of our buildings and streets
affects our behavior, affects the way we feel about ourselves and, importantly, how
we get along with others.
That is a uniquely significant responsibility in today’s society and one that our
architects, designers, and planners cannot take lightly.
The material in this text is highly useful. The subject, presentation, and infor¬
mation presented here portray an idea whose time has come.
MacDonald G. Becket, FAIA
The Becket Group
CONTENTS
Foreword, by MacDonald G. Becket 5
Preface 8
1 HUMAN BEHAVIOR 9
AND THE DESIGNER
Environment Influences Behavior 10
Utilizing Behavior Research 10
Human Nature Cannot Be Predicted Intuitively 11
2 USING BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE 14
IN THE DESIGN PROCESS
Constructing a Behavioral Program 15
3 THE NATURE OF HUMAN NATURE 17
Friendship Formation 18
Group Membership 20
Personal Space 20
Personal Status 24
Territoriality 26
Communications 29
Cue Searching 34
Personal Safety 38
4 LIVING TOGETHER 40
At Home 41
In an Apartment 48
In a Dormitory 56
In the Neighborhood 61
5 WORKING TOGETHER 64
The Personal Workplace 65
Shared Workplaces 69
The Private Office 71
