Behaviour setting transformation methodology, filling in the gaps of the conventional architectural design process

Abstract

This article recounts 6 years of empirical research in a humanitarian context on spatial behaviour using the behaviour settings theory. This research journey details the shortcomings of conventional architectural processes and the subsequent development of a human-centred behaviour setting methodology that drives behaviour change for adaptable spaces. The research work puts Barker’s theory of behaviour settings into practice to show its significant methodological abilities in shaping behaviours through spaces. While the original theory was solely an analytical account of existing behaviours in certain settings, this study marks the first pragmatic exploration of the theory into both residential and refugee contexts. The methodology that is subsequently proposed is a complementary tool to account for the deficiencies of conventional architectural design processes. A method that enables one to fully immerse themselves in the environment, recognize specific architectural interventions, assess their effects and reiterate. It is a proposal for humanizing architecture, sympathizing its processes and personalizing its results for the users of any space. This article is part of the theme issue ‘People, places, things, and communities: expanding behaviour settings theory in the twenty-first century’.