48 351 - Human Factors in Architecture

Institution:

Carnegie Mellon University

Subject:

Description:

Required course Human Factors is an investigation of what makes buildings tick for people: the internal spaces, transitional spaces, transactional spaces, defensible space, owned space, shared space, public space, and most importantly, occupied space. We move up in scale from the individual and group to the community to consider our designers? biases in how we analyze the human needs, how we judge the quality of space and subsequently, how we apply this knowledge to our own design work. Students develop a research question and test it in field research using observation, interviews and surveys. They draw conclusions about the quality of a space and place and how to improve it. Students should leave this class with the ability to discern a problem, experience in applying their understanding of behavioral settings and the human condition to specific research foci, and the ability to use their knowledge and skills deftly in practice, where time and resources are limited. Assignments will be a mix of individual and group work, with emphasis on the latter. There will be an emphasis on reading relevant literature, field investigations and understanding research methods and collaboration for applications in practice.

Credits:

9.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.cmu.edu/

Phone Number:

(412) 268-2000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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