Arch 302 Architecture & Human Behavior

Hewn in timber or carved in stone, architecture is a form of storytelling by which a culture renders traditions, practices, craft and ethics in material form. Buildings and landscapes tell us about aspirations and role of individuals within a collective. Like words in a language, buildings and cities share a grammar and syntax they tell us of things we value and traditions that we care to retain. In that way, buildings and landscapes are cultural artifacts and should be read as evidence of human histories and traditions. The shape, layout, visual character and form of our physical world influence the way we act in it. The objective of this course is to identify strategies by which we can discover this reciprocal relationship between architecture and its users.