3/21/2019 Empathetic Design - Google Docs Empathetic Design Stefan Langebeeke Abstract: Many different attributes and tools can make a design a “good” one. Questions about site and how the construction sits within a landscape or the inspiration of the project taking form into the design are a couple of the consistent attributes that make a project successful, but as designers of the built environment, the ones responsible for shaping the spaces that we as humans inhabit, the most important tool in our arsenal is empathy. In this thesis, I will be using my D7 block project design, that was done in collaboration with Christina Magrini, to show why empathy holds so much power in the design world and why it can turn our designs from “good” designs to designs that impact the world and the experiences we have within it positively. I will discuss how the introduction of an International Market in the Upper East Side of New York City will promote ideas of inclusion and mental health through design, concept, and the addition of natural elements. These elements are discussed to bring light to how empathetic design can impact the body and mind of the occupant and allow our designs to heal a world overwhelmed in the built environment. https://docs.google.com/document/d/193DX3AVue1im6EQSJHgpQLbJICmgLCG_NAgKfCsT1-c/edit 1/9 3/21/2019 Empathetic Design - Google Docs Empathy is defined by Merriam-Webster as “t he action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.”1 This paper seeks to shed light on the notion that empathy is a design tool, and a powerful one at that. Using empathy as the basis of design pushes the construction beyond just an inhabitable space and towards something that connects with the inhabitants emotions, making the overall experience of the space so much greater than just creating an interesting, maybe even thought-provoking construction. Although empathy is a trait that is universally known, sometimes experiencing it and using it as a means of understanding people can be a challenge. I believe that emotional connection and understanding is exactly what the next generation of designers will need to change the built environment into something that will unite people of all genders, cultures, and orientations through the simple interaction with and within a space. In order to use empathy as a design tool, one must first build an understanding of people in general. I believe the best way to learn about this Earth and the people in it, one must travel and immerse themselves in the endless cultures that inhabit it; open the mind and allow those cultures to inform and strengthen one's own thoughts and values. From personal experience, I have been to 25 different countries in my 23 years of life; i have experienced first-hand what it is like to dine in Australia, to see how the Mexican people interact with other people, and what the Italian people value in their everyday lives. Learning how other people live, what their daily lives are like, how they communicate, how that recluse themselves; these are all questions that directly relate to the way people use spaces in different ways and should inform the design process of those spaces. 1 " Empathy." Merriam-Webster. Accessed March 19, 2019. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy. https://docs.google.com/document/d/193DX3AVue1im6EQSJHgpQLbJICmgLCG_NAgKfCsT1-c/edit 2/9 3/21/2019 Empathetic Design - Google Docs These were questions that I personally investigated while working, in collaboration with Christina Magrini, on our D7 block project in New York City. The prompt for this project was to design an extension to the existing Frick Collection in the Upper East Side of the city, while also introducing a new construction or set of constructions to the rest of the block. While analyzing the surrounding area, we noticed that within a quarter mile radius of the Frick Collection, there were a total of 7 Consulates and even more a couple blocks further in every direction. On top of that, according to the Statistical Atlas2, the percentage of people who were actually born in the United States is less than 23.2%, meaning that most of the population of the Upper East Side were born abroad. Now deducing that those statistics make the Upper East Side very cultural charged, as well as the Frick Collection also having an international quality to it with its taste in international art along with our desire to activate the museum and draw in a wider 2 " National Origin in Upper East Side, New York, New York (Neighborhood)." The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas. Accessed March 19, 2019. https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/New-York/New-York/Upper-East-Side/National-Origin. https://docs.google.com/document/d/193DX3AVue1im6EQSJHgpQLbJICmgLCG_NAgKfCsT1-c/edit 3/9 3/21/2019 Empathetic Design - Google Docs demographic, we saw it fit to introduce an international market to the remainder of the block. To fully design something that, in theory, is about the celebration of all cultures, an analysis of the surrounding Consulates and how their countries practice etiquette as well as their social interactions was done to fully understand what brings comfort to them; this analysis helped us determine that the spaces within had to be designed in a way that offers a variety of ways one could experience the same activity. We took the information we gathered and found consistencies between various countries and their respective cultural lifestyles and simplified it to a broad study of public and private spaces with both having a variation of interactive and non-interactive spaces as well as formal and informal spaces. An example of this would be, https://docs.google.com/document/d/193DX3AVue1im6EQSJHgpQLbJICmgLCG_NAgKfCsT1-c/edit 4/9 3/21/2019 Empathetic Design - Google Docs within the Austrian culture, family plays a huge role and so eating together at the table is something that is very important to their culture. The Austrians are also a very formal people, meaning that they require a private space for themselves, where they can express themselves in a much more informal way. In contrast, the Australians are also very close to their families, however, they approach their interactions in a much more informal and public manner, meaning they feel comfortable in a much more public dining experience. Two different cultures, similar values in how they perceive family and the way they like to dine together, but two completely different approaches to how they wish to dine spatially. The value in understanding this information programatically is now we can start defining spaces that allow these various cultures to participate together in the celebration of the world, whether it’s through food, textiles, or art, while still feeling that they themselves are welcome to be who they are and practice life the way they see fit. Another important element that is now brought to the table is the dialogue that these different cultures have between these different spaces. Knowing there is a place for them within the construction, those who are more drawn to the private/informal spaces may be more willing to step out of their comfort zones and experience the more public/informal spaces. When this happens, the pathos of the construction truly shines through. The experience of the place becomes more than just the one person or the one culture; the walls are broken down so to speak and the occupant becomes a citizen of the world rather than just a citizen of their respective culture. That is where the empathy in the design process becomes a charged empathetic experience; a suggestive experience that does not need to be “fully communicated” https://docs.google.com/document/d/193DX3AVue1im6EQSJHgpQLbJICmgLCG_NAgKfCsT1-c/edit 5/9 3/21/2019 Empathetic Design - Google Docs but is rather understood at a subconscious level and ultimately seeks to bring people together. While designing with an understanding of people through their respective cultures is an important basis for the design process, it is not the only way to connect a space emotionally to people in general. We as humans are fortunate to say that not one of us are the same; we each are uniquely designed ourselves and therefore we each have personalities, preferences, and other qualities that are specific to us. With that said, the human brain reacts similarly and consistently to certain situations and settings. According to David G. Pearson and Tony Craig in their article “The great outdoors? Exploring the mental health benefits of natural environments”, https://docs.google.com/document/d/193DX3AVue1im6EQSJHgpQLbJICmgLCG_NAgKfCsT1-c/edit 6/9 3/21/2019 Empathetic Design - Google Docs the effect of green space on the human brain results in lower stress levels. They go on to introduce the Attentional Restoration Theory which basically informs us that urban settings require our brains to constantly be reacting and therefore cause a constant overstimulation within our brains; this causes the fatigue that we have all experienced all too often. In contrast, natural environments or settings demand a “bigger picture” type of attention, meaning the events placed before an individual are experienced in totality while simultaneously causing the brain to release a sense of pleasure due to the more restorative type of attention required.3 With that said, there are many natural attributes that can be brought into the design process that will draw positive cognitive attention and have a sense of healing for all involved; the presence of green space allowing for a sense of mental healing, the sound of water eliciting feelings of relaxation, and the effect sunlight has on our body and mind to name a few.