Propagating Behavioural Architecture-Based Research: Methodological and Conceptual Issues

Abstract

Architectural practice world over emphasise the ingenuity of space organization and technical presentations of such organized spaces. This is prevalent either in theory in our schools of Architecture, practice and/or both. More often than not, the human angle of architectural design and even research is not given equal emphasis as the design approaches. The best human design involvement is the taking of briefs from clients, which is not sufficient in dealing with congruency that the design outcome ought to engender between the person and the built environment. Our research approaches with regard to the architectural space is equally tailored towards the same direction as the design approaches. The human aspect in our architectural based researches is deemphasised. This conceptual paper aims to market and propagate a human factor based means-end chain (MEC) model that has the capacity to measure both the aggregate architectural issues and the complexities of the behavioural and perceptual orientations of the users of the architectural space for researchers. The conceptual framework will focus and highlight the housing environment. The methodology that the MECmodel uses is called Laddering one-on-one interview technique, which is qualitative in nature. Research outcomes from this model will not only be relevant to the academic platforms, but can be commercialised by practitioners in the building industry. If we must have a sustainable built environment in the 21st century and beyond, our architecture based researches must emphasise person-environment congruent based researches as well. There are a lot of potentials using this research model available to the built environment researchers.