EXPERIENTIAL DESIGN

Architecture education has increasingly steered away from centering human experience in the design process. At the same time, students seem to be hungry for meaningful perspectives and direct experiences that counter our digitally saturated world. Architecture pedagogy grounded in a people-based approach—where subtle environmental variations alleviate experiential monotony and bring inhabitants back to the center of design intentions—can be pivotal in enhancing occupant well-being while simultaneously minimizing energy use, shoring resilience, and supporting environmental stewardship.   

A course at UC Berkeley called Sensory Space was based primarily, but not exclusively, on the new book Experiential Design Schemas by Mark DeKay and Gail Brager. This class is about how to create rich multisensory experiences in buildings through low-energy climate-responsive approaches, connecting people to nature and embracing the value of environmental variability and delight. It advocates for design to embrace a broader view of experiential aesthetics, choreographing visual, thermal, acoustic, and olfactory elements of the sensescape to contribute to the beauty and memorability of space.   

For ease of sharing course materials with other instructors, the Syllabus, Homework Assignments, and In-Class Exercises are posted on a publicly available Box folder called Experiential Design Teaching, and summarized in the Index of Materials. They are intentionally posted as Word docs to make it easier for you to use in whole or part. Eventually I might create a website, but keeping it simple for now.   

Please note attribution to Gail Brager and to the Experiential Design Schemas book if you use the material. If you adapt or modify this assignment, I'd love to hear about it and see your version. With your permission, I can also post it to our Drive folder to share with our community. For feedback or to share your work, please contact Gail Brager at experientialdesignteach@gmail.com