SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS IN DESIGN: How Human Factors Influence the Design of the Architectural Spaces

INTRODUCTION

The formulation of different architectural spaces in a development begins after gathering sufficient data through research and analyzing the factors that will influence the overall design. There are several factors that dictate the architectural manifestation of the plan, including human behavior and the nature of the environment – it can be terrestrial (geographical), animate, or built (human-made). Environment, in its architectural sense, may be defined as the internally organized, structured, and patterned relationships between people & people, people & things, and things & things.

THE ANIMATE ENVIRONMENT

Under the animate environment are two sub-categories: social and cultural environments. The social environment consists of social relations between species – be it humans or other animals. On the other hand, the cultural environment is described as the specific form of life developed in a certain geography.

Language plays an important role in both the social and cultural environments. In our case, Kapampangan is the language primarily spoken in the province of Pampanga, where our proposed project site is located. As we all know, language is vital to communicate and interact effectively. It is also considered a major part of a place’s culture as it defines the people that use it.

User should be the center of the design. In order to design effectively and provide better spaces, it is important to learn about and understand human behavior. Human behavior influences the environment and vice versa. Behavior makes up one’s lifestyle. It is significant to assess the lifestyle of the people in the community within the vicinity of any proposed development. In-land fishing and farming are two examples of Pampangeño’s livelihoods.

In terms of religion, Pampanga has a variety of religious groups, but Roman Catholic is prevalent in most parts of the province. That is why their culture is rich with festivities related to Catholic beliefs. Aside from that, the province boasts of its culinary cuisine – the most famous one being the Sisig.

CONCLUSION

It is important to properly analyze and take into consideration the different socio-cultural factors present within the location of your proposed project site. These socio-cultural factors will influence your architectural approach and help shape your design into an effective and well-crafted architectural manifestation.