The Influence of Humanizing the Building through Design and Function; An Observational Study

Dr. Fatma Jobran (Taibah University)

Research methods play a vital role in efforts to describe, understand and control nature. It is important to utilize appropriate methods for gathering research. Researchers use different methods in order to express what is important in the field under study. There are several different research methods that may be used individually or in combination for a mixed method approach. In this study, the use of unobtrusive observation is utilized. Observation of human behaviors is useful to determine if a space is functioning. According to Daniel J. Bernstein “The choice of what behavior to study is one of the key focal points of the difference between the experimental and applied branches” (Lattal & Perone, 1998, p. 514). For the purpose of this study, the behavior of individuals using the space inside the University Building is analyzed.

The space inside the University's Student Union Building was chosen for our observation site for several reasons. When in the process of selecting an observation site we asked ourselves what we wanted to know. After walking through the Student Union Building we all agreed that the pavilion area had a unique design in comparison to the rest of the building. The space is open to the rest of the main lobby area of the Student Union; however it seems as if the space holds some sense of privacy. The space intrigued us and we wanted to learn more about the use of the space. In this study, observations are used in order to gather data to draw conclusions of the use of furniture within the Gathering Pavilion inside the Student Union Building on University’s campus.