tools

Well, you could just use a yukka plant. That's the tool most people use to improve their entrance spaces. The careful placing of a yukka plant, swiss cheese plant, baby fern or fig tree will certainly say something about you, but does it help a space really communicate in the way we would want it to?

We think there are better ways to improve the inspirational effectiveness of threshold spaces. But it's not just instinct we go on, though we have a lot of that too, we also have some tools we use to take a hard close look at how people react to particular built or imagined spaces.

When someone enters a space, it takes just 0.16 seconds for their eyes to move from one place to another. It takes them less than 3 seconds to form an opinion. We believe this 3 second window can teach us a lot. It is critical to the design of every built space.

We have created a suite of tools to help us look into and understand this 3 second impression. Collectively, we call these tools 'Spatial Impact Assessment'.

Visual snapshot - This begins by taking a live visual 'snapshot' of your entry space - this typically takes place over several days. During this process, we use CCTV, eye movement sensors and other tools to visually map out visitor reactions and behaviours to your entry space - beginning outside the building and ending on exit. From this non-invasive 'snapshot' we analyse at the paths people walk, what objects, people and surfaces catch their eye, their non-verbal language and how at ease they may or may not feel.

Spatial behaviour mapping - Taking as our starting point the 'impression objectives' for the building, we then analyse the extent to which these objectives are met within the existing 'entry experience'. This involves the application of a visual spatial cognition framework to understand the overall assumptions different kinds of visitors will make about your space, as well as the objects, colours and people that inhabit it. We use the latest research into perception and visual spatial cognition, verbal and non-verbal rituals, behavioural science and environmental psychology*.

Final Report - The space impact assessment culminates in a written, highly visual report on the behaviour of visitors as they enter, dwell within and leave the entry space. We assess the success or failure of the evident visual cues to meet the 'impression objectives' of the building. We consider every aspect of the environment, from the sitting position of the receptionist, to the lines and contours of the space itself, through to the placing of security guards and pot plants. Finally, we make recommendations on the possible visual and human interventions that may be possible to increase the impact of your space.

* Based on the scientific research work of Ronald Rensink, Mary Potter, Knill & Richards, Irvin Biederman, V.S. Ramachandran and Semir Zeki. In addition we draw upon a body of philosophical work around our relationship with 'spaces', from thinkers such as Gaston Bachelard, James Elkins, Lev Manovich and Henri Lefebvre.