Revealing Unexplored Data: Architectural Design Insights through Crowd Behavior Simulations. A case study from professionals’ perspectives.
Team: Mariangel Meza Santiviago
Program: Architecture, MSARP, RSP Architects
Agent-based simulation (ABS) accurately models individual actions and interactions in diverse environments, including crowd behavior in digital spaces. In architecture, ABS research focuses on areas like wayfinding and design outcomes, but there’s a gap in understanding how ABS can inform architectural decision-making.
This includes integrating ABS into design workflows and extracting design insights from ABS data. This research aims to explore the potential of Crowd Behavior Simulations within the architectural practice by examining these aspects from the viewpoint of current design professionals, specifically those from RSP Architects, the architectural firm responsible for designing the building under study, the ‘Campbell Hall Institute of Childhood Learning’. This research aims to uncover previously overlooked data from the building design process, which can be revealed through simulation. By extracting insights from these simulations, the goal is to inform architectural decision-making and improve the effectiveness of design considerations in the early stages of future projects, with ABS software serving as a valuable support tool.
As a first step, a literature review and software analysis were conducted. Subsequently, the Building Case Study was studied to configure the scene and agents using ABS Software. Finally, simulations were run, and task-oriented interviews were conducted. Architects analyzed their design alongside simulations illustrating crowd behaviors, and evaluated overlooked data by comparing the actual building outcome with insights gained from observing different simulation scenarios.
Keywords: Crowd behavior simulations, Architectural Design Process, Human-centered design, Architectural decision-making
Other Collaborators: RSP Architects
