Thursday, April 2, 2009

Behavioral (Wild Card) 4/6

When thinking about behavioral and the way people interact with space, I resorted back to what I have been seeing a lot of lately, banquet halls.  I found this image and it reminds me of the ballroom at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.  These spaces give off a sense of sophistication and a classy feel.  In an area like this, a person knows how to act.  This is one of those spaces where your mom would kick you under the table if you were misbehaving.  The main action in the space is eating, so if people are not up walking for table to table, they are sitting.  Therefore circulation is centered around the tables.  In this example, and in most banquet halls the tables are evenly spaced throughout the room, so there is not really a clear traffic pattern.  People just tend to go where they want.  Although the space itself is going to be loud because of the number of people, individuals are encouraged to speak at normal tones because the lighting in the space is warm and incandescent, but not very low.  The elegant chandeliers and gold detailing brings the ceiling closer, to scale down the expanse of the space. The main focus in the space is for people to stop and lounge.  It is definitely a space that encourages social interaction because the chairs are all located so close to one another.  The designer created this space to make the user feel immersed in the reason they are there; to celebrate and visit with others.  How do you feel when you enter a space like this?  Do you find it overwhelming or comforting?  Do you think it is the nature of the design that dictates how a person acts or the event taking place?

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