A Narrative Manual Proposal for Design Process

Abstract

Designing a space is an act of “daydreaming” realised by discovering the pattern between the existing knowledge, ideas, and intuitions about that place. The architectural design has multi-layered data structures consisting of programmatic-functional and experiential-emotional-social knowledge. This study considers that a substantial part of these data is related to the human experience and investigates “How can these data be included in the design process?” This research aims to evaluate “narrative” as an important design tool in conveying spatial experiences by emphasising the importance of human experience in the design process. Thus, its potential and structure are investigated.

Humans are active, emotional, social beings who interact with what they perceive; additionally, their past and environment heavily influence their construction of reality. With these characteristics, they should be evaluated as subjects who live in and reconstruct the environment through their actions. As a result, it is deemed valuable to include humans in the entire design process in its narrative context. In this context, the designer may become more aware of the living fragments of places and, thus, more creative.

In its various forms, narrative is a communication tool designed to convey experiences. This research is divided into three parts that address the why, which content and formation, and how of incorporating human narrative into the design process. The knowledge and potential thought generated by the narratives in the design process will be expanded. The second section will go over narrative content and actions. Finally, based on these expansions, definitions, and discussions, a “narrative manual” proposal will be developed to show how to create human narratives for use in the design process.