Co-design in Architectural Practice: Impact of Client Involvement During Self-construction Experiences

Abstract

This paper investigates how self-construction processes, considered as the utmost form of clients' involvement in the realm of building a family house, impact clients' and architects' interactions. The study of four cases (two involving "traditional" processes, two involving "self-built" processes) and the drawing of Experience Maps for each of them nurture reflections about satisfaction assessment, perceived quality and clients' integration to the architectural design process (potentially including co-design attitudes).

Interactions between architects and end-users during housing design processes: a systematic literature review

“…This was considered to be the level at which most users were comfortable”, given “their current use of the space” (p. 163). Schwaiger et al. (2019) however spot an interesting category of clients who hold specific skills (such as knowledge in construction or understanding of a designer's tasks or craftsmanship); in that case, the architect can pull ideas from or enrich the design process through enlightened conversations.…”

“…, 2015). This important aspect of the user experience, often observed during the early phases of a construction project, is often referred to as the “Habitus Shock” (Adler, 1975; Schwaiger et al. , 2019; Bourdieu, 1977).…”

“…Nevertheless, most clients are not related to the construction field and can experience trouble getting a grip on technical dimensions or specific language Luck, 2007;Siva and London, 2011;Alkali et al, 2015). This important aspect of the user experience, often observed during the early phases of a construction project, is often referred to as the "Habitus Shock" (Adler, 1975;Schwaiger et al, 2019;Bourdieu, 1977). It is a state of "confusion, stress or frustration experienced by clients who find themselves exposed to an unfamiliar architectural habitus" (Siva and London, 2011, p. 179).…”

“…Several studies demonstrate that users nowadays are no longer willing to undergo the whole design process simply as external observers, but rather as actors in the design process (Lawson, 2006;Schwaiger et al, 2019), being experts of their own habits and behaviors (Casakin and Badke-Schaub, 2017), owning their problems and sometimes even the solutions (Sanders, 2005;. This "client-led revolution" translates into always betterinformed users expecting to have their say all along the decision-making process, considering themselves as "part of a team".…”

“…We consider that houses' auto-construction and vernacular practices fall under this scope (e.g. in Schwaiger et al (2019) and Urban (2015)) and shake up the usual borders of the field. Kazimee (2008) and Urban (2015) argue that vernacular practices tend to be more contextualized, respectful of the existing environment.…”