Human-Based Design and Digital Fabrication: Behavioral Mapping Parametric Knitter (BMPK)

Abstract

Reducing human stress has become a critical issue in
contemporary architecture. The design of the physical
environment plays an important role in the ease of wayfinding as
people navigate a path through their surroundings. The goal of
this project is to create an automated system that can analyze
human behavior within a building, generate architectural forms
based on the results, and then fabricate an optimal interior space
design for facilitating the observed behaviors. The Behavioral
Mapping Parametric Knitter (BMPK) juxtaposes key
characteristics of biological design (modularity, robustness,
homeostasis, and adaptation) with smart technologies. The
BMPK Robot is an aggregated system that observes human
behaviors, analyzes this behavioral data, designs parametric
patterns, and then weaves spatial designs. The robot extracts
data about complex human behaviors using intelligent sensors
embedded within the environment. Knowledge extracted from
this behavioral data is then used to design a parametric pattern.
Finally, the robot employs this pattern to determine an optimal
space structure to make the observed human behaviors as easy as
possible. The spatial designs produced by the BMPK Robot are
thus intended to help optimize the dynamic human behaviors
that are already observed within the built environment. The
results from this research project will lead to reduced stress and
improved wayfinding among end-users. In addition, the research
will produce a design tool capable of measuring the performance
of different architectural forms in regard to how well they
facilitate human behavior.