The Model of Place and the Invisible Hand

Gerald Weisman’s essay “The Program” endeavors to build upon the reawakening of interest in the “people side” of architecture.  Weisman asks “What is the place of people in architecture?  At one level we recognize that people – as clients, colleagues, consultants, critics, and most especially consumers – are central to what we do, but exactly where and how do they fit within the architectural design process?”

According to Weisman, there is a model of place.  In an effort to help convey this idea, I’ve included the sketch I created during class that should help.  As I drew it, I was able to better comprehend each component and how they worked together as a whole.  In the sketch we see that groups, organizations, and individuals overall make up the PEOPLE component.  PEOPLE are linked to  PHYSICAL SETTING (or building) by way of the PROGRAM.  The PROGRAM component contains the experiential program, functional program, and architectural/design program.

• Experiential Program is what we are experiencing, hence it’s inclusion in the PEOPLE component.
• Functional Program are the intentions, desires, and what we want or need to do
• Architectural/Design Program is concerned with rooms, functions, and spatial allocations, hence it’s location with PHYSICAL SETTING component.

The hidden program is the communal understanding of places – who’s going to be there, what the expected actions/behaviors are, and the physical setting.  Depending on where we are from, however, this hidden program will vary.  Weisman states that this hidden program plays a significant role in shaping group and individual action.  To the extent we share society’s definition of “gourmet restaurant,” “corner bar,” and “fast food joint,” we know what to expect, and even what to order in each, and are able to behave in a manner deemed socially appropriate.

“We must recognize that the invisible hand of the hidden program plays a role in shaping every place we design.” – Gerald Weisman (with due credit to economist Adam Smith)

Expanding our vision from buildings to places makes people an integral component of our professional focus rather than an ancillary matter.  Shifting our attention from the behaviors in which people engage to their environmental experiences – current and desired – allows us to build a bridge from functional to architectural program and from architectural program to design.

Sources:

Weisman, G. (2001). The Place of People in Architectural Design.  In A. Pressman (Ed.), The Architect’s Portable Design Handbook: A guide to best practice. New York: McGrawhill. 158-170.

[Image: Sketch drawn by me, Kristin W.]

Filed under: Theory, interior design, Place