Activity is important as it helps to improve our health in many ways, therefore factoring this in whilst designing is crucial. Regardless of age, ability and race activity should be accessible for all whether at home, work, school or in places of leisure. As designers factoring in spaces that encourage activity is within our power. Therefore we should utilise this for the greater good of those we intend the spaces we create to be used by.
Benefits of activity
Mental health benefits
Improved quality of life
Improved wellbeing
A defined sense of identity
Weight loss
Strengthened Independence
How can I create these benefits within design?
Opt for higher ceilings, rather than low
Without making ceilings too high resulting in one feeling overwhelmed within a space, seek to increase the height of these whilst designing. The impact of this results in spaces being opened up, with an opportunity to employ larger openings. This can combat the risk of claustrophobia.
Connect to familiar spaces where possible
When designing we always use the term amenities and are known for their benefits in generating interest and activity within a redundant zone. This applies here also when conceptualizing zones within a design - consider how best does this room connect to its neighbouring room and the outcome of its relationship. Will this encourage activity in this zone or rather deter it.
Get wider, get bigger
When designing meeting routes for example; walkways, corridors and pathways it is always a good tip to consider how people interact with one another along these routes rather than considering the user in isolation. A narrow corridor has less likelihood of people interacting than a wider one, simply because people are rushing to get past without awkwardly being in each other's space. However, if you open up the width of these spaces, you are able to encourage multiple-user interactions giving them a chance to pause and keep a comfortable distance between one another whilst interacting.
Bursts of colour
Colour is a powerful design tool, that many of us neglect or feel as though only certain disciplines are skilled enough to explore and utilise this tool effectively. Well, we are wrong and it is causing us to miss out on opportunities whilst designing. As touched upon in our Colour Psychology series, all colours represent various cultural connotations and also have varied impacts on one's mood whether this is positive or negative. Therefore, we should tap into this tool and use it to our advantage by activating zones to encourage activity, regardless of our discipline and area of expertise.
Adaptability
Covid-19 has taught us that anything can go from 0 to 100 real quick. Therefore, it is essential to keep this lesson in mind whilst designing. Before the home was mainly used as a place of respite and hosting for example. Now it has become an office space for many of us, as well as the above. We spend more hours in a day, using the home for work purposes rather than its previous uses.
This just goes to show that spaces are easily adaptable, and adaptable spaces are successful when adaptability is factored into their primary design. For example, sliding walls and pocket doors can easily double up the sqm of a space or half it in seconds. Whereas if this is not within the design, users will soon use furniture or their own methods to achieve their optimum level of flexibility for activity optimisation.
Will you be encouraging activity?
There are so many ways in which activity can be encouraged through design, we might have to create part two of this blog post. Nonetheless, once we become conscious of the benefits we can create through encouraging activity through design - we will begin to see an uplift in mood and the well being of the inhabitants of our cities.
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