| With regard to architectural design, the collaboration between architects, designers, and end-users is an important aspect that facilitates an increase in the functional and sensorial experience of place and the built environment. Contemporary design philosophy tends to acknowledge the importance of the end-user while the parameters of art destined for the market require at least a passing understanding of the end-user. End-users are not static; they are dynamic. In spite of this however, there seems to be less regard for the need for space to be able to evolve dynamically as the experiences of the user grows.;This thesis argues that users should be influential aspects of the design process. A design process which should be dynamic yet faithful to the context of the user. Three exploratory design experiments were conducted to help illustrate this argument. To ensure that the experiments focused on the exploration of a unique design method, three singular users aided in the design experiments rather than user groups. With the end goal of a residence design, each user started with similar parameters and each project evolved distinctively. This process explores the synthesis of the user's experiences as a basis for the design framework, to inform architectural expression and to allow the architectural space to morph. The resulting buildings support the argument that if buildings are designed with the specific intention of one place, then the process by which architects design should be equally significant to one specific user or user group.;Deeper explorations of User- Centered Design, Participatory Design, Metadesign, and Service Design are the basis for exploration of an evolutionary design methodology. The project seeks to highlight a dynamic design process that connects the intrinsic experiences of a user to the design process and is manifested throughout the architecture in a meaningful experience. |
