Kansei Design and Its Applications in Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

Kansei is a Japanese term referred to human feelings activated at emotional level, once in contact or relation with a particular object or context. The Kansei Engineering (KE) method developed by Mitsuo Nagamachi in the 1970s introduced the kansei approach into design community for the first time. In this regard, Kansei Design (KD) is a novel holistic approach to users’ perceptions at cognitive level which seems appropriate to applications in architectural design. Scope of this paper is to investigate about specific approaches and methodologies currently adopted in KE and KD, which are mainly focused on intrinsic characteristics of artefacts, and their possible extension to applications in the fields of Architecture and Built Environment in terms of emotional quality of forms and spaces.