A far greater understanding of human behaviour is required if architects and designers are to create successful buildings in the future, according to the head of NBBJ Design’s London office.

In an exclusive interview, David Lewis, a partner with the architecture studio, told CLAD how the practice creates data-heavy designs in collaboration with “brain scientist” Dr John Medina, a professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington.

“These days, behaviour is driving the structure of buildings, not the other way round” he said. “We’re on a path where architecture is being driven by how we best work and live, rather than dictating to people.

“All our designs are informed by how people move, think and interact. A space is more than just a physical building. To help, we work with a whole range of people – clinical staff, healthcare specialists, anthropologists, and John, who brings a level of scientific research beyond anecdotal observations.”

Lewis said all of NBBJ’s international offices consider our “basic hardwiring as humans” when designing spaces. “Across the world and across cultures, there are universal factors that bind us. For example, we know if someone is sitting 50 metres away you probably won’t interact with them, but if they are 10 metres away you probably will, and we know many people think better if they can get up and walk around and work better with access to daylight.”

NBBJ consider data and research on human behaviour to create software featuring avatars with varying personalities, who explore different possible layouts for a building. The designers can then track how users would move around the space, how many people they’d see and how they’d interact. All this informs the layout and materials used in the final design.

“Although design computation is often used to construct stuff, I haven’t seen many other people adopt this really in-depth look at human behaviour yet,” said Lewis. “But it’s a better way of working, especially in a world where people increasingly want smarter, faster and more integrated buildings.”

He told CLAD that the approach is particularly relevant for designing cultural and leisure buildings, as it benefits developers and users alike.

“We can develop layout options that maximise profit for retailers, bars and restaurants by working out how to place them so they’re in exactly the right place for people to use them. Again, we track human behaviour to see how someone would be most likely to come into contact with one of these leisure spaces, while moving around a theatre or a stadium for example.

“We can sit down in front of the client and very quickly show them the ‘sweet spot’ perfectly balancing retail, public space and facilities in much less time. In the future, use of data like this – as well as advances in 3D and robotics – will make the briefing, design and construction process much quicker.

“I think this is something all architects must start to consider as we move into the next generation of design.”

NBBJ are known for their forward-thinking approach, and organise frequent internal design competitions to create concepts that could be possible using innovative technology. Previous ideas include shadowless skyscrapers, a floating ice rink on the River Thames, and a travelator walkway along the London Underground’s Circle Line.