Built environments shapes our behaviour by affecting the way we experience spaces. We experience spatial features in a space following a set of evolutionary instincts that keeps us from being lost in our surroundings, By designing architecture that either conforms or clashes with these instincts, the space can shape our behaviours by affecting our conscious and subconscious decision making.

DECISION MAKING

Intent is the person's ultimate goal coming into the space. Intent is the force that propels a person to look for solutions to their spatial problems. It differs from instincts in that it is a conscious thought that is independent from the environmental factors.
Program is the designated function of the place, what the designer envisioned people to do within the space, aka the designer’s intent. It is planned out to facilitate certain intents of the user, but also to shape their behaviour beyond the original intent. Depending on the scope of the program, places can be fixed feature spaces that provide for a single intent, or casual spaces that accommodates a range of different intents.
Environment is the physical character of the place, including layout, lighting, materiality and acoustics. Programs form the guideline of the design of the environment. Environments may work against a user’s intent, especially when the user’s intent conflicts with the designated program.
Experience is the subjective feelings of the person after perceiving the environment. Constitutes to conscious decision making and subconscious acts out of instinct
- However, experience plays a smaller role in decision making within non-places.
- Places are spaces that are relational, historical and concerned with identity, and non-places are spaces that are devoid of these.
- Most fixed-feature spaces are non-places, as they exist to serve a single purpose that does not shift regarding people’s experience in them.
- Airport is a prime example of a non-place