A case study of adopting BIT-Kit: A method uncovering the impact buildings have on people

Author: Dr Lesley J McIntyre

Abstract

In current architectural discourse there is a lack of method in building evidence to understand the link between buildings and the wellbeing, independence and mobility of the people who use them. In response to this knowledge gap, the Building Interactions Toolkit (BIT-­Kit) supports the gathering of real-­world interaction evidence within buildings. Applying a mixed-methods approach, BIT-­Kit evidence is generated through the combination of purposeful conversation, observation and building interaction data.

This paper introduces the motivations behind BIT-­Kit and evaluates evidence uncovered through a case study, which investigates the task of way-­finding in a public building by persons with visual impairment. Findings illustrate novel evidence of human interaction with architectural elements (such as stairs, doors, car-­parks and corridors) that enable and disable building users. These findings define evidence in assessing the impact of buildings on people.

This paper was entered into a competition launched by --BRE Group and UBM called to investigate the link between buildings and the wellbeing of those who occupy them.