Wayfinding Oriented Evidence-Based Design for Building Optimization

The evidence-based design (EBD) method is deemed with significant potency in optimizing architecture designs based on qualitative and quantitative data. However, EBD methods fail to aptly collaborate with conventional design process due to the lack of practical workflow. This study proposed an EBD approach integrating spatial analysis and virtual reality and applied them to a wayfinding-oriented design optimization project. Taking the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) building group of National University of Singapore (NUS) as a study case, this research firstly identified the causes of low wayfinding efficiency via site survey and spatial analysis. Then, corresponding optimization schemes were proposed, and a VR experiment was conducted to evaluate their effectiveness. This study concluded that the lack of openness in vertical traffic space was one of the dominant causes for the low wayfinding efficiency. This issue could be optimized by improving visibility and accessibility. Besides, this study verified the feasibility and demonstrated the great potential of EBD approach, offering a practical reference to design more legible and user-friendly spaces.