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Architects actually are taught that they have to design buildings
with the thought that they are the user.
That way, a lot of mistakes are made nowadays in architecture.
Yes. I can show you some examples.
If we get out of the train, in this case...
... we are attracted by the light,
and we want to walk towards the light.
When we arrive there,
we will see that we can't get out of the station from there,
which we expected.
And in that way, we feel trapped.
We are now in a tram tunnel in the city centre of The Hague,
which emphasizes the quality of the underground space.
A wooden floor is natural material,
and humans are more connected with natural materials.
So that makes the environment more friendly.
And this in contrast with the rough walls,
makes the space a real refuge from the outer world.
Psychologists know a lot about people, and architects about the built environment,
and this combination comes together in environmental psychology.
So it is about the relation between humans and their environment.
Yes. We can do both.
In huge projects, we can also work together with other architects
or we can do the whole process.
Every situation is different.
Every person is different, so we really try to use from science -
what they discovered about certain aspects -
we try to implement it in our research and, eventually, the design.
Often, an environmental psychologist is asked to help after the building is built.
Then they have problems that have to be solved.
And that is of course very hard, because you can not change that much anymore.
The way of thinking, in this more scientific way,
is quite new especially in Europe.
Not so many people are working like that.
We have an European ambition - actually international.
Because, I think, a lot of interesting projects for us
are not only based in The Netherlands, but also in in other countries.
We chose a dot-EU domain because we want to work internationally,
and internet is an important element in our business, and it will become
even more important.
To communicate with people, especially with potential users.
The challenge really is to start with the user,
figure out what they really want, and make it their place.