The Facets of Place

This chapter will outline one theory aimed at integrating aspects of environmental
psychology with issues in architectural design. The theory to be reviewed is broad
in those characteristics of theory that Moore (1987) called their 'form and scope'.
This broad brush, top down approach is intended as a contrast with bottom up
attempts to specify the behavioural effects of specific aspects of design, such as
lighting levels or size of spaces. It also contrasts with models that seek to answer
immediate design problems. However, in Moore's (1987) vocabulary, the theory
to be outlined is more than an 'orientation', or 'framework'. It is an 'explanatory
theory' that has been found to have considerable scope, open to direct empirical
test.