Crossing the Threshold: The Psychological and Mental Impact of Hallways and Doors in Transitioning Spaces.

Abstract

This thesis investigates the impact of thresholds in transition spaces on users when stepping through hallways and doors, with a further exploration of the effect on the mental and cognitive response in contextual domains (i.e., hospitals, schools, hotels, etc.). This study aims to assess the subjective responses triggered by design decisions implemented in thresholds, digging into spatial and transition psychology, as these either separate the user from the experience or enhance the intended purpose of the design. Some elements consist of human-centered decisions on how the hallways and doors affect the general orientation and wayfinding of these thresholds and how designs are driven by experience-offering. Using a mixed-method approach, the research combines a myriad of articles and books with reference to user experience, experiments with transitional conditions and the materialized emotional significance driven by them, and case studies to dive into cultural, analogical, and real-life examples by illustrating theory in practice. Selecting three contextual buildings that cover the deepened human desires of belonging, control, and privacy, this paper found that the design implications, whether for event boundaries, wayfinding events, or symbolical and social structures, are vital to the overall physical and mental orientation of users when stepping through transition spaces. The general discussion is applied to the project, Baths of Thresholds, tied to this thesis, where much of the research inspired what went into the design and functions of the building. Keywords: Threshold, Doorway, Hallway, Event Boundaries, Interior Domains