Lo, Alexis. Experiential mapping and the design of small-scale landscapes: the Princeton theological seminary exercise. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-vxqg-3e95
DescriptionPersonal experiences play a key role in one’s perception of a place and can provide useful insights during the site design process. The use of cognitive or experiential mapping as a means to capture data can lead to the heightened understanding of a site through the user’s viewpoint. This thesis explores the use of “experiential” mapping in the site design process of the Princeton Theological Seminary campus, located in Princeton, New Jersey. The questions that this research aims to answer are: How can experiential mapping techniques be used as a method to gather information about a site, and how can these methods be used to inform the design process? Building upon research related to cognitive mapping and the author’s individual work, a mapping exercise was created. In this study, a team of community members from the Seminary participated in an experiential mapping exercise that included mood mapping, site reflections, and group discussion sessions. The experiential mapping exercise, based on techniques in cognitive mapping and community engagement, contained mapping, photography, and written response deliverables to paint a picture of the Seminary campus through the community members’ unique viewpoint as the users of the space. The data collected through this exercise and insights revealed through discussion sessions were then used as a gateway to inform the design process. The final result was three conceptual small-scale site designs on the Seminary main campus based upon the group of community member’s visions for, and needs of, the campus landscape. The concluding discussion portion of this project seeks to present the author’s process as a framework when considering the inclusion of mapping exercises in community design techniques and proposes next steps for the future of this work.