Regarding Architectural Design and the experience of dwelling, can we design it? | RChD: creación y pensamiento
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Announcement RChD: Creación y Pensamiento |Vol. 11 Nº 20| JUN 2026 | Dossier: Intermediaries for sustainable design and transition in Ibero-America: Materials, strategies, and collaborative frameworks. Deadline for full manuscript submission: January 31, 2026. 

Regarding Architectural Design and the experience of dwelling, can we design it?

Authors

  • Claudio Zaldivar Araujo Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco. Ciencias y Artes para el Diseño. Departamento de Procesos y Técnicas de Realización. Ciudad de México, México. https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1574-2292
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Abstract

This work aims to present, in the form of a bibliographical review, and from
a phenomenological perspective, an understanding of the experience of dwelling and architectural design. The starting point is the premise of «experience design» that circulates in certain parts of collective thinking, where it is considered that it is possible to design experiences. On our part, we seek to clarify the understanding of the concept of experience that we refer to when we speak in terms of architecture: the experience of dwelling. To do this, we showcase the thoughts of architects and theorists that help us to construct the concept in an operational manner. Subsequently, we propose that this experience of dwelling is the intentionality behind all architectural production and its processes. Finally, we attempt to answer the question: Can the experience of dwelling be designed? Through this, we clarify what we design in architectural design and its relationship with the experience of dwelling.

Keywords:

experience , inhabit , dwell , Architecture , Design