Impact of interaction with an architectural example on design behavior in student teams

This study examines the influence of architectural examples on team design behavior. Fifteen teams of female master’s-level architecture students completed two design tasks under varying conditions, with their processes analyzed using the Function-Behavior-Structure (FBS) ontology. The investigation focused on changes in problem-solution and reflection on design forms – both critical to creative design – as well as shifts in individual and collaborative behaviors over time. Results showed that exposure to an architectural example redirected emphasis toward interpreting design forms and generating solutions. The example notably affected individual behaviors by boosting solution generation and reflection on design ideas, while fostering greater collaboration in form generation. Temporal analysis revealed that shifts in problem framing and solution generation were more evident in the first half of the sessions, with collaboration mainly centered on problem framing. The evolution of design behavior across conditions, especially in idea generation and reflection, aligned more closely with collaborative patterns than individual ones. Overall, interacting with examples balanced the distribution of design behaviors, which may be essential for fostering creativity in the design process. These findings illuminate how and when design behavior evolves through example interaction, underscoring the need for further research on its role in design ideation.