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Summary: Spaces and their views are changing. The perception of physical and mental well-being is also shifting, especially because of the pandemic. We are experiencing a transitional time where new needs and requirements emerge, affecting human behaviour and the space definition at macro and micro level. New dynamics and perceptions are recognized, leading architects and designers to focus on studying and applying innovative methods. The book explores the radical transformation of living and working spaces, in which the hybridization of interior and exterior requires a new vision able to interpreter renewed people's behaviours and needs, a challenging issue for the design discipline that has a multidisciplinary nature as well as a multiscale approach for both research and practice. Many examples today demonstrate the importance of the therapeutic contribution of architecture and design, to redevelop places of hospitality and care, and create environments in which there is a deep harmony of space, light, and beauty. The interest in research concerning the quality of life has also increased a lot of studies on the complex question of the environmental perception and the importance of natural stimuli for health in interiors, in which the physiological effects of light and colour are fundamental to balance the of human beings' equilibrium. In the book we present testimonies of international researchers and designers who propose disruptive scenarios and methodologies to improve wellbeing and mental health conditions overall life quality at urban and personal living level through several examples: the city and the relations with the environment, commercial and hospitality areas, personal spaces, as well as outer space, in microgravity and confined environment, where the astronauts' experience living in confined environments can be compared to the domestic space and office interiors. Our ambition is to re-launch an aesthetic, sustainable, design-based approach to improve dwelling conditions, trying to implement care into different well-being dimensions - mental, physical, social, and global - looking at the new people's behaviours, or even, generating new behaviours, through design.

The book presents different perspectives of analysis and new models of experience, reconfirming the importance assigned to the wellbeing and human-centered approach in the contemporary spatial design disciplinary debate. The focus on “engaging spaces” is due to the increase of participatory experiences in the design strategies supporting designers who want create tailor made environment to feel people more conscious of the great value of social relations. The title of the book anticipates the aim to explore the transformation process which we are living, both in private and in public spaces, underlining the central role of design to define new qualities of connections to live together in relation with the space around us. The volume is divided into two parts described below. The first, “Social design for engaging spaces”, explores private and public space case studies introducing new hybrid dimensions through the social engagement in “living communities” and reports participatory design approaches in the transformation processes of shared common spaces, such as schools, intended as incubators of social practices. The second, “Experience design for engaging spaces”, describes more in-depth the experience of human beings in relation to physical and emotional aspects of space, focusing on the quality of the built environment that deeply affects people’s wellbeing, social interaction, and cohesion, and investigating ephemeral practices and projects to experience design through a conscious sensorial approach. The pandemic and the return to a “post-pandemic new normal” have led us to further reflect on the spatial processes of transformation and hybridization and their shared use in both the private and public spheres, exploring the importance of participatory and engaging strategies in the different phases of the design process with the aim to increase social awareness. Being back to the physical perception of spaces has confirmed the importance of evaluating the project’s sensorial aspects with a new awareness. This novel attitude leads to rediscovering the values of measurable space in the constant confrontation with the virtual perspective that triumphed during the pandemic, introducing the “time” factor in the design discipline even with a broader complexity than before.

Spaces and their views are changing. The perception of physical and mental well-being is also shifting, especially because of the pandemic. We are experiencing a transitional time where new needs and requirements emerge, affecting human behaviour and the space definition at macro and micro level. New dynamics and perceptions are recognized, leading architects and designers to focus on studying and applying innovative methods. The book explores the radical transformation of living and working spaces, in which the hybridization of interior and exterior requires a new vision able to interpreter renewed people’s behaviours and needs, a challenging issue for the design discipline that has a multidisciplinary nature as well as a multiscale approach for both research and practice. Many examples today demonstrate the importance of the therapeutic contribution of architecture and design, to redevelop places of hospitality and care, and create environments in which there is a deep harmony of space, light, and beauty. The interest in research concerning the quality of life has also increased a lot of studies on the complex question of the environmental perception and the importance of natural stimuli for health in interiors, in which the physiological effects of light and colour are fundamental to balance the of human beings’ equilibrium. In the book we present testimonies of international researchers and designers who propose disruptive scenarios and methodologies to improve wellbeing and mental health conditions overall life quality at urban and personal living level through several examples: the city and the relations with the environment, commercial and hospitality areas, personal spaces, as well as outer space, in microgravity and confined environment, where the astronauts’ experience living in confined environments can be compared to the domestic space and office interiors. Our ambition is to re-launch an aesthetic, sustainable, design-based approach to improve dwelling conditions, trying to implement care into different well-being dimensions – mental, physical, social, and global – looking at the new people’s behaviours, or even, generating new behaviours, through design.