Part 3/10:
David Sim, an architect at Gehl, begins his design process with a simple yet powerful tool: Legos. This tangible approach allows him to visualize neighborhood features, such as building heights, which are critical to maintaining human scale and sensory engagement.
The Four-Story Standard and Sensory Engagement
Sim emphasizes that buildings should ideally be four stories high. At this height, our senses—vision and hearing—function optimally:
Eyes from the street can read expressions and recognize faces.
Voices are strong enough to communicate across the space.
The street remains lively and accessible without losing connection to the community.