Architecture for Introverts - an analysis of office spaces and psychological relationships

There are different types of people. Some are more social, others more reserved. Some love to spend time with large groups of friends, others prefers the company of a book. The psychology field have been trying to understand what makes people different from each other, and many personality theories were created. The terms introversion and extroversion are a recurring concept and major differences exists between these two groups. By understanding the general idea of some personality theories that develop this concept, and its reflection in the human culture itself, a deeper knowledge can be achieved and, with it, a better analysis of how it can influence architecture.The aim of this work is to understand what differentiates an introverted person from an extroverted one, which are their needs and preferences, and how society, over the history, tends to see them as a problem, as something to be “corrected”. After, by conducting a research on workplaces in office buildings, investigate how an introverted person would feel in some of these spaces, for then, identify characteristics and strategies that can create an adequate office environment.The last part of this work is a practical application of the research conducted, by designing an office building in a large city, considering the best attributes identified for create an innovative office space.