The occupants of buildings are a major parameter in building design. There is therefore a pressing need to understand why people behave as they do. To this end attention is drawn to the distinction between understanding people and understanding persons. The latter are characterised by aims, intentions and beliefs. Thus they can be seen to use the environment rather than merely respond to it. Moreover the logic of their thinking and decision making is very different from the scientific reasoning of the engineer. An examination of the idiosyncrasies of person behaviour suggests that new and challenging criteria for building technology are needed.
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