What makes a good Architectural Design?

Good Architectural Design makes people feel comfortable and at ease in the environment they are in, providing a pleasant look of a certain building or item. For buildings, good Architectural Design within the building can be making the interior of the building pleasant to be in, whether it be making it brighter, more spacious or cooling. A building with good design on its exterior stands out from its surroundings making it eye-catching to members of the public.

Criteria:
Brightly lit interior
Aesthetically pleasing exterior and interior

Spacious interior

Environmentally friendly

Layout of building is easy for people to navigate

Conveniently located facilities (e.g Toilets, information counter, building directory)

Building designs:
Source: http://www1.aedas.com/Retail
This shopping center has good architectural design for a variety of reasons. For example, it is naturally lit by sunlight coming through windows in the ceiling, making the shopping center environmentally friendly as lights need not be turned on when it is bright outside. The brighter shopping environment will also make people feel more energized and more willing to walk around and shop. The spacious environment prevents people from feeling restricted, trapped or lost within the buildings. This will brighten up their mood and make them feel free. At the bottom left of the photo above, a information counter is clearly visible which allows partions of the shopping center to find it easily should they get lost.


Source: http://www.mosaicmusicfestival.com/2007/images/venue-esplanade.jpg
A building with good design does not need to be tall to be unique. For example, the Esplanade in Singapore is barely as tall as surrounding buildings but its unique roof attracts a lot of attention from locals and tourists alike. Its shape resembles the durian, a fruit that is well-known in Singapore making its design unique.