Joyful Spaces: Designing Together to Create Meaningful Architecture

To be joyful is to experience, express or cause great pleasure and happiness. But how can we convey this in built form? What makes a joyful space, and how do you design one?To be joyful, spaces have to resonate with the people who use them. Joyful Spaces dives into the collaborative design process, exploring how to connect meaningfully with clients and communities - through briefing games and activities, workshops and sensory tools - to produce beautiful, functional designs, rich in colour, texture and crafted detail. When the design process is approached wholeheartedly, with genuine commitment, this fosters moments of collective inspiration resulting in built works that evoke real pleasure. At the heart of this book is a series of case studies that demonstrate how designing together creates joyful and meaningful spaces. This human-centred approach is something that is critically missing from the growing discussions around AI-led design. The projects include domestic, education, community and public spaces, with each connecting to a sense of belonging, purpose and place. Ultimately, Joyful Spaces is a celebration of an approach to design that is collaborative, people-focused, playful and engaging, with connection at its very core. Features:A brief history of participatory design, exploring the origins of this approachOver 20 international case studies from leading practices including: Anna Heringer, AOC, Fisher Cheng, Matt + Fiona, MAAK, New Practice, Nimtim, Plano Perzig and We Made ThatA practical toolkit, drawing lessons from the projects coveredRich visual material, including photographs, sketches and plans

• Publication date: 1 September 2026
• Page count: 208
• Dimensions: Height 216 mm; Width 258 mm; Thickness 23 mm
• Publisher: RIBA Publishing
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN-13: 9781915722515