Architecture as Projection: Empathy, Design Thinking, and the Exploration of Self

Ball State University, Department of Architecture, Muncie, Indiana, USA

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Abstract

This paper examines architectural design as a psychoanalytic act of projection, situating the built environment as both an extension and expression of the designer’s interior world. Drawing from Freud’s dream theory, Jungian projection, Lacan’s mirror stage, and Bachelard’s phenomenology, the paper argues that design is shaped by unconscious residues, memories, and interpretations of space that manifest through iterative decision-making. Projection is explored not only as a mental mechanism but also as a spatial agent, integrating philosophical perspectives from Kant, Whitehead, and Foucault to position architectural form as inseparable from human perception and embodied experience. The paper further connects projection to contemporary design pedagogy through design thinking and the development of cognitive empathy, emphasizing how designers mediate personal biases with ethical responsibilities to others. Through historical examples—including Freud’s own spatial sketches and the architectural practice of his son, Ernst Freud—the paper illustrates how personal memory and environmental influence shape both individual and communal understandings of space. Ultimately, the paper argues that architecture is inherently a double inscription: designers create for others, yet inevitably project aspects of themselves into their work. Recognizing this interdependence offers a framework for cultivating empathetic, ethically grounded design practices.