Sense of Architecture

Introduction

Wanting to conclude this brief critique that is the Sense of Architecture, the beginning is a good time to proclaim that ‘being capable of seeing what few others perceive straight away, the architect bears a great responsibility.’ (27) With this gift ‘the architect can anticipate the feeling engendered on passing through a space by correctly positioning certain elements. By measuring the width and the relationship of the ’open passage’ and of significant objects, he manages to orchestrate a succession of convergences which avoid, at the same time, boredom and excess.’ (29)

’We do not consciously need to register in a linear fashion all the fragments present in order to obtain an overall idea of the space which we are visiting or in which we are living. We will see... that we also use other senses apart from vision, such as hearing and touch. The resulting overall idea is not the objective fact of space as it is, but space experienced, passed through the subjective filter of perception conditioned by our previous experiences, our language and our culture.’(30) ‘Aesthetic experience of the environment is a matter of all our senses and there are even some situations where hearing, smell and tactility are more important than vision; they are experienced with extraordinary intensity... try and imagine the echo in the spaces that we are designing, the smells that will be given off by the materials or the activities that will take place there, the tactile experience that they arouse.’ (22)

Introduction/Interlude – Architecture affects our holistic self in ways that we rarely (as observers) are aware, and as participators struggle in understanding the challenge. As a form to convey our intentions, and analyse our thoughts, ‘some base their introductory talk on a critical and in-depth analysis of a few case studies. Others think it preferable to tackle the subject by a comparative study of typical elements... and others choose more generic themes of composition...’ (1).
To this end I chose to read the book from a ‘sense’ perspective eager to explore their reaction. Whatever individual approach we as architects take, the fun is discovering ‘the range and principle aspects of a discipline which organises the place for human life for today and tomorrow.’(2)
The commitment develops a cyclical process of creation, experience, research and learning whilst ‘the vision adopted places architecture between the world of physical realities and that of desire and imaginary.’ (3). The senses cannot be separated, this is true but ‘be warned: for a person who has the use of all his senses, the experience of architecture is primarily visual and kinaesthetic’. (4)

How does the sense of Architecture manifest itself in the book?

‘... it cannot be denied that, without eyes, ones experience of the physical environment is quite different.’ (5) But ‘we must not lose sight of the fact that our perceptions are not only the result of a mechanical process of vision, but that they are filtered through our memory and intelligence.’ (6) ‘We do not see what we see but what we expect to find. We need these expectations because a world in which nothing is predictable, in which everything changes continually, is a world in which intelligence has no hold on reality, where one is continually expecting the unexpected. Our memory acts on our perceptions and influences our judgements beyond ‘objective’ truths.’ (7).
How does the eye influence our approach to architecture? Its function of form such as ‘sensitivity of the retina, adaptation of the iris to the level of lighting, angle and precision of view’ (8) are physiological aspects out of our control, as are the factors of coherence; in tandem with the brain ‘the eye selects and combines elements, it seeks the simplest and most synoptic form and tries to integrate the various parts’ (9), an example of this would be how the eye ‘tends to group elements which have the same position: vertical, horizontal and parallel.’ (10) The eye perceives texture when parts of a surface are sufficiently close, similar and numerous that they are no longer seen individually.’ (11).

Touch Sensitive. ‘Tactility occupies a special place in architecture for two reasons; on the one hand it is inevitable because of gravity, and on the other it is anticipated by our ability to see forms and textures. A person standing or walking is in permanent tactile contact with the ground – smooth or rough, hard or soft, flat or sloping.’ (12). The culmination of our sight and experience form cerebral notions of texture; in addition, expressive articulation and continuity within our edifices conjure an emotion that results in humans being ‘drawn to certain formal layouts of steps, plinths, benches and seats, the eye and sometimes the hand making a prior examination, judging their sensuality’ (13). A further example of this is clearly demonstrated ‘when our contact with architecture becomes physically tactile, it reveals its real sympathy towards us. In Rome, The Palazzo Farnese plinth invites us to sit down and lean on it. The Steps and handrail of the Spanish Steps does the same.’ (14). The science of texture is ‘of two types, one an order which we could call random, and another where the groupings reflect an explicit or underlying system of co-ordinates, ‘a web’ ’ (15). In an instance similar to these when ‘the nature of oppositions are taking so many forms. The eye remains the principle judge.’(16) The physicality of touch explored above has an ethereal feel to it but we must also be aware of a more pragmatic meaning. The floor, which although ‘variations in texture can give it a specific importance, as a general rule, must remain horizontal to guarantee versatility and possibility of movement. We walk on it, western man hardly ever uses it for sitting or lying on, touching with his hands or the rest of his body.’ (17) Touch can be subliminally seductive, defined areas of texture used to guide circulation in a provocative “follow my lead” way.

‘It is not the voice that commands the story; it is the ear’ (19) ‘If sometime we close our eyes to remove the dominance of the visual world in order to listen more intently, we find real proof of the sheer pleasure of auditory experience. Think of the sound of a footstep!’(18)
Hearing has a role to play in the paving of streets, the materials for staircases, these places becoming a place of suffering if echoing exceeds a certain limit.’ (20)
As an organic entity, the ear with its hammer, anvil and cilia are of all the senses the most sensitive, ‘the ear is able to discern with amazing precision its accuracy of deviation.’ (21)
Smell compounds our previous experiences in collaboration with the environment. ‘The smells of wood, of concrete, smells of cooking, the smell of soot, incense in church... dust, damp smells of cellars... Perhaps it is the relative rarity of these experiences which make them all the stronger... the simple fact of encountering it again in a completely different context twenty years later is sufficient to conjure up images... with amazing precision.’
Taste from the mouth, which gives us a voice. With the articulation of architecture bold in its history we can often see its relationship with the human body (caryatids in Greek architecture, Vitruvius proportions, Le Corbusier and his modular); this fascination will be ever existent, but can we attribute any of these articulations and building elements to the senses? If we are looking for a ‘sign of human life, a wink to the passer by, the eye of the building that allows one to gaze at the outside world without being seen, welcomer of the daylight and the sun’s rays highlighting surfaces and objects, source of fresh air and sometimes place of exchange of words and smells’ (23) we are obviously talking about the window. It is however because of this difficulty to precisely conclude the bond that we enter the cyclical process of laws, rules, creation, artistic discretion that characterises our industry.

Conclusion

‘The spirit sees, language sees... the body visits... Movements made in order to see will either become more detailed or will become a general synopsis: change of direction.’(24) ’The movement of the body, if it is not itself one of our five senses, provides us, nevertheless, with a measure for things and space.’ (25) and we must remind ourselves ‘Architectural space exists by the illumination of objects and enclosing surfaces, through echo, tactile qualities and smell help as well.’ (26)

Anti-conclusion

As the excitement of discovery through emotions drives artistic and scientific exploration, the tunnel vision that these topics can provoke often lets us down in understanding other people. We can be positive and feature our emotional responses to Form and Place but surely allowing the visitors sense to belong must be a priority; it is this that we must nurture, it is this that we must espouse, it is this that will be ‘the sense of Architecture’.