BRIEFING DOCUMENT FOR SEMESTER 1 DESIGN

DESIGN THESIS , SEMESTER 1, 2013

TITLE: Architecture and Human Senses

Student: Supervisor:

Aileen Sun Aaron Sills

Picture and credits to be supplied by student

Topic Description

Architecture, beside its functional issues, it is a form of art that communicates to human beings without verbal language. Hence, buildings do not function like a machine or a divider of different human beings, but function as a link that evokes people's inner souls and create unity. Architecture communicates with people through human senses. It is its interaction with people's senses that makes its existence in our world, enrich our lives and experiences.

This thesis will focus on how the physical world could alter people’s emotion, trigger the memory, inspire the mind and purifies the soul through its connection with human senses, which includes sight, smell, touch and sound. If the objective world cannot be sensed and perceived, then it does not exist in our world. Through human senses, the objective world enters the subjective world. The existence and the state of the subjective world is determined by our inner beings. More positivity given by the physical world, more positively the human’s inner beings can be affected, hence more positive things can enter one’s world, which forms a positive cycle.

Critical Question for the Thesis

How can architecture express itself and give positive impacts on people’s minds, spirit, emotion, thoughts, health and lifestyles through its connection with human senses and perceptions?

Key References and Precedents

“ Mastery of Spaces”

“Between Silence and Light: Spirit in the Architecture of Louise l. Kahn”

“Questions of Perception: Phenomenology of Architecture”

“The Eyes of the Skin”

“Atmospheres”

“Experiencing Architecture”

Bruder Klaus Field Chapel , Peter Zumthor

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, Jean Nouvel

Jewish Museum Berlin, Daniel Libeskind Design project

There are a lot of people suffer from depression, unhealthy lifestyles, dark thoughts, stress, feeling lost and miserable. The unhealthy inner being is the origin of all the problems in society--eg. crims, wars, suicides, large gap between rich&poor... This design project will help them walk out of the darkness and get their lives back onto a healthy track, bring positivity into their lives. The design project will be a structure “f loat ing” above the exist ing buildings in the Wynyard Quarter. The “f loat ing” structure wil l provide a l iving system which gives positive impacts on people's spirits, minds, emotions, lifestyles and healthy well-being.

Site Description

The site is at the Wynyard Quarter in Auckland. By considering its future planning which is happening in five years time, the project will be designed based on the new planning of the Wynyard Quarter. Since the design purpose is more focused on the people who live a complex and stressful urban life, the project will be set on top of the urban section of the Wynyard Quarter. It is also close to the CBD, where has a high concentration of population.

Major Architectural and Architectonic Ideas to be Investigated

I will be investigating the relationship between architecture and human senses, such as

phenomenology, semiotics, and architectural psychology. The investigation will be more

focused on architectural psychology, such as spatial perception, spatial thinking, orientation

behaviour, spatial experience, Living requirements & Satisfaction.

Plan of Work for Semester 1

Week 1 Research, Design Brief Week 2 Research, Reading, Design ideas Week 3 Site research, Reading, Proposal form Week 4 Reading, Research precedents Week 5 Literature/precedent review Week 6 Design Concept.( Brief, Site analysis, Programmes, Plans, 3d views) Week 7 (Concept crit)

MID SEMESTER BREAK Week 8 (Hand in first draft thesis: this briefing document that will be distributed to mid-

year critics) Week 8 Reading, Design development Week 9 Reading, Design development Week 10 Reading Design development Week 11 Midyear design crit

Literature Review

1. “The Mastery of Space”, John D. Dickson

This collection of papers has been concluded various aspects of spatial properties that relate to sense experiences, such as the implication of various types of space and shape, social implications and movement, the texture and color of materials, the environmental aspects of light, sound, heat, water, taste, and smell. All the aspects are organized and explained in a clear way with annotations at the bottom to further clarify the ideas. The annotations include quotes, poems, explanations and details that do not only explain the literature but also broaden the knowledge and inspirations. After each topic, a framework summary and diagrams are provided for revision.

This collection of papers gives me a general introduction to all the aspects of space that could relate to human senses. It is as clean and clear as a dictionary that could guide my further investigations of the topic. 2. “ The Poetics of Space”, Gaston Bachelard This book is an artistic literature which full of richness of human’s perceptions and imaginations of space. In Gaston Bachelard’s opinion, a house is not only a geometrical object of planes and right angles, but a space that holds our thoughts, memories and dreams. From the view point of phenomenology and psychology, Bachelard analysis each part of the house such as drawers, wardrobes, doorknobs, attics, nests, shells and corners with intimate immensity. Here, we can see a different way to view our spaces, a poetic way that evokes our souls. Same as my thesis topic, this book focuses on phenomenology and psychology. It gives abundant knowledge of how the space relates to human’s inner being. Even though this book is not in an academic style, as it contains a lot of personal perceptions and imaginations, it could give me inspirations and new understandings about space. 3. “ Meditative Spaces”, Michael Freeman This book gives a broad knowledge of meditative spaces, from its theory to a wide range of examples. It focuses how space could alter human’s perception and thought, how space could calm the mind and open it to the world through the methods of simplicity, perceptual shift, focus and natural energy. Each method contains many

examples with descriptions and photographs, which helps understanding comprehensively. The wide range of examples of meditative spaces given by this book is quite helpful for my learning of materials and elements that could affect human’s inner being. Meditative space is also a way to give positive impacts on people's spirits, minds, emotions, lifestyles and healthy well-being which suits my design purpose. 4. “Experiencing Architecture”, Steen Eiler Rasmussen Based on the idea of that architecture should be determined by common senses, professor Rasmussen produced this book which explains how art can be experienced. This book contains a broad analysis of textures, shapes, colors, contrast, scale and proportion, rhythm, textures, light and acoustics. These categories are explained with the support of a wide range of examples, such as teacups, golf balls, windows, doorways, sidewalks, buildings from all over the world and across centuries. The book provides a broad understanding of architecture as art. In relation with my thesis topic, I think this book gives a broad and comprehensive explanation of how people experience and feels the architecture as an art form. The detail analysis of a wide range of art instances also helps me to broaden the knowledge in this area. 5. “Between Silence and Light – Spirit in the Architecture of Louis I. Kahn”, John Lobell This book contains the theory and notions of Louis I. Kahn. It is a book collects his deep thinking and viewpoints of joy, touch, sight, wonder, realization, intuition, the unmeasurable and the measurable, knowledge, order, silence, light, singularity, making something, form and design, place, space, structure, plan, garden and room, materials, the wall, the column, institutions and architecture. Some of his buildings are also introduced. I think the philosophy of Louis I. Kahn is similar to the topic I’m investigating. His study of architecture is the study of human beings, and architecture is an expression of the human place in the world, is an expression of the spirit. It is interesting to know and learn about a master’s perception of architecture and how art forms derived from one’s thinking as a whole system.

6. “ Sensory Design”, Joy Monice Malnar and Frank Vodvarka

This book is specifically about design for senses. The sound, touch and smell are as important as sight for design considerations. Joy Monice Malnar and Frank Vodvarka explored the nature of human’s sensory response to the spatial constructs with meaning. Various sorts of buildings, gardens to constructions of fantasy were analyzed and marked the existence of human awareness of the sensory capacities. A scientific approach is also addressed to serve as a typology for design. Compare to other resources, this book analysis the sensory topic in a more logical and scientific way. It developed a new, sensory-oriented design paradigm that worth to study about for creating more humane design.

7. “The Sense of Space”, David Morris

This book analyses the sense of space in a philosophical approach. It shows the

space is an environment charged with meaning and reflects the characters of human embodiment in moving, perceptual, emotional, expressive, developmental and social capacities. By addressing the philosophies of Merleau Ponty and Bergson, as well as the scientific psychology aspects, this book gives a comprehensive understanding of spatial experience and what does the sense of space tell us about us. This book helps me to learn the topic in a phenomenology approach which gives my study more depth.

8. “Encounters”, Juhani Pallasmaa

“Encounters” is a book composes a series of architectural essays that relate to sounding, sensing, inhabiting, observing, learning, reflecting and time. The essays cover the standardized systems of construction to phenomenological approaches to architecture with references to anthropology, psychology, sociology and philosophy. Images are also provided alongside of the essays.

Some essays of this book are quite related to my topic, such as “The place of Man”, “The Geometry of Feeling”, “The rooms of Memory”, etc.

9. “Being and Time”, Heidegger Martin

“Being and Time” is one of the most influential philosophical works of our time. It had tremendous influence on philosophy, literature and psychology which changed the intellectual map of the modern world.

This book would be helpful for seeking the meaning of human existence, and hence the meaning of architecture and art.

10. “Phenomenology of Perception”, Merleau-Ponty

In this book, Merleau-Ponty presented a description of how human beings perceive the world in which they live. He focuses on the human body as the locus of our being in the world and produced this major work of phenomenology.

This book would be helpful to derive the theoretical base of my thesis.

Precedent Studies Bruder Klaus Field Chapel , Peter Zumthor

Bruder Klaus Field Chapel was built to honor the patron saint, Bruder Klaus. Bruder Klaus lived as hermit for the last 20 years of his life. In 1947, he was declared a saint who is also a favorite of Peter Zumthor’s mother. Therefore Zumthor created this chapel as a gift to his mother. The chapel has a irregular five-sided form, inside this simple exterior is a spiritual evoking interior that fully connect with human senses. The inspiration of the interior comes from Bruder Klaus’ visions. As a teenager, Bruder Klaus said that he had the vision of inhabiting a tower in the service of God, he also had a vision of seeing a star that lit up the world while he was in his mother’s womb. These visions resulted in the form of the interior. The interior was built in a special way. The tree trunks were arranged in the shape of a tepee, and then the tree trunks were burnt after the concrete was poured and firmed, left with the dark interior surface with the smell of the burnt tree trunks. The holes left in the construction of the concrete shell were filled with mouth-blown glass which sparkles as the light passing through them. As people walk through the interior, they experience a gradual change from the darkness into the brightness. The hole left at the top drops down a sudden beam of light that’s like the hand of god reaching down into the miserable human life. The dripping of rain water from the hole at the top, creates a peaceful music in a silent space.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, Jean Nouvel

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a planned museum in Abu Dhabi to be built in 2015. It is designed as a “seemingly floating dome structure” above a series of rectangular structures. The dome is web-patterned allowing sunlight to filter through. The effect of the dome is to represent the rays of sunlight passing through the date palm fronds in an oasis.

The design of the dome and the interaction with the water enriched the experience of the interior. Although the interior surface is pure white, the moving light beams filtered through the dome and the light dots dropped onto the floor and the walls enriched the visual experiences. The light beams also add a holy feeling of the space. The rippling sound of the water, the moving water waves and the reflections of the sparkling light dots all give a rich and sensory experience. In general, the museum creates a silent and peaceful atmosphere and enjoyable at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvOuD_GmJ9U Jewish Museum Berlin, Daniel Libeskind

Jewish Museum Berlin was built as a memorial for the Jews. In my personal opinion, Daniel Libeskind achieved this purposed very well by working with the human senses. The materials used are cold materials such as zinc and concrete to create a strong sense of sadness. The narrow and dark pathways, the concrete beams “falling down” randomly above the head, the sudden and acute turning corner that you cannot predict what’s going to happen for the next step, all give a feeling of danger and pressure that what the Jews have been experienced. As the visitors experience through this building, the “sad and dangerous” design draws them back to the crucial period of the history, make them experience what the Jews have been experienced. In this building, the presence merges with the past, hence the memorial purpose has been successfully achieved.

Other resources that have been or are yet to be consulted

The Thermae of Stone Saint Benedict Chapel Meggies centers Further Literature studies might include Chinese Fengshui theories.

Preliminary design concepts

The idea is to create a small city that can provide a happier and healthier lifestyle to people whose lives are out of balance or feel lost. The living system of the floating city is structured to help people get their lives balanced. It brings people back to the fundamental track of living, make their lives more simplified and clarified. A simple life is about keeping balance between energy in and energy out. The floating city provides the fundamental needs of human beings to help people take energy in and give energy out equally. Physically, it has restaurant to provide energy, and recreation space to consume energy. Mentally, it has library to provide energy, and office to consume energy. The houses are provided for people who are willing to live here for a long period to simplify their lives and cleansing their minds, then they can bring this simple lifestyle back to their normal lives and start new healthier and happier lives. Small transporting spaces are provided for the visitors who are willing to take a temporary experience. Each “bubble” provides an experience of cycling between darkness and brightness (except private transport). As people enter the bubble, they are at the start of the darkness(or brightness), as they keep walking, the space becomes more and more dark and pressured, as they are in the “extreme darkness”, a beam of light comes in, that’s the start of the brightness, as they reach the “extreme brightness”, it is the begin of the darkness. Hence, people cycles between darkness and brightness, like what life does. There’s no extreme happiness worth to chase about, and there’s no extreme sadness that cannot be overcomed. Once they start

realizing life is a cycle between negativity and positivity, they can go into the center of the bubble which is an empty meditative space to seek calm and peace. Functionally, the “bubbles” are floating on the water by having inflated structure underneath. The public spaces are fixed destinations. The movable houses and transportations are able to be driven like boats. At the edge of each bubble, a circle of magnet is attached. The magnet allows the bubbles either to be attracted together to get aboard or repel to leave. Light frame and membrane structure will be used to reduce the weight of the bubbles. The site is the harbour between the Wynyard Quarter and the Prince Wharf where has less boats movement. The site is close to CBD where has a high concentration of people who lives a stressful urban life. The site also has more tourists around to enjoy the floating city as an attraction, which could catalyses the tourism industry as a positive side effect, and helps to promote this way of living worldwide.

Bibliography

1. Bachelard, Gaston, The Poetics of Space, New York: Orion Press, 1964.

2. Dickson, John D., The Mastery of Space, The University of Auckland School of Architecture, 1982

3. Freeman, Michael, Meditative Spaces, United States: Universe Publishing, 2005

4. Heidegger, Martin, Being and Time, Camelot Press Ltd, 1962

5. Malnar, Joy Monice and Vodvarka, Frank, Sensory Design, University of Minnesota Press, 2004

6. Lobell, John, Between Silence and Light – Spirit in the Architecture of Louis I. Kahn, Shambhala Publications, Inc.1979.

7. Morris, David, The Sense of Space, United States: State University of New York Press, 2004.

8. Pallasmaa, Juhani, Encounters, Rakennustieto Oy (Building Information Ltd.), 2005. 9. Ponty, Merleau, Phenomenology of Perception, New York: The Humanities Press, 1962.

10. Rasmussen, Steen Eiler, Experiencing Architecture, Denmark: Krohns Bogtrykkeri, 1959.

Assessment Criteria

The identified topic should be theoretically sophisticated and professionally relevant

The design should clearly relate to scholarly literature and architectural precedents

There should be a clear plan and programme of integrated design and research

The design-based investigation should be relevant and contributing to this plan of inquiry

The design should demonstrate a competent mastery of the media of architectural production

The design should impart information and understanding of the research topic to others new to architectural scholarship.

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