What makes space beautiful?
What makes architecture beautiful? What makes some like one
space over another?
I think in order to create a beautiful place that people
enjoy and desire to be in, the space must appeal to as many of the senses as
possible. People desire a sensory experience, that is why amusement parks and
many thrill activities appeal to people. These activities give us a new sensory
experience, whether through sight, feeling, sound, or some combination of them.
In the same way buildings must provide a sensory experience, not to the
extreme, but enough that it makes us want to be there. Some ways that buildings
can provide this:
Sound: From traffic rushing by on a busy street to the wind
blowing through a courtyard or plaza, sounds come from everywhere. People
congregating create a hum of voices as they talk.
Sight: Probably the most obvious one that we think about
when talking about sensory perceptions in a building. Sight includes the lines
(or lack thereof) in a building. The colors from the materials. The views from
one space to another, or simply the viewing pleasure of people watching.
Feeling: We feel buildings in different ways. Material
texture on the floor, walls, and furniture are externally focus. But a more
internal feeling is feeling the pace of a space, is it full of people or cars
rushing through or is it calm and peaceful?
Smell: One of the strongest senses in the body, and one that
carries the most memories. Smell is not something that an architect necessarily
programs into a building, but will instead be created by the inhabitants of the
space. This can come from a café occupying a space or exhaust from cars.
While there are many more items that could be listed. It is
this combination of senses that play into the idea of beauty. Do we as
architects necessarily consider all of these senses or do we simply consider
sight?
We seem to always think "visual" in everything we design, how can we convey more? |
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