Vision, the primary sense groundwork in architectural experience

Author/s: Juleana Nichole Bintocan, Janrico Rocios, Tisha Mae Dela Rose, Kristin Lee
Mapua University, Manila, Philippines
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Abstract: Architecture has been considered as the Mother of Art which entails that all sensory organs should partake in
experiencing the art. However, vision dominates the overall assessment in a structure. The eyes are the first organ that sees the
perspective, giving an impression that will give a strong connection in observing a structure. It acts as an affirmation of what
a form looks like. With this note, visual literacy plays an important role in our sense of sight, deriving meaning from what is
seen. It triggers memories which correlates reality to our sense of self and stimulates other senses making a huge effort
psychologically and epistemically. As vision lays the foundation of all senses, it is the thread that pulls the senses together to
create the whole architectural experience. This paper discusses visual perception as the primary groundwork for the
architectural experience.

Keywords: Visual literacy, Architectural experience, Visual perception

INTRODUCTION
Humans use their five senses in order to understand the things revolving around them and of course, to
understand themselves. There are basically five senses: visual, olfactory, auditory, haptics and gustatory. In
Architecture, the sense of sight has always dominated the perception of the buildings over the years. Plato in
fact regarded the sense of sight as the humanity’s greatest gift. Until the modern day, vision still prevailed on
top of all the hierarchy of senses and because of our technological generation, they separated the senses more.
Architecture which stimulates the senses not only enhances the quality of every building, but also strengthens
the whole being of humanity in the world. Many said that the sense of sight is the greatest sense, but according
to Juhani Pallasmaa’s book, “The Eyes of The Skin”, the tactile sense is the most significant among all the other
senses. If that’s true, then why is the visual sense dominant?

Dominance of the visual sense does not only mean that you’ll set aside all the other senses, it also means that
the sense of sight is the most used sense in Architecture and cannot be left behind. One example is the
technological advancement nowadays, people, especially the youth takes photographs seriously and focuses on
the main aesthetic of the photo before it gets posted, just like the importance of the look of a building in
Architecture. Vision dominates the overall assessment of a building, you are unable to identify the materials
used by the tactile sense only. This should not imply that Architects focus only on the nice pictures of their
design, but some of them are not balance in terms of the sensual possibilities.

This dissertation intends to understand the Non-visual perception because they don’t have this factor of visual
sense. It is not the reason of lacking in visual sense that their other senses get amplified, but they do have a
better sensual experience than the other normal human being. By understanding the experience of blind people,
we can understand and experience where we lack in providing a multi-sensory architecture. Using only the 4
senses can affect the building physically. The physical characteristic or the main aesthetic of a building is as
important as the functionality and structure of it. So, this leads us to the central question – Is the visual sense the
primary sense and the dominant among all the other senses in Architecture?

CONTENT
Despite the fact that most current architects pay full attention to the sense of eyesight, architecture is multi-
sensory. In the process of thinking and discernment there has always been a dominance of the sense of sight to
the other senses and contemporary architecture’s most problems are sourced in the dominance of the sense of
sight and the inhuman architecture may be a result of the unbalanced sense system. How did one discern the
world of vision in the past and why is it knowledgeable to know? The first thing is that when drawing was
created its main perspective view was seen by the eyes. So therefore, the eyes were seen as the main sense.
Vision however, can sometimes not answer all the questions of perception and need to be physically touched to
actually get a full understanding of a space.
The question can be asked how do humans experience life and the world? When one views an architectural
space, yes as we walk through a space specific images are remembered but we notice movement and how one’s
body can relate to the space. Also, when designing there must an interaction with emotions, senses, and memory
to provide a meaningful experience. However, our views of perception are constantly changing and we’re
realising our other senses due to the withdrawal we have seen of the sensory experience in the technological
world. This new awareness of architects around the world are trying to “re-sensualize” architecture. The re-
sensualization of architecture is being done through an increase sense and use of texture, hapticity, materiality,
weight, light, space, density.

Based on different theories involving multi-sensory design there are three elements such as light, sound and
touch that can help stimulate a sensory environment. Light and architecture have long been connected concepts.
It allows users to define the surroundings of a place. Light is the manner in which it expresses a space that
determines its relevancy. It is also important because of the shadows it imparts on spaces. Shadow also
expresses depth and texture of materials. An office building in Shanghai was built by A-Asterik architects
(Figure 1). The concept for the built of it came from the images of shadows and trees which are pierced onto
GRG panels. The occupants of the buildings feel like their walking underneath the trees because behind the
panels there is white glass that helps enhance the experience by contrasting it with the texture of the panels.

Figure 1 Light- Leafy Shade, A-Asterik Architects (Leafy, 2008)

Architects discussions with the acoustical quality of their buildings is certainly not a new idea and the control
and manipulation of the sound within a building is becoming more advanced due to new digital technologies.
Sound will no longer only have the ability to affect the atmosphere of a building, but it can now affect the
physical environment as well. Jesper Bonde illustrates possible results caused from musical digitalisation and
the many experiences that they can produce (Figure 2). The first image gives a view of mystery whereas the
second image gives a sense of disorder and vitality.

Figure 2 Sound- Sound generated space, Jesper Bonde (Bonde, 2010)

The sense of touch is important because it connects us with the materiality of buildings. Texture, density,
temperature and weight are multiple characteristics that are expressed by architectural facades which allows a
creative environment and sensory experience. A countless assortment of textured materials and technological
advancements means that the selection of materials is evolving due to digital media improving. A wall mural
entitled “Miranda” was created by a London designer Giles Miller, it consisted of 65,000 polypropylene ‘hairs’
fastened to a silicon bade layer (Figure 3). Images or patterns on the wall can be created when the hairs are
brushed in different directions.

Figure 2 Touch- Miranda Wall, Giles Miller (Miller, 2010)

Climate change has become a major issue for the world today. The development of human lifestyles and the
growth in the demand for energy are some of the factors that cause climate change. The development of
architecture as the built environment plays a vital role in this problem. One of the biggest contributors to energy
usage based on research is from the building sector. In view of what is happening numerous architects are
starting to acknowledge these environmental issues. So therefore, the ideas of ecological and green design has
started to appear in architecture where nature should be the main actor in the design.

Visual perception is described as learning how to see and being able to benefit from all visual components. A
variety of images appearing as a result of perceiving the external world come into existence by means of
affective (emotional) and visual impressions. The term “visual literacy” has been around us for more than a
decade. It is knowing what to do when you are confronted with an object displayed “just to be looked at”, but
“just looking” is not a simple act. We use our vision in our everyday lives, we learn to derive instant meaning to
objects we come into contact with. For example, when we see a sign on the road, we immediately know what
the sign wants to say, billboards make a rider stare at it for a few seconds and can convey the meaning of it.

Architecture is considered to be the ‘Mother of all arts' as it provides spaces for daily activities unlike any other
forms of art. But it’s more than just the functionality, it should also appeal to our aesthetic sensibilities. By
combining shapes, colours and materials together, architects give out their artistic message in the structures that
we hear, see and feel. (Blesser and Salter, 2007) The writings of modernist architect Le Corbusier state: ‘I exist
in life only if I can see’ and ‘one needs to see clearly to understand’ (Pallasmaa 2005, pg 27). Vision has a
strong connection to architecture. The first impression we have a tendency to get from design depends most of
the time on the primary read that we have a tendency to get thereon. And still we have a tendency to understand
design with all our senses. Our perception towards architecture underlies the diversity we possess as
individuals’ due to our different roots. It is in our nature to differ from each other which affects our architectural
experience. A church may feel sanctifying to most but just humid to some or an eclectic building is appreciated
by few and despised by mass. Still, our visual sense is what first see things. It is the sense that pioneers among
the other senses and awakens them. It is where you can identify the intercultural differences of each person
based on the comparison of their experience. The complexity of a person determines which sense is dominant
the most depending on the situation. The value of diversity is that we get more ideas toward the subject in terms
of how others perceive it, resulting in the rising of our imagination heightening the multi-sensory experience.
But studies have shown why the vision-centrism is considered as a reasoned principle up to the 21st century.
Vision imagery and experience has asymmetrical affect on other senses in the brain which has a dramatic
contribution both in psychological and cognitive aspects. (Stokes, Matthen & Biggs, 2014)

Form is what things are and how they look. If a thing looks like a house, it's a house. It looks like a tree, so it's a
tree. But once classification is removed, objects are no longer 'houses' or 'trees', they are simply forms: pure
manifestations of nature or human invention. Only by seeing on the far side classification will type extremely
appreciated. A genuinely normal example with kids' drawings is that as they get more seasoned, drawings start
getting to be portrayals of what they think they see instead of what is legitimate in their field of vision. It's a
hand since it has five fingers. It's a tree since it has leaves and a trunk. This is the absolute starting point of
where grouping impedes our understanding of forms. In the style of buildings and areas, type is at the highest of
the tree in terms of importance. Form is what things resemble; the first thing we remember; the first impression.
Modern architecture is a manifestation of the multi senses to create a better architectural experience. The sense
of sight lays foundation to all other senses to collaborate and strengthen one’s sense of self.
Biophilia is an example of a conceptual design which incorporates or implies a sensory approach in modern
architecture. It is associated with the greater well-being of the body which centres the involvement and/or
interaction through manipulation of nature and structure. It stimulates the human senses for a better architectural
experience. Biophilic environments are natural environments, it invokes the human involvement to the
surroundings and spaces. The human senses are tuned to what the environment can give. Our senses react to
whatever responses we received. Biophilic Design is a trend practiced in today’s modern architecture and
engineering. It plays a role not only on the visual sense but for all other senses. It is a manifestation of how
visual sense can be maximized in architecture.

The sense of sight is the primary sense in the architectural experience, and is the most dominant of all other
senses. The eyes constantly examine the environment. It maneuvers our sense of focus and coordination.
Biophilic Design gives importance to light, it’s source and it’s quality. The eyes seeks where the light is,
humans tend to go to windows or places of light source. Biodynamic lighting is a proposed systematic solution
in biophilic design for poor lighting condition and quality in a structure. Manipulation of light can achieve the
effects of daylight in an artificial environment which creates a stimulus/trick for the eyes. Texture and Color
have similar effects.

 Noise is one of the common problems in today’s modern society. Noise pollution can be heard in the
modern civilization, from the outside of a structure and even inside of a building. Noise is everywhere.
It is a distraction which creates a problem to the human sense of hearing. Along with modernization is
technology, New technology are being developed to mask distraction. An Example is Habitat
Soundscaping System, it stimulates sounds of water movement that masks voices and noises inside a
building. It can be implemented as fountains or other forms of kinetic designs that can be added to the
building. In biophilic design, mimicking sounds from nature such as chirping birds, flowing water,
rustling trees and etc creates calm stimulus to the ears.

CONCLUSION
Visual sense has a predominant effect in architectural experience among the other senses from the ancient era up
to the technological development nowadays. But that doesn’t imply that olfactory, auditory, haptics and
gustatory senses are neglected all along. It has been the primary source of how we perceive architecture because
it is the first one that sees, giving the impression that will hold a strong connection in observing a structure. It
serves as an affirmation for what the form really is, which leaves the viewer a long-lasting cogitation. Visual
imagery makes us remember our past memories as well as what we want to feel and that stimulates other
sensory organs. Senses are correlated with each other and visual sense is the thread that pulls the senses
together, fulfilling the holistic architectural experience.

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