Intelligent Buildings - Assignment Example

? AESTHETIC ARCHITECTURE: DESIGN FOR THE HUMAN SENSES By and number and Introduction ‘Architecture has...a very important role since it is a relevant part of our environment. It influences us from the beginning of our life and creates the background for our social, cultural, economical education. Therefore, architecture has not only the duty to create functional and well designed spaces but also to provide possibilities to animate human instincts and habits by interacting with all of the human senses’(Steudte, 2007, Conclusion). The design of intelligent buildings applies to both form and function—the practical use of a structure as well as its aesthetic appearance. There is another aspect, however, to the design of the modern structure which today is discussed in terms of its use and how well humans who occupy it feel about it from a sensory perspective. From much of what has been written, the modern view of design must adhere as much to its function and it does its aesthetic appearance and usefulness in offering itself as a pleasing place to be. The intelligent building then must be a ‘multi-sensory experience’ (Clements-Croome, 2004, p. 58). We do not 'see' or perceive our environment only with the eyes, but with all senses. It is the job of the architect to acquiesce to those senses and create building designs that are more than warehouses—buildings that encourage from its occupants an emotional and natural interpretation of their environment through the interactive workings of the senses. The Multi-Sensory Perspective While speaking of aesthetics in architecture it is interesting to note that while the term technically applies to visual pleasure, in our field we are also speaking about the senses-- auditory, tactile, olfactory, thermal, and even kinesthetic. And while current thinking today favours a holistic or multi-disciplinary approach to building design, the same applies to the multi-sensory approach to design that in the end most affects the building’s occupants or users as well as those who view it. There are examples of this in many older buildings. ‘The delicate composition of the architectural elements in the Residence of the Middelheimpark, in Antwerp...creates an intensely poetical effect: a single tone, white, brings about a wide range of greys and creates optically intriguing effects’ (Farmer & Louw 1993, p. 320). So when the term aesthetics is used it is predominantly referring to the goal of an all-around positive aesthetic experience through all of the senses, often occurring in esoteric ways that must be carefully considered in the design process. Hands and skin feel texture as pleasing or not; visionary sense elicits other sensory reactions; odours, as we have all experienced, may illicit memories of events and times, such as cooking smells make us think of our mothers’ kitchens. As Clements-Croons (2004: 63) found, ‘The human senses are extraordinarily sensitive, and it is through them that we experience life wherever we are’. From a psychological and spiritual perspective, it can not be emphasized too strongly that people, through their senses. need the stimulation of a pleasing well-considered environment. Buildings, viewed in a philosophical context then provide a high level of stimulation—stimulation that not only presents a pleasing result but a spiritually uplifting one metaphorically similar to those experienced in nature. This animation of the architectural experience is not unlike the lift of spirit one experiences through the senses when viewing a good piece of art. As a necessary life element, such experiences are crucial and as such sensory architectural details ‘should always be given high priority’ (Clements-Croons 2004, p. 58). Space, Sensory Perception and the Human Psyche In the words of filmmaker Murray Grigor, ‘To comprehend architecture, one needs to move through its spaces. After all, that’s how we all experience buildings, inside and outside: we walk, we look, we pass through space. Perspectives are revealed. Corners turned. Scale changes. The depth dimension is revealed. Details can be explored’ (Grigor, 1994, p. 19). An important aspect of human sensory ability is the perception of space—is there enough; is there too much? Do I feel nurtured and comfortable; stifled and squeezed, or alone and alienated in a space too vast? From an architects viewpoint it is important to consider the aspect of space vis a vis the perception of it by those who will use it. One does not mind sitting in the vastness of a cathedral as we’re meant, by those who built it, to experience a sense of insignificance in the face of the all-powerful. On the other hand, if one sits alone in a very large space taking a test, the tendency is to feel watched or overwhelmed and helpless—a situation when humans often feel helpless in any case. From an architectural standpoint, space, its size and configuration, is a major consideration in design, particularly when it comes to interiors but not always. The creation of interspace (i.e. gardens connected to interiors) presents an experience ‘rich in sensory and territorial juxtapositions’ (Farmer & Louw 1993, p. 368). When it comes to space there is a lot to consider. Buildings are meant to create comfortable, safe and aesthetically pleasing environments. Such details as temperature, light, transmission of noise and the installation of machines may or may not produce a sensorially pleasing affect. Given this, the architect is bound to preserve both the use and sensory ‘sanity’ of the space through such elements as ‘...materials...fabric of the building, the size of interior spaces, the nature and frequency of openings as well as the means used to heat, ventilate and control the temperature all contribute to the quality of the interior environment’ (Roth, 1993, p. 61). Visual Senses ‘Our eyes are made to see forms in light. Le Corbusier’, Towards a New Architecture, 1927 Regarding the importance of acquiescence to the visual senses in architecture, past president of the CIBSE, Tom Smith said the following: In our particular field of Building Services Engineering we have applied ourselves assiduously to all aspects of the Sciences related to our work, I sometimes believe to a degree of accuracy quite unnecessary when one remembers that the end product of much of our work is the provision of comfort for that most adaptable of all machines, the human body. I believe, however, that we seriously neglect those aspects which affect our visual senses and which relate to the Art more than the Science of engineering… We engineers have for too long dealt only with what is measurable and calculable and failed miserably to address the visual and aesthetic aspects of our engineering which are, to a large degree, intuitive… Engineers, in the main, have failed to understand and contribute in a constructive manner to the visual and aesthetic qualities of engineering services in buildings… (Smith, 1991, cited in Baird, 2001, p. 3) His statement brings us to the notion of architectural imagery as intrinsic to human sensory appreciation of buildings. It is the delight of seeing. Contemporary architecture has been criticized for its ‘sensory poverty’ (Farmer & Louw 1993, p. 409) in this respect. We look at Buckingham Palace and its regal facade and are moved by its historical meaning and visual imagery. The Taj Majal elicits the same response. There is more to visual perception, however, than merely bigness or topics that would automatically engender positive emotional response. It is a complex psychological and physiological process. From an architectural point of view, pleasure we derive from architecture is generated by our perception of it, in essence, how our eye and mind together receive and interpret visual data within the architectural experience. As such, visual aspects of buildings can be manipulated to a desired affect, rendering the building itself a more visually pleasing structure. Using Greek temples to illustrate, Roth (1993:59) suggests the manipulation in the thickness of corner columns to prevent their image as ‘dark masses against a light sky’ and other columns from ‘being seen as light masses against the shaded Naos wall behind them’. Another allusion to Greek architecture and its dimensional aspect is addressed in Pallasmaa’s The Eyes of the Skin, in which he generally throughout decries as ‘ocularcentrism’ modern tendencies to design flat images that instead of pleasing the eye have succumbed to commercial interests. Colour and Light One of the most important requirements in buildings is adequate light—more or less depending largely on its use. Museums must take into account paintings viewed by humans to their best affect—with direct intrusive light filter, perhaps, by ultraviolet filters. (Roth, 1993, p.61) Often light must be judged by differences in geographic location, climate, building materials and the actual design of the space itself. Countries like Britain with long daylight hours in summer may require an entirely different architectural decision-making process than, say, Polar Regions where the opposite is true. Perhaps no human sense has been studied more than the human responses to colour and light. Studies on how color and light affect human comfort are ongoing. Experiments cited by Mattiello (no date) are of interest to architects dedicated to the well-being and sensory comfort of the end users of their work. Mattiello (p.191) cites as example ‘the use of colour to improve and organize underprivileged areas, as a means of stimulating the inhabitants to take better care of them and to protect them...’. According to Mattiello the experiment resulted in a reduced crime rate—a result attributed to the fact that the lighting rendered the area more notable, ‘which led to an increase in solidarity among its inhabitants’ (Marriello, p. 191). It has also been argued that different spectrums of light have an affect on people’s moods and behaviour, which reminds us that in the holistic study of architecture and the human senses, the study of ‘environmental psychology is inherent to architecture’ (Marriello, p. 191). While each space has its own light requirements, ‘both light and colour are “builders” of space’ (Marriello, p. 192), and as such have a sensory impact its inhabitants. No example can be more convincing of this than that of a beam of light streaming through a beautiful stained glass window of a church, bringing with it a sense of the almighty looking down. The Mayans in the ancient temple at Tulum included a round hole in their structure which, in line with the equinox, allowed a single beam of sunlight to come through for the same purpose and effect. On the other hand, to give the effect of mysteriousness connected with religious belief, architects of past generations created houses of worship that were dark, even gloomy. It is frightening to learn how architecturally induced schemes of light and colour can be used against the positive sensory perception to evil purposes. Fast food chains deliberately used harsh colours and light streams to encourage customers to eat quickly, leave and make room for others. The converse is the use of so-called warm colours and soft candlelight to create an intimate environment conducive to ‘enhancing the dining experience’ elsewhere. (Roth 1993, p. 76) Tactile The optical texture of a building refers to its visual pattern on the large scale; its tactile texture refers to what can be physically felt with the human hand. Tactile, however, in architecture can mean materials or other elements that can and seek to be felt both physically and psychologically by the occupant. It can also mean the use of a tactical mix of elements capable of being felt with the eyes and translated into a pleasurable overall feeling of well being within the structure. Roth (1993:74 ) cites as example the imperial villa of Katsura as the perfect ‘exploitation of texture’ with its fusion of building and landscape, plant materials, rocks, gravel, water—a full range of textures from rough to smooth—the house itself featuring a ‘play of textures--gravel and pebble walkways, a fieldstone threshold, and a bamboo fence and gate with a thatch roof....’ As a cross-connection with the senses, the fact that we can feel the sunlight on our skin should alert the architect to the necessity of natural light as a way of enhancing the sense of touch. ‘The eye is the organ of distance, whereas touch is the sense of nearness, intimacy and affection. The eye observes and investigates, whereas the touch approaches and feels. So when the light makes space for shadow our other senses are sharpened including the sensitivity to touch’ Sound A building does not function well acoustically if a sound generated in any part of the room ripples and reverberates through the entire space—unless, of course, we are in a theatre. There is nothing worse than trying, say, to work at something that requires concentration when vying with a dozen subtle and not so subtle sounds crackling around us. So called “white noise” hovering somewhere in the background is just as intrusive. On the other hand, either distorted music or music that is not translating properly to its audience is also a sign of architectural failure in regard to the senses and defeats the use and purpose of the room. Roth (1993) suggests the following example of the latter in Lincoln Center, New York, the home of the New York Philharmonic: From the ceiling, elongated hexagons were suspended as "acoustical clouds," to disperse the sound to the audience. It quickly became clear, however, the room did not function well. Among several problems, the sound was unevenly dispersed throughout the hall. Eventually, a number of important soloists and orchestras flatly refused to perform there. In 1971, with the donation of funds, it was decided to rebuild the interior of the hall. The revised plan, devised by the architect Philip Johnson and the acoustical consultant Cyril M. Harris, was a more traditional rectangular box room, and among the important changes was the incorporation of large, solid ornamental reflecting panels. Today the rebuilt concert house, renamed Avery Fisher Hall, is considered among the foremost symphony halls in the world, but the mistakes took $4.5 million to correct. (Roth, 1993, p. 82) Proper sound in acoustical terms is a matter of calculation. In music halls hard surfaces are needed to reverberate sound. In offices, soft surfaces that absorb sound are called for. The problem for the architect is designing a space that suites its use and occupants. The general formula reads as ‘the angle at which a sound approaches a hard surface is equal to the angle at which it bounces off, or the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection’ (Roth, 1993, p. 92). Steudte: Sensory Design at Work In his thesis ‘Architecture and Human Senses: Pre-school in Alexandria, Old Town, Virginia’, Bjorn Steudte (2007) lays out the specifics for a pre-school designed specifically within the strictures of adherence to the humans senses, in this instance, children under age five. In it every human sense is considered in both the functional and aesthetic design. Elements and architectural rationales for the project are summarized as follows: Adhering to the notion that adults and children experience the world very differently, Steudte goes as far as installing floor level windows, the view through which can only be appreciated in the childlike position of lying on ones back. Classes are divided by maze-like walls which for children are perceived as a playful place when going from classroom to classroom. Furniture is in shapes ripe with possibilities for a child’s imagination that turn chairs and tables into spaceships and castles. The windows are positioned as showcases through which various interesting and stimulating views are presented. On the exterior a tree is positioned as a piece of sculpture that conjures the image of a tree house. Citing the reality that “a child’s world is defined by boundaries, Steudte removes the school and its environs from the urban landscape outside through walls and gardens, including the rooftop garden from which the city outside can be viewed but can not encroach. A feeling of connectivity pervades of ‘stimulating spaces with specific qualities for specific needs while remaining subtle enough for their design intent to be received unconsciously.’ (Steudte, 2007) For Steudte (2007), the attraction of the human senses in architecture is always present without being dominant or obvious. It is interesting to note Pallasmaa’s influence in Steudte's use of texture for effect: thin classroom walls to support the roof and designed a column gird that from the viewers perspective defines and enhances to effect of a large common space. Varying heights of skylights offer varying light intensities. The senses are addressed directly through hard concrete with rough texture set against warm wood furniture ‘so both materials can be experienced in relation to each other...[and] When children scan their environment, they observe it with their eyes, they smell it with their nose, even taste it occasionally, they touch it with their body and they hear the birds when they sing’ (Steudte, no page, 2007). Designing for the Human Senses: The Workplace ‘At the heart of architecture is the fundamental question of how buildings in their design and use can confront the questions of human existence in space and time and thus express and relate to humans being in the world. If this question is ignored the result is soulless architecture, which is a disservice to humanity’ (Clements-Croome 2000, p 33). Anyone who has ever worked in an office knows how important environment is to one’s productivity, not to mention general happiness. Unfortunately, today, many commercial buildings are, for the most part, ‘lumps of grey concrete’ (Clements-Croome 2000, p. 181). Interiorly, the modern cubicle while providing privacy also creates spaces that subtly separate us from our co-workers, encouraging feelings of alienation. The effect of isolation in humans has been studied extensively. The conclusion is fairly widespread: humans do not generally thrive in isolation, and as Miller (2000: 9) quoting Clements-Croome insists, ‘sensory deprivation can be just as costly as flu in terms of absenteeism and poor productivity’. These and other questions regarding human needs, senses and perception are important for the architect to address. They are questions not only relevant to the workers and their sense of well-being, but also to the employers who may not be getting the most productivity from their employees. Their surroundings, or ‘”soft elements”’… [like] quality of lighting, the colour schemes and the amount of background noise”’ (Miller 2000, p. 9) in the environment do not encourage it. As a multi-sensory experience, the work environment, like others, should satiate the human senses for best result. Light level, glare, shapes of spaces, sound patterns, even odours can all influence cognitive processes that ultimately affect task performance. While employers seek the left brained individual for his or her logic, architectural considerations in the buildings they work in can, by presenting positive sensory experiences, encourage feeling, intuition and imagination that not only makes for happier workers but for more creative and productive ones. (Clements-Croome 2000). The final analysis is that intelligent buildings increase productivity by a full 10 percent (Clements-Croome 2000). If brain rhythm patterns are controlled by environmental factors, then odours emanating from another part of the building can have a negative effect on productivity equal to a sporadically screaming fire alarm. Thermal comfort is certainly compatible with feelings of well-being. If accidents depend upon mental alertness, then sensory reactions that promote it are intrinsically affected by a person’s sensory perception of well being, comfort, and feelings of oneness with the environment. Conclusion ‘We advocate an approach to architectural design which transcends the mere discussion of style and pure architectural morphology. We argue for architecture which offers something to the user; an architecture which leaves traces in the mind, which positively contributes to our experience; an architecture dense with sensory stimuli...’(Farmer & Louw, 1993, p. 262). All too often architectural designs rely more heavily on just one primary sense – the visual one. All senses must be addressed if people are to relate their surroundings to themselves and the surrounding culture. The architect then may be compared to a composer orchestrating space into a holistic pleasurable experience. If the musical components (i.e. sensory considerations) are in place, the architecture comes alive. It is the architect who leads the occupant through the experience with architectural sensory notes and tones that create the mood of enjoyment of space. The nature of architecture and the challenge for architects today is to bear in mind at every design turn the humans who will inhabit the space and how each sensory detail can be enhanced and heightened by their design. It is not enough to design a pleasing structure. Like the ancients of old, a building has meaning and life beyond its stones and engineering components. The Temple of Isis had meaning and conjured emotions beyond its use as a religious site; the Parthenon, originally surrounded by gardens of delight, meant more to the average visitor than a place to honor heroes. To touch the stone meant to be in personal touch with history and culture. To glance out into space, to see columns outlined against the azure blue skies as three-dimensional objects solidly supporting the structure surely imparted to the viewer the sense that no one but the gods could destroy it. By engaging all of the senses, viewers, visitors and occupants to buildings should become part of its environment, and through their senses gain a deeper union with their surroundings. As architects, it is our responsibility to do our best to ensure that that happens. Buildings must be created with both an understanding of the human senses and their response to stimuli. Then and only then can we claim our buildings to be truly intelligent. Bibliography Baird, G. (2001). The architectural expression of environmental control systems. London: Spon Press. Clements-Croome, D. (2004) Intelligent buildings: Design, management and operation. London: Thomas Telford Publishing. Clements-Croome, D. & Croome, D. (2000). Creating the productive workplace.London: E & FN Spon. de Mattiello, M.L.F. ‘Colour and light in architecture’. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas and Fundacion de Investigaciones Visuales, p. 190-193. http://www.fadu.uba.ar/sitios/sicyt/color/aic2004/190-193.pdf Farmer, B. & Louw, H. (1993). Companion to contemporary architectural thought. London: Routledge. Grigor, M. (1994). ‘Space in time’. Architectural Design, 64 (11/12), p. 17-21. Miller, Caroline. (2000) ‘Why more people are making sense of the workplace?’ The Scotsman, 18 August, p. 9. Pallasmaa, J. (2005). The eyes of the skin: Architecture of the senses. Seattle, WA: Academy Press. Roth, L.M. (1993) Understanding architecture: Its elements, history, and meaning. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Smith, T. (1991) ‘Building services as part of architecture: Visual and aesthetic values—a personal view’, in Buildings for the Twenty-First Century: Proceedings of the Second CIBSE Australian Conference, Sydney, 14.1-10. Steude, B. 2007. ‘Architecture and human senses: Pre-school in Alexandria, Old Town, Virginia’. MA thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-01152008235622/unrestricted/ArchitectureAndHumanSenses.pdf Read More