EXPERIENCING Architecture Extract from a lecture by Jan van Dijk
"Architecture domesticates limitless space and enables us to inhabit it, but it should likewise domesticate endless time and enable us to inhabit the continuum of time."
Juhani Pallasmaa, “The Eyes of the Skin”, 2009
Experiencing Architecture How a person experiences a moment or a period of time in their lives is affected by the surroundings within which that experience is set. I regularly go walking in the mountains and on the roads near my house. The experience of the walk is totally different in the different environments. When walking on the road the quality of the experience is largely determined by the people I meet, the conversations with those people, the intensity of the traffic, and whether the tide is in or out along the beach. As the walk is relatively flat it is not affected by the rigor of the walk. I have never described or remembered feeling that I have a memorable special experience on this walk. However, when I walk in the mountains the quality of the experience is determined by the weather conditions, the rigor of the climb and the quality of the view from the top. I remember numerous occasions when either because the sun was shining at a particular angle over the nearby sea, or because the latter part of the walk was through snow or because the walk brought me above the level of the clouds that there were moments when the experience of the walks were utterly memorable and moving. You will note that in describing the experiences above there were both human interaction and environmental factors which determined the quality of the experience. The same is true about architecture.
Increasingly as city dwellers most of our experiences today are environmentally affected by the manmade spaces where we spend our time – vehicles, buildings, streets, squares, gardens etc. Apart from vehicles the quality of those environments in terms of their contribution to people’s experience is largely determined by the quality and intensity of the architectural input during their creation. In essence, I would describe architecture as the backdrop to the theatre of life.
There is nothing special in thinking this or noting the change in people’s circumstances. Most architectural theorists and writers from Hans van der Laan to Robert Venturi to Dean Hawkes describe and search for approaches to architecture, proportional systems, or methods of detailing buildings which are intended to enhance the architectural experience. The need for that quality of experience is taken as the unwritten goal for their efforts.
However, I would argue that the most important factors for architecture are the moving, transitional, momentary experiences. Great ideas come from deep thinking. To be truly creative as architects we explore new possibilities for improving our everyday experiences. To understand how buildings will be perceived and if possible enjoyed over the long term we have to, like a method actor, immerse our thoughts with the experience of future users. When we let the rituals, and perception of everyday use inform our ideas then we can achieve architecture of real meaning. "What I am thinking of are my human surroundingsand of the building becoming part of people's lives That is the first transcendent level in my work: the attempt to conceive of architecture as a human environment" Peter Zumthor, Page 64, Atmospheres, Birkhauser, 2006 Most architects carry out the typical baseline studies common in every practice, photo graphic surveys, topographical surveys and then produce images boards to “get ideas” for the proposed design. We in van Dijk International of course do the same but further spend time talking and thinking about how people will pass through the building, how people will arrive at the building, how they will use it and most importantly what addition to that experience would make the building “special” for the user.
WELCOME The first experience that virtually any building should give the user is the experience of welcome. It is natural for people when welcoming friends or family that they care for to hold out their arms and embrace the visitor. Buildings to can provide a sense of welcome to the visitor. This can be done by the building reaching out to “embrace” people, by providing shelter to them as they arrive, by making them feel safe and cared for when alighting from vehicles, or by making the entrance and approach legible. The celebration of the doorway to buildings and the means of entrance is an intrinsic part of most vernacular architecture
ENTRANCE "Architecture occurs at the meeting of interior and exterior forces of use and space". From Pg 86 "Complexity and Contradictions", R. Venturi 1966 The entrance to a building, the passage between inside and out, that portal where we leave the limitless space of our planets atmosphere to enter the safety and enclosure of manmade form is a place where architects can begin to work their magic. It is the place where the physical experience of the building itself begins.
PROMENADE In these days of speed and hurry, we more than ever needs places to promenade, places where we can walk slowly, that don’t particularly go anywhere and even lead back to the same spot. A place of contemplation is not simply one where we can sit and think, walking slowly and calmly under cover or while seeking out beauty in the objects that surround us is an experience that buildings can encourage.
PASSAGE "The movement between rooms I as important as the rooms themselves; and it's arrangement has as much effect on social interaction in the rooms as the interiors of the rooms". Quote from Page 628, "A Pattern Language, Christopher Alexander, 1977
Celebration of the movement between one space and the next is an important element in the creation of surprise. The act of passing can enhance the experience of the spaces either side. Being attracted up a staircase from one floor to the next can make moving through a building special.
PROCESSION "The ideals of traditional architecture are a classical proportion that reflects an ordered cosmos, harmony, a seamless integration of past and present and the use of timeless, Platonic forms." Charles Jencks from "The Volcano and the Tablet", Wiley-Academy, 2007
Procession is the act of moving in a formal or ceremonious manner. Special occasions, religious ceremonies, and formal entertainment can be enhanced by the celebration of procession.
GATHERING One of the most basic human needs is to come together with a sense of community. This happens at football matches, religious events, community meetings, theatre nights, concerts etc. Architects often make the mistake of thinking only of the need to see the event. The ability to feel part of the audience is an equally important and emotive experience which should be considered.
ENCOUNTER "The Informal gives rise to ambiguity. This means interpretation and experiment as a natural course of events". Cecil Balmond, Quote from "Informal", Prestel, 2002 Many of even the best architectural spaces are “set pieces” created by the architect’s imagination for the carrying out of a single activity—viewing art, watching theatre, or working at our desks. However, creativity and meaningful communication often happen when informal meetings take place. Architects can provide opportunities in their buildings for such encounters. This thinking is not only important for creativity in offices but for the everyday life of human beings everywhere.
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PROTECTION "And yet buildings are not only enclosure; they are also extensions of ourselves, like clothing". Joseph Rykwert from "Ornament is no crime", "The necessity of Artiface", Academy Editions, 1982 Ultimately buildings provide protection, protection from the elements, protection from danger, protection from exposure. Historically this was reflected in thick walls and small windows. Today with thin skin technology and planar glazing we have lost that sense of protection in our architecture. However there are many times when even in our modern world humans need to feel protected and secure.
CONCLUSION “We are interested in the infinite richness and ambiguity of concrete reality. Architecture seems to be increasingly pre-occupied with inventing new systems of abstractions and complexity. This kind of complexity is impoverished compared to the complexity of the world around us, and misses the opportunity to engage with the powerful web of emotions and expectations, of meaning that underlies reality". Adam Caruso from "The feeling of things" Page 43, "The Feeling of things", Adam Caruso, 2008 To conclude, I am not calling for something new in architecture, I am simply re-emphasising something that I feel we are in danger of losing in our blind rush for modernity. I hope that the examples I have chosen show a continuity between the historical and the contemporary in the creation of experiential space. I simply believe that with a greater emphasis on thinking about the way that our buildings are used that we can create better buildings for everyday and for special occasions. It is in the celebration of the richness of human life that architecture becomes truly meaningful. Jan van Dijk
