Phenomena of Perception

Auditory Perception
Hearing plays a major role
irrespective of the type of
architectural situation (Indoor or
Outdoor)
Hearing influences our social
behaviour some spaces influence
aural privacy while others reinforce
social cohesion
Hence, Auditory Spatial Awareness Case 1: Classroom
is more than just the ability to detect
that space has changed sounds; it
includes as well, the emotional and
behavioural experience of space.
No matter how large, well lit, or
admirably rendered its spatial
composition, a place fails acoustically
whether this be the fault of materials
used or excessive ceiling height.

Case 2: Church
 Auditory Perception
A gravel path leading to a house
announces a visitors steps, but
once paved, it no longer delivers
this message.
Hearing defines a virtual
boundary.

Case 3: Gravel Path

Case 4: Paved Path

 Olfactory Perception
Smell identifies a place not
only in the present but also of
the past experiences.
Perhaps it is the relative rarity
of these experiences that
makes them all the more
stronger; we recall them in
precise detail.
 Haptic Perception
Touch in significant in a way an
average, normal human being
experiences an architectural
space.
The inevitable Gravity it is
just too hard to avoid anything
on the ground. Step on and feel
the texture of the surface
beneath your feet smooth or
rough, hard or soft, flat or
sloping.
It is very hard to resist getting
the feel of anything the eye sees
as long as we already know the
nature of it (particularly in
dangerous situations)
Sensation to sit and the feeling
the atmosphere around us.
 Perception with body movement
Though not itself one of the
five senses, movement provides
us with a measure of things and
space.
A walk-through allows us to
better appreciate dimensions
and explore that which is
hidden.
In drawing and photography,
architecture is nothing but
image, but once built, it
becomes the scene of assorted
experiences and movements
and may be a succession of
sensations.
 Visual Perception

Visual perception is an interesting phenomenon

where certain principles of the psychology of
perception can find useful application in architecture
and the graphic arts, since they originated from
empirical experiments with vision as opposed to
speculation.
 Visual Perception
The Kunstmuseum, Berne by Atelier 5
(1984)

The space is an extremely refined,

overhead, natural lighting system that
would eliminate glare, uneven
illumination between the top and
bottom of walls, direct sunlight and
undesirable contrasts in order to
conserve and show paintings in optimal
conditions.
Here, more than the pictures on the
display, the architecture of the space
plays a more provocative role.
 Visual Perception
The Castlevecchio museum by
Carlo Scarpa in Verona (1957-
64)

This museum in many respects

is the opposite of Kunstmueium.
Scarpa managed to produce a
dialogue between objects,
paintings and the converted old
place.
Both on the ground floor
where dissimilar historical
objects are displayed and on the
top floors where valuable
paintings are displayed, the
architecture of the place fades
into a quiet background for the
art work to stand out.
Architecture as
Space
 Architecture as Space
Our experience of an interior and exterior
architectural space is primarily a sensual event.

It involves MOVEMENT to pass through an

environment so that it causes a Kaleidoscope of
transitions between one spatial impression to
another.

Each experience affects the orchestrated

functioning of our senses which triggers a flood
of brain/psychological responses on all levels. Light in water exhibition at
Elephant Paname, Paris
Architecture as Space

SOUND

SMELL

TOUCH

AMBIENCE

SIGHT
Architecture as Space

SOUND

SMELL

TOUCH

AMBIENCE

SIGHT
Architecture as Space
Experiencing
unlimited
space from
vantage
points on high
ground and
tall buildings

Experiencing Experiencing completely

partially defined space/enclosed space
defined space from within the confines of
from within scooped out, windowless
canyons and spaces like subways, elevators,
streets etc
 Architecture as Space
When revealed along a
continuous viewing route,
successive spatial diversity can
exhilarate human emotions.
Movement from restricted to
expansive space, and vice versa
accounts for our fascination for the
contrast in spatial experience.
Each experience is modified by
the prevailing conditions under
which it is perceived, be it midday
light or dusk, rain, fog, etc.
Day-night and seasonal cycles
cause the space to be illuminated
alternately by light from the sun
and by artificial sources the
degree of lightness and darkness
influence our perception of
spaciousness.
 Perceptual Space
As we move through a space, our head
and eye movement sets the visual
environment in motion.
We can look in all directions and collect
information even at the periphery of our
field of vision.
The eyes receive spatial information
which is, far in excess of that received by
any other of the sense organs.
The centre of visual attention, called the
fovea, literally paints-in the reconstruction Peripheral retina
of a given stimulus. Foveal area
The surrounding, less detailed
information is gathered by the peripheral
retina
Also, the peripheral retina is sensitive to
sudden changes in the environment, often
signaling the central focusing system to
change the direction of focus.
 Perceptual Space

Visual data from outside the focused centre

becomes progressively less determinate as it
ranges out to the blurred peripheral vision.
Therefore, a scene is never viewed at a glance
rather it is reconstructed via a scanning
sequence in which the eye flits continuously
from point to point to complete a visual The Reframe Art installation,
reconnaissance of the situation. Montpellier, France
 Perceptual Space
Despite the importance of vision, the
involvement of the other distance receptors
should never be ignored.
 Multi-sensory Space
Multi-sensory, as the name suggests, is a combination of various senses
being experienced in a space. In particular, a space where visual sensation
is limited, the other senses become alive.

House in New York for partially sighted clients

by architects Charles Moore and Richard B.
Oliver
Since the blind live in a haptic world of surfaces,
Moore and Oliver decided to make something
that could be felt as well as seen.
Hence, they designed the space that articulates
texture, sound and smell to act as locational
messages.
There are specific areas, the architects focused
on to help the clients carry out their regular every
day activities
The house incorporates a high-level window
ventilation system where the client can feel the
direction of the breeze it carries.
House in New York for partially sighted clients
by architects Charles Moore and Richard B.
Oliver
Orientation around the house is further
aided by sensations of controlled sun light
and shade on the skin and the fragrances from
an indoor garden of lemon trees.
Auditory messages are also introduced in the
form of a sunken indoor fountain where the
splash of water is enhanced by tuning forks
embedded in its cascade.

There are subtle variations in the room sizes and proportion, ingeniously working as
sound-chambers helps identify ones own position.
The point of entry to every room is signaled by small, uncarpeted areas so that
clients arrival and approach of others is announced by footfalls.
On the upper level the floor is oak wood covered with rug whereas, the circulation
on the ground floor is done with terracotta tiles.
The architects have been sensitive to the lighting of the space. The house is lit
exclusively by the pervading and restful ambience of indirect light. The variations in
sight have been brought in by the array of colorful ceramic tiles in purple and green.
 Multi-sensory Space
Gallery TOM, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan by Architect
Hiroshi Naito
This is a touch-me art museum and performance
space designed for a hands-on appreciation of
sculpture for the blind and partially sighted.
Completely shelled in reinforced concrete, Gallery
Tom is yet another space sensitive to temperature,
texture and acoustics.
The shape of the ground floor performance space
and gallery is defined by a constantly changing
floorscape from cushioned tatami to polished
cedar wood.
The mere planning of the space helps distinguish
the performance area and the gallery space
The upper floor provides a smaller, quieter gallery.
Above this the castellated roof is pierced by a row
of diagonal strips of clerestory ceiling lights.
Apart from the stripped lighting that articulates
the space, it also creates shaft of alternating cool
and warm air.
 Multi-sensory Space
Inferences
The following are a few design guidelines to design a
multi sensory space:
An unknown destination helps trigger curiosity in the
visitor. Constraints to the visual sense force people to
use their auditory senses.
Constantly changing walls and Floor panels keeps the
person alert, and thus, his senses alert. This helps
distort the visitors perspective.
Vision will compel the visitor to touch. Confined
spaces awaken other senses, namely auditory and
haptic, as a result of the urge to know what lies outside.
A sudden change in the scale of the spaces can
stimulate the senses at various levels. For instance, a
door leading to a larger volume of space from a smaller
volume of space makes you raise your head and look up
and around, and experience the changes in the haptic
sensations generated by the change in volume. Also, the
acoustical properties change drastically.
Psychological
Spaces
 Psychological Space
Psychological space is a
combination of various senses. In
other words, it is a characteristic
of a Multi-sensory space.

objectification
The phenomenon of adopting the
position of an outsider

The human body is merely

utilised as a tool for dimensioning
during the design process. Scale
and proportion are developed
using the human body as the key.
For architects, it is not just the
human body that has to be
addressed but the body in action
 Psychological Space
K. Lewins Theory of Psychological life-space
Refers to the perceptual map in which we live out our life span.

1. Work Personal
Environment Space

4. Connecting with a
2. Recreation geographically distant
3. Social place
Life

In response to a psychological spatial relationship, our body seemingly grows in

stature when confined in a small space (like a crowded elevator) and conversely,
diminishes within vast spaces (like an auditorium)
 Psychological Space
A person experiencing a visually pleasant and thermally comfortable room sees the
space in a totally different fashion from someone occupying the same room with
physically uncomfortable situations.

According to Kenneth Bayes, there are two kinds of movements through space:

1. Tourist one explores through an unknown environment. Here, architecture is

new, prominent and strange, open and receptive, moving and experiencing new
things.

2. Habitu Architecture is in the background, hardly noticed; one moves through

it without the awareness of the surroundings, thinking only of a goal.
 Psychological Space
Real life situations where perspective
of an individual changes:

Indoor spaces:
In crowded rooms, we tend to take
right as soon as we enter than taking
a left turn.

Outdoor spaces:
An introvert finds a secluded vantage
point set deep within the recess of
an empty bay, while an extrovert
poses at the peak of the curve and in
direct eye contact with passers by.
 Conceptual Space
Conceptual space is that which we
Perceive and Visualise.
The design of a space is initially, a
mental concept and any resultant
response is primarily experienced
through visual perception.
Generally, a form-oriented approach
to design renders spaces as a waste-
product after design.

During the 20th century, the

Modern Movement considered
space to be its most significant
architectural theme, whereas
postmodern aesthetic saw the
negative of space, that is, formal
mass.
 Pictorial Space
Our visual experience of space relies upon a hierarchy of optical functions which
are triggered by a visual contact with the real world around us.
There are two primary visual signals or cues which aid our perception:

1. Binocular Vision
2. Motion Parallax
 Pictorial Space
Binocular Vision can be divided into three components:
1. Accommodation the ability to focus the eyes on only one point at a time
2. Convergence the angle subtended by the two eyes on the object in
focus
3. Disparity describes the fact that each eye receives a slightly different
image from a perceived stimulus.

Motion parallax is produced by motions of the

head and eyes. Movements at rights-angles to a
line of vision alter the relative positions of two
unequally distant objects.
Our eyes give overlapping fields of view and
stereoscopic depth vision
 Pictorial Space

Using the technique of visual analysis, we can isolate the components

of a visual experience into Foreground, middle-ground and
background. This kind of analysis helps us to understand the nature of
the seeing process.
 Pictorial Space
Secondary Depth Cues:
Pictorial images created by graphic displays
have to rely upon the secondary depth
cues:
1. Relative apparent size (convergence)
The association of the size of
juxtaposed forms with distance, where,
more distant objects appear smaller in
relation to the viewers position in
space.

2. Light and shadow Our visual image

of the real world embodies a complex
pattern of perceptual patches, shapes
and textures. Different levels of
brightness, pinpoint different locations
in the illusion of space.
 Pictorial Space
3. Atmospheric haze and overlap
(Aerial Perspective) Refers to the
perceived greater clarity of nearer
points in space in contrast with
those more distant. Leonardo da
Vinci discussed this depth-effect in
terms of painting when he noticed
the differences between points in
space. Refracting light and dust
particles in atmosphere caused
farther objects to appear lighter,
more bluish and less clearly defined
that the ones nearby.