Architecture that is more than just sight.
- Jien
- Oct 23, 2019
- 3 min read
An architectural example that comes to mind for me when designing beyond the visuals is the blur building by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Although the design is not particularly friendly for the visually impaired, the design seems to target senses beyond the visuals as an experiential quality. The nozzles that blast the lakewater into mist blurs the vision, allowing users to feel and taste the vapour.
"Downey says that the touch of the building is important in acknowledging the presence of the body, so things like door handles, railings and places to lean or sit become far more informative to the overall design than what it looks like. In a way, he designs, and experiences buildings, from the details out."
The quote reminds me of Zumthor's design for Therme Vals. Under the absence of light in the stereotomy construction, Vals heightens the user's sense of touch by caressing them with the bathwater. Additionally, the lack of sight also draws the users to focus on their other senses, the sense of smell, of the water's minerals; the sense of sound, through the running water. While sight is not completely lost under the dim setting, Zumthor's choice in material finishing, such as the railings and balustrades were important factors to him. The dull bronze material choice would reflect light and shine occasionally under the dim setting.
After experiencing the darkroom in the anechoic chamber, I realised how much more important sound became after the sense of sight is lost. Sound becomes the immediate medium that the body uses to engage with the surrounding apart from touch that orientates the body along with gravity. In the radio talk with Downey and Mars, we get to hear how Downey engages with day to day activities through hearing. It was interesting to hear how blind people still get to use computers through voice commands. This made me realise how important acoustical designs can be when designing a space. If sound is the main medium that a blind person would use in order to communicate with the wider enviroment/world, then acoustical designs become a method for guiding the blind. Beyond that, surface treatments is also another important factor that we should consider when designing.
It was very insightful to hear about Downey's life after losing his sight, it made me realise how much I take seeing for granted. Architecture should be designed with more than visuals, if we start to look at space through a different perspective, i.e design for the blind; how that space can aid the visually impaired with navigation, which in turn would help us too.
FYI for those interested in sensory ethnography of the city: https://www.david-howes.com/DH-research-sampler-arch-senses.htm
Reading from Anthony's response
One of the paragraphs - Street Sense: Sensory Ethnography and the City, Lisa Law observes a day in the busy metropolis of Hong Kong. The paragraph describes a leisure Sunday for the busy city, and how the migrant population affects the atmosphere.
The contents of the paragraph provided a clear description of the city, painting a picture in my head. This reminded me of a classmate who did poetry as part of her site analysis. She would write about the genius loci of the site and portray its life through words. As Victoria suggests, we can address genius loci through a written description of the place and supplement that with photos or recording to present the life of the space. In D2, another classmate of mine did a video montage that he had captured on site. He would collage rubbings that he made from site onto the video which resulted in a fascinating presentation.
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