EVALUATING EXPERIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE THROUGH A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH: SENSORY PERCEPTIONS WITH TIME, MEMORY AND EMOTION

Abstract

The basis of the existence of architecture is to provide for humans. As German émigré Mathias Goeritz asserted in his manifesto Arquitectura Emocional (Emotional Architecture): “Architecture’s principal function is emotion”. With a human-centric nature in mind, architecture, emotions and psychology tie together to form the intrinsic qualities of the built environment that we dwell, work and play in. Architecture has the ability to evoke emotions and affect our moods, thoughts and feelings, through different forms and spaces, textures, light and colour. The premise of this dissertation is to investigate and understand how emotional, psychological and spiritual wellbeing of people can be affected by architectural designs and strategies, and/or vice versa – how humans’ needs have shaped, or can shape the way architects design. Materiality, form, spatial arrangement, light – only to name a few – the way these factors are considered in the design process may have changed drastically over the years as society, and possibly culture, changes. This dissertation examines the relationship between human experience, perception, memory and design – phenomenology in architecture. Through the review of the Church of St Mary of the Angels, this paper explores how the architecture has influenced sensory perceptions, thus sculpting experiences and behavior. The envisioning of possible future design approaches in response to emotional wellbeing in this study will endeavour to rethink the place of phenomenology in architectural teachings and practice.