Phenomenology is the study of consciousness and how people communicate their experiences by interacting. From a phenomenological perspective, architecture aims to interact with how people perceive time, space, material, light, and sound. Water has been the most common element architects use to create environments that promote contemplation or provide a retreat where it becomes a tool to shape human perception and experience in the built environment. This interaction encourages people to engage with natural cycles, such as rain, evaporation, and reflection. Emotions such as introspection, serenity, calm, etc., are influenced by the fluidity, reflective and dynamic quality of water.
Sensory Experience of Water
Among all-natural elements, water has a strong multisensory presence that can manipulate other aspects, visual perception, sound, touch, movement, and touch, interactivity towards a material or surface contributing to water’s phenomenological aspect.
The ability to reflect light creates a dynamic space through amplifying light; when in the open, water can mirror the vast sky, making it humble and capturable. Water mirrors the sky, trees, and architecture, creating a dual reality that alters the perception of space. Refraction changes the way objects appear, adding a playful or mysterious element. The Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool is one example of a reflecting place where the lines between architecture and surroundings are blurred.
Water exists in many natural forms, including rivers, lakes, ponds, cascades, waterfalls, and streams. They bring constant change to their surroundings by the moment of water due to gravity, wind, etc., to ensure life thrives. The flow or movement of water gives a sense of life and dynamism to space. Flowing water indicates a journey or passage of time, guiding users through a space, like in architectural promenades or water-based corridors. They bring attention and vitality to a still atmosphere. Frank Lloyd Wright’s FallingWater incorporates a cascade into the building’s design so that the sound and sight of the water are a constant source of movement and life.
Sound is produced by the material contained in when water moves in the same direction or across other axes. Depending on the decibel level, the sound of water can arouse both positive and negative emotions. For example, the dulcet tones of a fountain can provide a feeling of peace, while the loud rush of waterfalls might stimulate; conversely, the roar of water in a tunnel or any other risky location can evoke fear. Depending on the force and direction of the water’s flow, acoustical barriers can be made with the rhythm and force of water. The tactile sensation that is brought to the site in addition to sounds enhances the olfactory interaction. With its thermal properties, water can affect the environment to provide comfort. In Peter Zumthor’s Thermal Vals a natural hot spring that acts as a centerpiece aims to evoke tranquility and contemplation. The Swiss thermal spa incorporates water, texture, temperature and sound to bring a sensorial experience justifying the ritualistic bath. The use of locally quarried Valser Quarzite slabs adds drama to it making it an holy and surreal experience through its limited openings for light to enter.In addition to combining touch, sound, sight, and scent, Therme Vals offers a whole sensory experience with the sensation of stone beneath your feet, the sound of running water, the contrast between the cool stone and the warm pools, and filtered light.
“Mountain, stone, water – building in the stone, building with the stone, into the mountain, building out of the mountain, being inside the mountain – how can the implications and the sensuality of the association of these words be interpreted, architecturally?” Peter Zumthor.
Climate mitigation
Water has a high thermal capacity, which allows it to absorb and release huge amounts of heat to help lower energy usage when used as a passive cooling method. Incorporating water elements in a building can enhance its environmental efficiency. When water evaporates and absorbs heat from its surroundings, the ambient temperature drops due to evaporative cooling. It also absorbs solar radiation and enhances natural ventilation. The traditional Mediterranean courtyards and Islamic gardens use water features such as shallow water pools for passive cooling in hot and dry climates.
Green and blue roofs have been used to mitigate climate change and manage water on rooftops, like the Barclays Center in New York, reducing peak water flow and heat buildup.
The Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore, designed by Moshe Safdie, is a famous airport complex that improves its microclimate with a green façade that integrates water features and waterfalls. The world’s tallest indoor waterfall, the Rain Vortex, serves as the gem in the crown. The Shiseido forest valley surrounding the rain vortex creates a serene, nature-filled environment inside the airport. Walking trails wind through the forest, giving visitors an immersive experience of being in nature while diminishing the boundaries of inside out.
Emotional and Psychological Impact of Water
Water can elicit a wide range of psychological reactions and feelings. Often associated with life, purity, and nature, water can aid in creating character such as calm, awe, mystery, and depth in architecture.
The spaces of reflection are characterized by reflecting ponds and still water bodies that evoke feelings of peace, and contemplation through their stillness and limited motion making them sacred. Tadao Ando’s Church on the Water uses a reflective water pool to create a calm and serene environment for spiritual contemplation.
Large water bodies like waterfalls, rivers, and seas can evoke a sense of awe, and wonder. Many buildings interact with the nearby water bodies to evoke a sense of majesty and engagement with nature’s power. One such building is Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao interacts with the river nearby like a giant ship on the river contradicting the context of Bilbao.
Water’s reflective and transparent qualities create depth and mystery, encouraging exploration of space and emotions. In phenomenological architecture, the connection to natural elements like earth, air, fire, and water is explored to connect the human experience with the natural world. The most dynamic element, water, acts as a connection between architecture and nature.
Taming water, and wind has always been part of architecture through various scales of habitats. For instance, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies by Louis Kahn uses a long narrow water channel to connect the built with the massive Pacific Ocean, reinforcing its connection to the natural landscape.
Apart from water’s interaction with other natural elements, the water’s quality with time has played a major role in phenomenology. With the change of seasons, the water changes its form and behaviour offering the sense of passage of time.
Cultural and Symbolic Significance
Water holds symbolic meaning in various cultures and philosophies, representing purity, life, renewal, or transcendence. In phenomenological architecture, these meanings enhance the emotional and experiential depth of a space associated with life and renewal, offering a symbolic connection to the cycles of birth, death, and regeneration. Water has been a central element in religious rituals and sacred architecture, symbolizing cleansing, baptism, or renewal. Through the creation of sensory, symbolic, and cultural links, water plays a critical role in defining the identity of buildings and urban surroundings. It links the built and natural landscapes, expressing cultural memory, and encourages resilience and sustainability.
Water and architecture have a profound connection that has developed over the ages, influencing the shape, purpose, and significance of cities and buildings. Water can be used as an aesthetic element, a practical tool for regulating the environment, or an architectural design as a metaphor. Its incorporation into design can arouse strong feelings, improve sustainability, and produce one-of-a-kind experiences.
