The world may be a stage, a tale of cities and architecture much beyond the theories of the vast ocean that expresses the profound emotions of the observer and spectator. The impactful architecture within the town is consistently modified to enrich the growing needs of the user. We as architects play a crucial role in changing the perspectives of people, Juhani Pallasmaa explains,
“When designing physical spaces, we are also designing or implicitly specifying distinct experiences, emotions, and mental states. In fact, as architects, we are operating in the human brain and nervous system as much as in the world of matter and physical construction.”
Cities are full of energy, and therefore the mere dialogue between the user and architecture encourages the architects to make constant change and users to manifest. The endless exploration of human experiences and perceptions has created spaces from barren land or jungles. Once a cave, now an apartment to shelter us from the calamities. Public spaces have let users interact, opportunities for artists to express themselves, and spectators to think.
Conversations in space
Art and architecture are open experimental volumes in cities. The audience can experience multiple emotions that an architect felt and needs to represent. At times the translation of space is acknowledged to a certain extent that an architect is astonished. Architecture is not confined to the eye of the user but features a depth of meaningful expression. The impact that space has been often experienced in multiple forms and varies for different users at different stages. The dialogues and reactions are left open-ended to the audience to feel, see, think and question the multiple possibilities.
Daniel Libeskind’s Jewish Museum an architectural piece used as a narrative and emotion to express the effect of the holocaust on both Jewish culture and berlin. He wanted to express feelings of emptiness, absence, and invisibility, the darkest moments of Jewish people during WWII. The interior spaces so complex, the audience must endure the emotions of anxiety while hiding and losing the sense of direction. The ground covered in iron faces, the void that never left and created a hole in the visitors. The human experience converted into an architectural composition left the spectators speechless.
We often question ourselves how space and its surroundings might affect people. We ask the clients what emotions they need to feel within their homes, public areas, libraries, and offices. Allow us to remember and educate our clients about how spaces make us feel. An emotion for new space is similar to cultivating a taste for unknown flavours. Experiencing and exploring a new path will help you appreciate the space and taste.
Endless possibilities
Architectural criticism throws a shadow on creativity and vision. Architecture and designers are constantly shaping our surroundings, communities, and our behaviour. The positive stimulation of space can have a calming or soothing effect. The negative influence might lead to a sense of discomfort and restlessness similar to the Jewish Museum Berlin. The behavioural patterns in a building change according to the typology of the architecture. A hospital would accelerate the healing process through a sense of hope and peace while a school would arouse a sense of excitement, curiosity, engagement, and an office would depict innovation, creation and productivity.
We spend almost 80-90% of our lives indoors surrounded by forms, light, colours, and soundscapes but have we ever wondered, what if we are confined to one space?
The beginning or the end?
Overnight, the world turned upside down. 2020, the beginning, or should I call it the apocalypse for human relations. The users, confined to a four-walled space that they call, home transformed into multiple shared spaces for interaction. A living room now a playground and an entertainment area for kids, dining area got promoted into a coworking space for the family to work and study. The bedroom became a safe space for personal relaxation of mind and soul. The functionality of space, redefined by its user to minimize the psychological impact. While we were locked away in our homes, the hospital, a peaceful and, safe zone transformed into a battleground. The meaning and perception of homes have changed over a couple of years. The definition of architecture and spaces changed overnight. The users started rethinking space in a much larger context.
The dialogues, the thoughts, the representation, the perceptions of a human mind are evolving and questioning constantly. The infinite emotions that a user and designers feel are impacted deeply by the architecture they create or live. Architecture has always had a positive or negative response to a certain extent that the buildings have been unpractical and the users have moved out. The user makes or breaks the space. Architects are one step away from creating their dreams. The impact of architecture is always going to be an open-ended dialogue. Let it be worth it.
