No one knows what tomorrow's architecture will bring. It might seem that everything has already been invented. Recent decades have been marked by architects such as Zaha Hadid, Wolf D. Prix and Jürgen H. Mayer outdoing themselves in ever more futuristic forms. The materials available on the market today allow us to create almost any solid that a designer comes up with.
In this contemporary reality, voices are coming at us from all sides presenting visions of the architecture of the future. Some speak of designing buildings completely integrated with nature. Others claim that we will build in the spirit of circular economy, that is, only with materials that can be reused after the building is demolished. There are also many claims that the future of architecture is the absence of architecture, as construction has a huge impact on carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
Bridge of Senses - location before and after - a concept for revitalization of urban space using multisensory design, using the Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw as an example
proj.: Wojciech Fudala, Paulina Boruch
I believe that design will go in yet another direction. Architects looking ahead will no longer focus on inventing new futuristic forms or solving global problems over which they have no real influence - they will focus on collaborating with representatives of other scientific fields: psychologists, sociologists, neuroscientists and so on. Opening up to these completely new industries will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of the functioning of the human body, and thus create such projects that will better meet the needs of humans and the environment.
Bridge of the Senses - project idea - concept of revitalization of urban space by means of multisensory design, on the example of Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw
proj.: Wojciech Fudala, Paulina Boruch
In my design work, I greatly appreciate meetings with Prof. Maciej Blaszak - an expert on the human brain associated with the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. Particularly in the case of residential interior designs, his insights help shed new light on many of the solutions used. Prof. Blaszak stresses that a good space is one that is handy and gives hints of what to do with it, allowing the brain to go on autopilot and reduce its energy expenditure. To achieve this, however, we absolutely need the expertise of experts outside the architecture industry.
Bridge of the Senses - a before and after projection - a concept for revitalizing urban space using multisensory design, using the Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw as an example
proj.: Wojciech Fudala, Paulina Boruch
One of the aspects in which interdisciplinary specialists can help us is the creation of architecture dedicated to the senses. It takes on particular importance in the context of the latest research in neuroscience. Until recently, it seemed that the dominant human sense was sight. However, it turns out that human perception is much more multisensory than we think.
The Bridge of Senses - smell and taste - a concept for the revitalization of urban space using multisensory design, based on the example of the Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw
proj.: Wojciech Fudala, Paulina Boruch
"When the human body moves, looks, touches, listens and even tastes inside the space - only then does the architecture wake up to life." - this is how Maria Lorena Lehman, an American designer and writer who specializes in combining environmental design with science and the latest technologies, describes reality. It was on the basis of her research, among others, that the concept of "synaesthetic design" emerged, i.e. design that allows combining impressions received by different senses, for example, smells with tastes, sounds with colors.
Bridge of Senses - smell and taste - a concept for revitalization of urban space using multisensory design, using the Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw as an example
proj.: Wojciech Fudala, Paulina Boruch
So let's examine how architecture can realistically stimulate individual human senses. Let's start with smell, which in design is mainly associated in a negative context, as the elimination of unpleasant odors. This was already thought of by Le Corbusier when he designed his Villa Savoye in 1931. He located the kitchen on the first floor to minimize the penetration of cooking-related odors. Also worth noting is the Barclays Center Arena in New York (designed by SHoP Architects, 2012). A unique fragrance was created there, exclusively for this building. It permeates the interior during concerts or sporting events, creating a kind of olfactory identification, like a visual identity.
Bridge of the Senses - touch - a concept for revitalizing urban space through multisensory design, using the Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw as an example
proj.: Wojciech Fudala, Paulina Boruch
Like smell, the sense of hearing also has a negative connotation in architecture, namely noise avoidance. After all, acoustic walls are a standard solution in most residential or office buildings. To find a positive example of designing for hearing, we must again look to Le Corbusier. In 1953, together with Iannis Xenakis, he designed the La Tourette convent. The primary sense through which people perceive this building is hearing. La Tourette Monastery does not have a marked entrance. However, you can easily find it by following the promenades to the voices and prayers coming from inside. Once you manage to get inside, you see a large brass door from behind which a soft light comes. This procedure, too, is designed to minimize the stimuli affecting the sight, while activating our hearing. It helps a lot to concentrate when we reach the monastery's main prayer hall.
Another sense is touch, associated today primarily with the appropriate choice of materials. For example, the sloping stone wall at The Getty Center (designed by Richard Meier, 1997), adjacent to the smooth lawn, even invites you to touch it. Architecture dedicated to the sense of touch was also thought of by Robert Konieczny with the KWK Promes team when designing the Living Garden House in Kassel, where the floor is hybrid grass.
Bridge of the Senses - hearing - a concept for the revitalization of urban space using multisensory design, using the Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw as an example
proj.: Wojciech Fudala, Paulina Boruch
The most difficult sense in architecture is taste. According to designer Jialin Deng, however, we can attribute basic tastes to specific shapes. Stores often take advantage of this , pairing sweet products with rounded shapes and salty products with sharp shapes. A more literal approach was taken by Peter Zumthor in the famous Vals thermal baths (proj. 1996). It's a complex that we perceive with all our senses, plus we can treat ourselves to fruit in one of the recreation rooms.
Bridge of the Senses - hearing - a concept for the revitalization of urban space using multisensory design, using the Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw as an example
proj.: Wojciech Fudala, Paulina Boruch
Another architect who tries to integrate different senses in his work is Ian Ritchie. When designing the Ecology Gallery (1989) inside the Natural History Museum in London, he based all communication on four gently curving bridges. The surface of each is covered with a different material: glass, wood, metal and recycled tires. Crossing the bridges produces completely different sounds, as well as completely different sensations underfoot. Among these varied sensory experiences, there is also a constant element related to the sense of touch - a double cherry wood hilt located on each bridge.
Bridge of the Senses - Sight - a concept for the revitalization of urban space through multisensory design, using the Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw as an example
proj.: Wojciech Fudala, Paulina Boruch
Architecture dedicated to all senses not only enriches our experience of space, but can also become a tool to better integrate various social groups. After all, in cities we will find representatives of different age groups, ethnic groups or groups with different economic status. Each of these groups has its own expectations for the use of space, and by engaging a wide range of senses, architecture has the potential to create more accessible spaces for them. Unfortunately, many cities with high diversity fail to integrate them, leading to fragmented and isolated communities.
Bridge of the Senses - Sight - a concept for revitalizing urban space through multisensory design, using the Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw as an example
proj.: Wojciech Fudala, Paulina Boruch
I think that the architecture of tomorrow will not be about creating new technologies or materials, but about incorporating completely new industries into the design, which will join construction, electrical or sanitary installations. For now, this may sound abstract, because today's architects debate the challenges of the future with other architects, doctors with other doctors, psychologists with other psychologists, and so on. But when we learn to blend these disciplines, architects will be able to create more complex spaces that everyone can access, regardless of age, status, level of disability or background.
Wojciech FUDALA
more: A&B 11/2024 - Soul of Europe, Soul of the City,
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