The idea behind the work is to introduce the sensual world of architecture and its relationship with man as the main viewer. We live, as Tom Dyckhoff wrote, in an "age of spectacle," in which we pay too much attention to the external aspects of architecture, treating it as an aesthetic visual object, a tin can stripped of emotionality and materiality. De-realistic buildings made of raw and cold materials do not fulfill the basic function of architecture - a space created for humans and satisfying their needs.
The first floor of the proposed building contains, among other things, a reading room and a biobar
© Marta Piórkowska
The main goal of the sensual architectural space project is to create a building that meets Valeria Olgiati's seven rules of non-referential architecture and, by referring to the theories of Juhani Pallasma and Steen Eiler Rasmussen, to introduce the assumptions of sensual architecture into the project. The perception of architectural form by the senses begins with the atmosphere that the building creates around itself. Subjective sensations come from the clear notions of proportion, texture and scale that are common to all the aforementioned theorists.
ground and first floor plan
© Marta Piórkowska
From the first sketches, the sensual architectural space was to be a closed, monolithic form based on a grid with a square module. The purity of the divisions of the building's interior and exterior was dictated by the desire to create a harmonious space without an overwhelming number of architectural elements.
The monolithic nature of the form was intended to emphasize the function of stimulating the human mind and providing an opportunity for rest from a world overflowing with stimuli. Framing the project within Valeria Olgiati's seven rules of architecture was the most important challenge to create a design milieu.
The architectural space took the form of a two-story building located in an alpine setting
© Marta Piórkowska
The sensual architectural space took the form of a two-story building located in an alpine setting. In plan, it consists of three rectangular modules divided into nine squares. The idea accompanying the design was to create an orderly space that complements the interior-exterior relationship of the building. The materials used, the forms and the color palette were dictated by an attempt to create a space that harmonizes the human senses.
cross-section of the building
© Marta Piórkowska
The first floor of the building consists of the reading room, the communication area with toilets, checkrooms and facilities, as well as the biobar, the main communication of the building and the exhibition hall, respectively. The first floor of the building consists of meditation rooms, a terrace, as well as a coworking room and administration rooms.
Uniform colors, splayed walls and furniture are intended to create a calm and holistic aura
© Marta Piórkowska
The design of the sensual architectural space uses assumptions developed by theorists regarding the materiality and emotionality of the building. Uniform colors, splayed walls and furniture are intended to create a calm and holistic aura. The placement of elements in relation to the linearity of the rooms is intended to create an orderly space that calms people's senses. The design also focuses on the right amount of light, consistent with the purpose of the designed space, so there is slightly less light in the meditation rooms than in those with a service function.
The author wanted to create an orderly space that would complement the relationship between the interior and exterior of the building
© Marta Piórkowska
The project also uses two types of flooring, which emphasizes its functions. Service spaces located on the ground and first floors are accented by gray terrazzo with circles in a darker shade. The exhibition and meditation spaces are mono-colored rooms, which emphasizes their spiritual character and provides a backdrop without distracting from their primary function. Each element of the project complements the other, each room has its own distinctive element, but is still in line with the same author's idea, which was to fulfill Valeria Olgiati's seven rules of non-referential architecture.
The diploma is published as part of the Best Diploma - Interiors competition.
Marta Piórkowska
© Author
