Modes of Perception
Architecture, much like art, is not easily explained. It must be experienced to be appreciated and understood. We can simultaneously experience architecture on a number of different levels: physically, intellectually, spiritually, culturally, and emotionally. We use our own past experiences and emotions as a prism through which we filter and process that which we encounter. The architect's medium is space. They work with form, mass, and void to create functional, three-dimensional art. Like art, no two people will experience a building in the same way, nor will they have the same reaction to it. From a physical standpoint, we receive the most immediate and useful information visually.
We perceive relationships between architectural elements by noting scale, position, and detail. We detect movement, hierarchy, and rhythm in repeating elements. We proceed through adjoining zones lead by lines of motion and axes. Spaces are perceived through the interaction of mass and void. Visually, we get cues not only about space, but also about time. Architectural style may reference an era long gone by. Materials can convey a history of their own, a life before becoming a part of the building. They can have a smell and a texture that reaches out to the other senses. They can convey a feeling of solidity or lightness. Buildings can take on a dramatically different character in different states and at different times: night and day, winter and summer. All these various elements converge together with our own individual thoughts and emotions to determine how architecture is encountered, experienced, and remembered.
