Phenomenology (what the?)

Last semester I delved into the study of phenomenology.

Yep, it’s a mouthful. It’s pronounced: phe.nom.e.nol.o.gy. Before i go on it must be defined.

Phemonenology

n Philosophy

1. (Philosophy) the movement founded by Husserl that concentrates on the detailed description of conscious experience, without recourse to explanation, metaphysical assumptions, and traditional philosophical questions.[1]

Still lost?

I like to think of architectural phenomenology as the experience of space through the senses rather than through the physical environment. I’m going to refer to this as the human experience. Now, if we try to understand this term through an architectural view point, we learn that the human experience of architecture is not fashioned simply from the physical geometry of a building but rather through feelings and emotions brought upon by our sensory perceptions of a place.  Here is an excerpt from an essay I wrote last semester, it explains architect Juhani Pallasmaa's understanding of design and the importance that phenomenology plays in architectural design. 

Image sourced from: 

http://www.astoriabrown.com/open_doorway.jpg

“It is not the geometry of space that resides within our memory, it it’s the experience of the space and its ability to awaken our senses that creates a connection to the inhabitant.  Pallasmaa expresses that it is not the doorway that remains in our memory of a space, but rather the act of entering or crossing a threshold that creates feelings about architecture.  If a building does not address its design in response to its phenomenological principals it is then unable to evoke an emotional experience.”[2]

Philosopher Gaston Bachelard explains that a house is made up of memories and experiences where each different intimate space arouses different sensations, and yet collectively they ensue a mutual feeling of home. In a similar fashion, when we experience building, space and place, individually our senses will arouse independent feelings and emotions, but together will result in an overall experience and ultimately memory.[2]

It is in this, that I wonder if design can influence how you interpret space by evoking a specific sensory experience; or ultimately is it the programming that effects a spaces perception.

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[1]  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/misc/HarperCollinsProducts.aspx?English

[2]  Tziortzis, E. (2013) 'Annotated Bibliography' Adelaide, S.A

Bibliography

Pallasmaa, J 1986, ‘The Geometry of Feeling: A Look at the Phenomenology of Architecture’ in Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture, ed Kate Nesbitt 1996, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, pp. 448-452. 

Bachelard, G 1994, The poetics of space, trans, M Jolas, Beacon Press, Boston.