SENSORY ARCHITECTURE:Seeking Perception Beyond the Visual Dave Giancarli

1

IntroductionSensory Architecture: Seeking Perception Beyond the Visual

David GiancarliMArch Fall 2012Advisers: Carol Burns and Terry Moor

Abstract

Using the qualities of haptic and auditory perception of spaces rather then just the visual, architects can

create a spatial awareness, clarity, and allows the building to be experienced by the body as a whole

creating engagement. This study has been framed by concentrating on the visually impaired, who have an

intimate connection to architectural space and the non-visual senses, as compared to the sighted. A full

spatial understanding cannot be achieved using visual cues alone, but must draw upon the understanding

of sensation and perception together. The successive method of cognitive space forming the visually

impaired undergo creates a more personal engagement with their environment because, unlike the

sighted, sensory perception is pieced together to form an image rather then being immediately

recognized. Hapticity and auditory information can offer enrichment to the experience of architecture.

Touch breaks down individual components to cognitively recast the whole through the understanding of its

physical properties. Perception of auditory information allows for the size and character of a room can be

understood based on the sound, echoes, vibration and breeze of the air. These qualities are

unfortunately usually only consciously perceived by visually impaired since they are not distracted by the

vision. The sighted subconsciously understand these cues in the perception of space but often

environments are designed for primarily visual experiences. As a frame of reference, the visually impaired

provide architectural researchers and designers with a useful perspective on the process of developing

experiential qualities in built form.

32

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my professors, and classmates and who have assisted me in forming my thesis throughout this semester. I would also like to thank my mother, my girlfriend Susan and my late great-uncle Tom who havealways encouraged me to explore my ambitions.

Introduction 1 Tile - Abstract 2 Acknowledgments 3 Table of Contents Main Body 4 Definitions 5 Main Question - Relevance 6 Research Essay 12 Visuals 14 Evaluation - Conclusion - Hypothesis

Methodology 15 Original Work 17 Frames 21 Site 26 Design Probe 27 Conclusion 28 Design Method 29 Objectives and Time Line 30 Evaluation Criteria

Conclusion 31 Discoveries - Reflections - Next Steps Bibliography

1

4

15

31

32

54

Main BodyDefinitions Question

In a culture dominated by visual perception, how can architects utilize the senses to create inclusive environments for those of varying visual capabilities?

Relevance

Modern design’s focus on visual perception of space has created adisconnect between the body and the sensory experience. This issue is emphasized by the contemporary lifestyle where physical engagement is secondary the vast amounts of information recieved through retinal imagery. Multi-sensorial design allows for an interpretation and an engagement with an environment rather then taking it for what it appears to be. The visually impaired were chosen as a frame to view the design opportunities that are possible with non-ocular sensory perception and discover ways to allow this experience to lead to an inclusive creation of architectural space.

Aural Perception: The ability to understand a space’s qualities such as size, scale, and materiality through the sense of hearing

Active Touch: Exploration of an environment through the movements of the body, utilizing an understanding of tactility, density, temperature, and weight

Cognitive Mapping: Navigating a space utilizing the senses and memory to develop a mental image of a space

Dynamic Touch: Exploration using a tool that is not part of the body i.e. a blind cane or feeling the weight of a door through its handle

Haptic perception: The process of understanding objects through touch, involving a combination of tactile, density, form based, and thermal qualities

Hi-fi Soundscape: Defined and informative sound that produces clarity and understanding of an environment

Inclusive Design: Designing for those with all physical and sensory abilities

Low-fi Soundscape: Auditory distinctions between spaces cannot be defined

Multi-Sensorial: To involve several senses working together to create spatial experience

Ocularcentrism: The idea that visual perception is the most privileged and dominant of the senses causing adisconnection between a person and his environment

Passive Touch: When the environment engages with the occupant even while the body is in a static position i.e. sensing thermal changes within a room

Sighted: People with the ability toperceive space through normal levels of visual detail

Soundmark: Like physical landmarks, soundmarks allow a person to orient themselves within a space

Spatial Cues: Points of understanding within a space that utilize any of thesenses, allowing for a cognitive image of a place to form

Tactility: Perceiving the texture, pressure, and heat of an object through the skin

Visually Impaired: A person with low visual below 20/200, meaning from 20 feet away objects appear at the resolution of objects 200 feet away

76

Since the nineteenth century, multi-sensory design has been advocated for as a counter to ocularcentrism in the perception ofarchitectural spaces. Ocularcentrism, or dominance of the eye, has led to the design of spaces that do not fully utilize the other senses. Finnish architect and professor Juhani Pallasmaa states, “Modernist design has housed theintellect and the eye, but it has left the body and the other senses, as well as memories and dreams, homeless.”1 By designing for haptic and auditory perception, architects can create a spatial awareness, clarity, and engagement that allows for a building to move past its purely functional program and towards an active experiential quality. This study has been framed by concentrating on the visually impaired, who have an intimate connection to architectural space and the non-visual senses, as compared to the sighted.2

Ocularcentrism The origins of the hegemony or dominance of ocular perception trace back to ancient Greek philosophers who considered the eye to be the gods’ greatest gift to humanity. During the Renaissance, reverence of the eye became an obsession for designers concentrating on visual imagery in order to form magnificent spaces based on perspectival representation.3 Reliance on solely visual understanding in the creation of architectural space has been reinforced with the invention of computer imaging technology, flattening the natural multi-sensory perception in the design process into “a passive manipulation of space, a retinal journey.”4 Visual perception alone cannot develop complete spatial awareness,clarity, and engagement. Professors of architectural theory and art, Joy Monice

Malnar and Frank Vodvarka have observed:“One appreciates a place not by itsimpact on the visual cortex, but by the way in which it sounds, it feels and smells. For instance, the full understanding of wood is often achieved by a perception by its smell and its texture which can be appreciated by both looks and feelings and by the way in which it modulates the acoustics of space.” 5

If designers do not take full sensoryperception into account, then thespaces being created can become

upon the understanding of “sensation and perception” together. People should “build up the shape of the world rather than recognizing it as the source, which stares into the face.”8 Ultimately, people become more knowledgeable about architectural spaces through individual experience and engagement. Haptic perception is the result of the information our skin receives from the surroundings environment resulting in the understanding of tactile, thermal, kinetic and pressure properties. For instance, Herseens states that haptic exploration allows individuals to focus on particular points of specific information throughout a space, whereas vision gives a simplistic overall understanding just by turning the head.9 According to Pallasmaa, an individual’s sense of reality becomes strengthened andarticulated through the constant interaction of the senses.10 Humans

experience three different kinds of sensory response: involuntary immediate physical response, a response conditioned through prior knowledge of its source, and a remembered sensation, which can reconstruct a past response.11 A much deeper subconsciousunderstanding of spatial interaction should be considered when designing spaces. Blindness or visual impairment serves as a means to critique the visual dominance that exists in architectural design and works in the direction of a multi-sensorial experience.

1Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin:

Architecture and the Senses, 3 ed. (New York:

Wiley, 2012), 352 Jasmien Herssens “Haptic Design Research:

A Blind Sense of Place,” Katholieke Universiteit

Leuven Press (2011), 1 http://www.aia.org/aiauc-

mp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab087187.pdf

(accessed September 10, 2012)3 Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin, 18-194 Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin, 145 Joy Monice Malnar and Frank Vodvarka,

Sensory Design (Minneapolis: Univ Of Minnesota

Press, 2004), 24

unengaging rather than an active experience to the occupier. Although humans inherently experience natural and urban environments in a multi-sensory way, architect Jasmien Herssens argues, “few architectsconsider the haptic, olfactory, gustatory and auditory senses while designing.”6 This statement acknowledges the lack of multi-sensory considerations that are taken within the architectural design process, and calls for the utilization of the other senses.

Perception Comprehension of a place relies not only on the sensation (the flow of data received through the sensoryorgans), but also through perception (the data after it has been processed and interpreted).7 A full spatialunderstanding cannot be achieved using visual cues alone, but must draw

6 Herssens “Haptic Design Research,” 17 Malnar and Vodvarka, Sensory Design, 218 Malnar and Vodvarka, Sensory Design, 259 Herssens “Haptic Design Research” 2 10 Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin, 4411 Malnar and Vodvarka, Sensory Design, 21

Research Essay

98

piecing together sensory perception. Blindness never improves hearing or haptic ability, but increases the motivation to increase spatial perception using alternate senses.15 Using aural and tactile qualities along with simplifed visual layouts and geometries can reinforce spatial awareness to ease the stress that the visually impaired endure while navigating unknown spaces. Without spatial understanding, perceptual barriers can form, which prevent recognition of essential wayfinding information and limit the abilities of the visually impaired. The senses can build a cognitive connection to allow for the full understanding of a space, but in order to assure that those with visualimpairments can successfully navigate through a building, certain regulations have been implemented. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, has

fulfilled the need for code by setting requirements such as stair tread size and design, detectable warning surfaces, hallway sizes, and restrictions on protruding object height.16 Using sensory design in conjunction with these elements of code can create inclusive environments for those of all visual capabilities. Disability arises when environmental barriers (social, politcal, physical, or sensory) prevent a person

with impairments from functioning in society in the same way as an able-bodied person.17 If these standards are widely adopted, and spatial cues and designs define regularity, then there will be a control over uncertainties which can disorient someone with a sensory impairment.

Engaging Touch Haptic qualities of material can create a spatial sensory construct through physical qualities such as tactility, density, elasticity (resistance to pressure applied) and weight as well as sensory qualities such as color, texture, pattern, and temperature.18 Hapticity plays a major role in non-visual perception of space, and can alsoenhance the spatial experience for the sighted. Unlike the other senses,haptic body movement enables people to modify and manipulate their

environment, creating a more direct engagement with the building and occupier.19 The physical act of touch creates a mental map for objects in space. French writer Jacques Lusseyran describes his haptic abilities after going blind:You can go very quickly, with your eyes. You can glide. Excuse me; I don’t want to scold or insult you, but I am obliged to say: you glide too quickly. This ends up becoming a frightening temptation for you. Fingers don’t glide. With my fingers I can know this table. I am obliged to feel my way around it. That is to say, I make my fingers explore all its parts, one after another, until at last I know it all, completely. 20

Touch breaks down individual components to cognitively recast the whole. In Image of the City, Kevin Lynch, describes an image of a place through elements such as landmarks, paths, nodes, edges and boundaries.21 These principals can be applied to a haptic context by taking into consideration material characteristics and form. For

example, a tower can be a visual landmark in the same way the texture of a city square can become a haptic landmark.22 The Bauhaus encouraged exploration of textural sensitivity and educated design students by having them engage with a material repetitively to create a mental pallet for an understanding of material choice.23

Tactile sensitivity has diminished with the availability of computer-generated simulations of materiality in modern

The Visually Impaired How does someone without sight or with a visual impairment experience space? Individual who are congenitally blind cannot perceive space through descriptions of form, volume, and color, since they have no prior experience with it. They can only perceive volume through sound and touch.12 About 80% of those considered to be legally blind have some useful vision.13 People with a moderate visual impairment but considered blind use large forms and color to assist in navigating themselves though their environment. Without immediate visual recognition of space the visually impaired must “build up the shape of the world around”14 them using their remaining senses. This successive method of cognitive space forming creates a grounded sense of awareness in their environment through

12 Fondation de France/ICOM, Museums Without

Barriers: A New Deal for Disabled People (New

York: Routledge, 1992), 8713 Elga Joffee, A Practical Guide to the Ada and

Visual Impairment (New York: Amer Foundation

for the Blind, 1999), 1114 Malnar and Vodvarka, Sensory Design, 2515 Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter, Spaces

Speak, Are You Listening?: Experiencing Aural

Architecture (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2009),

35 16 Joffee, A Practical Guide to the Ada and Visual

Impairment, 40

17 Ungar. “Cognative Mapping: Past Present and

Future.” Cognitive Mapping Without Visual Ex-

perience, (Edited by R. Kitchin and S. Fredund-

schuh, London: Routledge, 2000) 11 18 Malnar and Vodvarka, Sensory Design, 20119 Herssens “Haptic Design Research,” 2 31 Devlieger, Patrick. Blindness and the

Multi-Sensorial City. (Antwerp: Garant, 2006), 3321 Herssens “Haptic Design Research,” 222 Herssens “Haptic Design Research,” 3 23 Malnar and Vodvarka, Sensory

Design, 145

1110

design software, which allow for materials to be placed as a skin over a building quickly andinterchangeably. Touch can serve as an important teaching tool for the visually impaired as well as those who have full ocular ability. Those not fully capable of ocular perception should become comfortable with tactile exploration at a young age. Without being taught these techniques they can feel detached and uncomfortable with the world that surrounds them, causing social isola-tion. The way in which the sighted are educated does not include this kind of haptic involvement since vision and auditory information are able to be used. This process is not as personal as the one those with a visual impairment undergo. In order to wayfind and comprehend their environment, the visually-impaired have to gain

information through haptics. In this respect the blind can teach the sighted to rediscover the volumes, outlines, and surface treatments of a space in a more direct and sensitive way.24

Aural Perception The blind can grasp the size and character of a room based on the sound, echoes, vibration and breeze of the air, however the sighted often ignore these perceptual clues.25 “Architects of the past knew a great deal about the effects of sound and worked with it in a positive way. Currently modern designers often know little about sound and try to reduce the amount they have to contend with it.”26 With this, a transfer from developing hi-fi soundscapes (defined andinformative sound that produces clarity and understanding of an environment) to lo-fi soundscapes (auditory distinctions between spaces that cannot be defined)

has occurred. Currently, the use ofstandardized sound walls, ACT, and even introducing unnatural environmental sounds, like Muzak, have “blinded our ears.”27 Interaction with sound in space engages occupants and develops a sense of spatial volume, scale, and physical orientation. Pallasmaa states that “buildings do not react to our gaze but they do return our movements and sounds.” He continues with an of example of the sound of water dripping in an ancient ruin supporting his belief that “the ear has the capacity to carve a volume into the void of complete darkness.”28 This reactive

nature of sound creates an auditory dialogue between man and space. By listening, an occupant can perceive an environment through sensitivity to temporal changes in reflection, refraction, absorption and dispersion.29

This argument shows a way in which a volume’s size and scale can beunderstood in a non-visual manner. Unlike the static presence of a physical structure, aural perception can become dynamic and adaptive through changes in sonic behaviors and sound sources.30 Jacques Lusseyran describes his new-found perception of the ocean after going blind: I remember well when I first arrived at the beach two months after the accident. It was evening, and there was nothing there but the sea and its voice. It formed a mass which was so heavy and limpid that I could have leaned against it like a wall. It spoke to me in several layers all at once. The waves were arranged in steps, and together they made one music, though what they said was different in each voice. There was rasping in

the bass and bubbling in the top register. I didn’t need to be told about the things that eyes can see.31

Lusseyran feels that he does not live in a world of darkness, but instead one of light, illuminated by the objects and people around him that are activated by his movements and his non-visual senses. To sculpt a space with sound successfully, an architect must create continuous informative auditory information, proper reverberation for conversation, and create distinguishable acoustic character and zones.

Conclusion Although the dominance of the eye has helped shape modern design, the incorporation of the other senses can increase the experiential value and connectivity of architectural spaces.Haptic and auditory sensory perception allow for an engaging dialogue to occur

between the building and the occupant. For the visually impaired, these senses provide crucial information that can beunderstood through an active cognitive process. Since those with low vision or blindness are more attentive to the non-visual senses, their experience can be useful in designing cognitively engaging and human-centric multi-sensorial environments. The knowledge and experience they can provide from their alternative perception of architectural space can influence a movement to design beyond what our eyes acknowledge. As a frame of reference, the visually impaired provide architectural researchers and designers with a useful perspective on the process of developing experiential qualities in built form.

24 Fondation de France/ICOM, Museums Without

Barriers, 133 25 Fondation de France/ICOM, Museums Without

Barriers, 8726 Malnar and Vodvarka, Sensory Design, 14027 Malnar and Vodvarka, Sensory Design,14328 Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin, 54

31 Devlieger, Patrick. Blindness and the

Multi-Sensorial City, 31

12

Visuals

Blog:Davegiancarli.wordpress.com

This wordpress blog has allowed me to organize and develop atime line of work that displays the development of my thesis idea from the original mind map to this book.

Navigation

Aid Physically

Relaxation Spaces

Haptics Aural Senses Light/Color

Choice of Materialsreflect zone

Layout Code

Inset Wall Path

Tactile Wall(Sensory Wall) Scale and Layout allow for

reverberation that explain programSmoothed Corners

Change in ground material’s tactile properties

Wheelchair and Walkerfriendly surfaces

Central VerticalCirculation Core

Central Artery Path

Grouping Similar Functions

Inset Wall as railing

Gripped surfaces for movement

Translucent Glass to Reduce Glare

Color and High Contrastto Define Space

Contrasting material bright-ness to define important objects

Never put light sources behind hanging signs

As a Learning tool to understand environment

Water feature or noise admitting device to locate important circulation elements

Simple Layout

Use of Ramps or sloped groundinstead of stairs

Inset Wall as railing

Braille and Railingsat appropriate height for blind adults and children

Hallway and Room Minimums

Accessible Toilet and Sinks

Prevent head knockers

Stair requirements prevent injury

Natural Materials (connection to nature)

Water

Vegetation

Adapted Games to haptic play

Intimate Sized Spaceswith defined thresholds

Colors for Soothing

Clearstories instead of windows: Less glare and lessdistraction

Quiet or appropriate Acostic Environments for Reflective private space

Musical properties to space

Glare reduction

Appropriate Lighting levels for Low Vision reading

Illuminated PathAcoustic Shadows created by Open doors and pushed in thresholds

Active Spatial Awareness through use of cane or echolocation

Dave GiancarliThesis Prep IIMatrix for Visually Impaired Perception

Color contrast for signs

Braille Signage located inkey areas for publicbuildings

Visual

Aural

Haptic

Kinetic

Thermal

Olfaction

DESCRIPTORS

SEN

SES

Detailed/Minimal

Attack/Decay

Warm/Cold

Temporal/Constant

Constant/Responsive

Invigorating/Soothing

Solid/Void

Radiant/Conductive

Spicy/Sweet

Natural/Artificial

Hard/Soft

Sustained/Quick

Dark/Bright

Quiet/Loud

Rough/Smooth

Free/Restricted

Dry/Humid

Stagnate/Fresh

Perspectival/Flat

Clear/Reverberant

Light/Heavy

Indirect/Direct

Natural/Artificial

Appealing/Putrid

Intimate/Vast

Vocal/Non-Vocal

Porous/Solid

Level/Shifting

Environmental/Source

High/Low Pitch

Weak/Intense

Saturated/Neutral

Static/Mobile

Strong/Light

Hot/Cold

Natural/Industrial

Visually Impaired

Unknown

Confusion

Lack of Detail Harder to Understand Envirement

Intrusive Elements

Exploration and Analysis

Hieghted other senses

Partically Visually Impaired

Completely Blind

Raw Visual Elements

Basic Forms Color Light sensitive

Aural

Tactile

Memory

Scent

Circulaton

Mechanics Procession

Devices

Cane

ID Cane

Blind Cane

Purely for Identification

Proportion

Body

Distance from Ground

Angle Technological Aid

Simple Complex

Information

Spatial Understanding

Response

Postive Spatial Elements

Negative Spatial Elements

Guiding Elements

Defined Path Controlled Sound

Open Space

Overloading Senses

Touch

For othersRely on Rules and Standards To Navigate

From BodyRelationship to Ground

Material Defining Space

Changes inFloor Height

Orientation

Guide Dog

Kinetic

When Broken

Protection

Use Reverberation andMateriality to Gain Spatial Understanding

Doesn’t Help withHanging Objects

Know What’s 2’ Ahead

Public Transit

Independance

Main Paths/ Intersections

Landmarks

Traditional

Local

Original Mindmap Developed Mindmaps

1514

Evaluation

• Gained understanding of the alternative perception of the

visually-impaired.

• Learned about the specific code requirements that allow the visually-impaired to

navigate spaces easier.

• Learned about how art can be cognitively and socially

stimulating for those with a visual-impairment, particular those in young developmental stages.

• Explored thinking beyond visual perception and understanding space forming through the

auditory and haptic characteristics and methods.

Conclusion

Although the dominance of the eye has helped shape modern design, the incorporation of the other senses can increase the experiential value and connectivity of architectural spaces.Haptic and auditory sensory perception allow for an engaging dialogue to occurbetween the building and the occupant. For the visually impaired, these senses provide crucial information that can beunderstood through an active cognitive process. Since those with low vision or blindness are more attentive to the non-visual senses, their experience can be useful in designing cognitively engaging and human-centric multi-sensorial environments. The knowledge and experience they can provide from their alternative perception of architectural space can influence a push to design beyond what our eyes acknowledge. As a frame of reference, the visually impaired provide architectural researchers and designers with a useful perspective on the process of developing experiential qualities in built form.

Hypothesis

If architects design with more attention to the non-visual senses, then they cancreate environments that stimulate full sensoryresponse and engagement so that people of all visualcapabilities can navigate and experience spaces freely, without barriers. This can be done through learning from the haptic and aural exploration strategies of the visually impaired.

Methodology

• Total Blindness: Maximum vision loss without ocular disconnect - Only tiny gradients of light between floor and light sources are noticeable

• Information Disconnect: Simulation of what person with blurring of vision and complete lack of detail would exprience. Color contrasts become emphasized

• Ocular Damage: Distortion caused if foreign object scraps retina – streaking of light and increased sensitivity to glare.

• Spotted Vision: Attempt to replicate glaucoma like vision where large portions of the visual field are missing, forcing the engager to only

experience small frames where blockage is less.

Experiments with glass and ocular distortion

Ocular deprivation goggles - Loss of detail and depth perception

Frames of vision - (From Left to Right)

Original Work

Abstract Diagram Abstract Diagram

16

Frames

Frame 1: Law and Code (ADA) An exploration of the code thatto assist the visually impaired in safety navigating a building. This study led to an understanding of the lack of assistance that currently exists to fulfill sensory exploration required by those who lack visual ability.

Frame 2: Sensory Perception of the Visually Impaired A study of the senses that the visually impaired use to navigate a space, in particular the chaoticcityscape. By harnessing their sharpened abilities with auditory or haptic senses, the visually impaired can navigate the city in a way equivalent to those who are sighted.

Frame 3: How to Create Intimate Spaces in the City In order to create a space thatutilizes multi-sensory characteristics that allow a building’s occupants toengage with it, the space must have a function that requires intimate connection such as an educational facility, or a place ofrelaxation and spiritual well-being. A focus on materiality within this type of environments, can produce a full sensory experiences.

Frame 1: Law and Code (ADA)

17

Frame 4: Education, Art and the Blind Precedents of blind-school’s developed an understanding of how a building can translate sensory experience into architectural language and built form. This combined with a new understand of the importance of art and music in the lives of the visually impaired inspired the program: Center for the Haptic and Auditory Arts.

Frame 2: Sensory Perception of the Visually Impaired Frame 3: How to Create Intimate Spaces in the City

18 19

21

Frame 4: Education, Art and the Blind

20

Site Options

Desired Characteristics

• Proximity to mass transit for easy access for the visually

impaired + attract sighted

• Preferably located in an area being revitalized so prime

locations will be open

• Revitalized area and new construction means ADA is more likely to be implemented allowing for a shared use

community

• Area known for educational and artistic cultures

• Mixed-use

• High population/density

• Area where a large building footprint won’t be out of place/ be unaccepted

Fort Point ChanelRevitalization to be completed by 2017

- Proximity to the ICA and numerous artist live-work spaces - Artistic atmosphere- South Station just across the bridge + Silver Line- On main street (Congress Street)- Proximity to harbor walk and nature- Mixed use with retail, resturants, and lots of o�ce space- Walkable area - Junction Point for high pedestrian tra�c- Easy access from Downtown Boston- Access to residental South Boston- Still in the developmental stages so prime real state space is avaliable - Newly buit buildings will follow ADA and be accessible for shared experience- Most popular new area for development, new destination point for the city

Huntington AveThe Avenue of the Arts

- Proximity to Art Schools and 5-10 minute walk to MFA - Creates an artistic atmosphere

- High Visibility and density of pedestrian tra�c - Allows for higher chance of community engagement

- Location to transit- 39 Bus and Brigham Circle Green Line T-Stop - Connected to main street and transit routes

- Replacing parking lot that gets little use

- Fills in an area of prime real state value - Filling in urban void

- Close proximity to shopping, restaurants and retail - Ease of use for blind

- Proximity to hospital for vision loss/ physical therapy - Visual Impairment due to traumatic injury or aging

Porter Square Source: Google Earth Fort Point Chanel Source: Google Earth

Union Square Source: Union Square Master Plan

Huntington Ave Source: Google Earth

22 23

Revitalization completed by 2017

Currently• Oldest Square in Somerville• Mixed use: Bars, Cafes, ethnic restaurants• Auto Oriented • Industrial factories nearby• Big box stores: Market Basket • Nearby parks

Issues: Not close to the T and many vacant lots, buildings, and urban voids

Future: Transit Oriented Development• New Greenline stop by 2016/2017 on Prospect Street bridge• One-way streets turned into two-way,

allowing for greater mixed use: retail, residential and office• Very close in proximity to Innman

Square, and a short distance from Harvard Square and Kendall Square.

• Located near Somerville center where there’s a library, schools and somerville city hall

• Art events and farmers market during the summer

Union Square, Somerville

• Transit -subway, bus, bike, car, commuter rail

• Residential and some shopping; busy area

• 10 minute walk to Harvard Square • 5-10 minute walk to Davis

Square• On Massachusetts Ave• Proximity to Lesley University

(Art School) • Plans to be revitalized: there’s two large lots that are being filled and repairing of infrastructure• On Somerville/ Cambridge line

Porter Square, SomervilleRevitalization proposed for open lots

24 25

Revitalization completed by 2017

• Proximity to the ICA and numerous artist live-work spaces

• Artistic atmosphere• South Station just across the

bridge + Silver Line• On main street (Congress

Street)• Proximity to harbor walk and

nature• Mixed use with retail,

resturants, and lots of office space

• Walkable area • Junction Point for high

pedestrian traffic• Easy access from Downtown

Boston

Fort Point Chanel, South Boston

• Proximity to Art Schools and 5-10 minute walk to MFA

• Creates an artistic atmosphere

• High Visibility and density of pedestrian traffic • Allows for higher chance of

community engagement • Location to transit- 39 Bus and

Brigham Circle Green Line T-stop

• Connected to main street and transit routes

• Replacing parking lot that gets little use

• Fills in an area of prime real state value

• Filling in urban void

Huntington Avenue, BostonAvenue of the Arts

• Access to residental South Boston

• Still in the developmental stages so prime real state space is avaliable

• Newly buit buildings will follow ADA and be accessible for shared experience

• Most popular new area for development, new destination point for the city

• Close proximity to shopping, restaurants and retail

• Ease of use for blind• Proximity to hospital for vision

loss or physical therapy for those with visual impairment due to traumatic injury or aging

2726

Design Probe

This design probe conceptualized ways to draw the community into the proposed center for the haptic and auditory arts. This building would create an inclusive environment where the visually impaired and the sighted learn about and create art through their shared senses. Porter Square was chosen as a site because of its active pedestrian streets, nearby transit, and artistic as well as educational culture. A spine allowspeople to flow through the site, simplifying the programmatic order of the building into one path, branching off the main street. The spine splits the functions of the building into public and private areas, positioning the gallery and social spaces near the front to be put on display, and the more private spaces, such as the library and classrooms, in the back. The building’s primaryobjective is to act as an experientialmedium, allowing its occupants to learn how non-visual perception contributes to spatial understanding.

Conclusion

ProgramThe proposed center for the haptic and auditory arts will create an inclusive environment where the visually impaired and the sighted learn about and create art through their shared senses. In this way those lacking visual perception can inform the sighted about the under-appreciated beauty that haptics and auditory perception can contribute to the process of teaching and creating art. The inspiration for this program draws from the Italian Università dell’Immagine which specializes in the teaching young design students to work with sensory perception as a methodology.

SitePorter Square was chosen as a site because of its active pedestrian streets, nearby transit, and artistic as well as educational culture. This will allow for the building to develop a connection to its surroundingcommunity and allow for the possibility of its ideas to have a cultural effect. The goal for this space is to create a place that inspires local artists and students to expand their understanding of the world and gain an alternative perception of it. The large scale size of the site allows for a long building that utilizes the proposed central spine.

2928

Design Method

I started off this semester trying to explore an extremely broad subject in architecture: how do people experience space? I wanted to discover what allows architecture to become more then just the tectonic structures that form it. What occurs in the area between a buildings physical form that allows people to engage with it? From this exploration I moved into a study of the senses and ocularcentrism within the perception of architectural space. Moving forward I posed the question: Is there a way to decrease the dominance of the eye within an architectural space and create an experience that can be explored through all of the senses? By studying the visually-impaired I began to realize the aesthetics of sound and hapticity which are under-utilized in the design process. The alternative perspective of space that the visually impaired experience on an everyday basis was inspirational to me.

I discovered that by designing inclusive spaces for those off all visual abilities, I could develop a multi-sensory architecture that would shift the position of the occupant from observer to engager. I took an approch that mostly involved exploring literature and interviews with my friends who are visually-impaired. Through reading numerous books on the subjects about the senses, ocularcentrism in design, the visually impaired, and how to develop multi-sensorial architecture, I was able to educate myself on the discussions currently and previously held with in my field of study. In thesis prep, I was able to implement my knowledge into collage format to demonstrate my understanding through a visual method. I have to develop a method that allows for the ex-planation of the more then visual design and experience that I intend to produce. Doing this will allow for the thesis to become successful.

Physical modeling was not utilized as often as it should have. It might be beneficial as an explorartion method in the Spring semester. Only two models were built. The first exploration utilized different techniques that caused panes of glass to distort vision. This was a successful tool in allowing the sighted to gain a better understanding of the expe-rience of visual impairment. The second was the design probe which allowed for a large scale idea to connect the pro-gram and the building itself to the sight. In the future physical modeling should be utilized since it allows for a haptic and visual understanding of space The program of a center for theteaching and learning of haptic and auditory arts allows for the creation of a space that is desirable to people of all sensory abilities. This space will allow me to implement my ideas and challenge those with full visual ability to explore their other senses in a way that is unfamilar yet exciting.

Objectives and Time Line

Develop an inclusive space where people of all visual capabilities canexperience a heightened sensorial experience

Gain full understanding of ADA regulations in relation to the blind

Experiment and learn about how to incorporate dynamic, active and passive touch into architectural form and experience

Develop a methodology for diagramming non-visualexperience in model or drawing form

Contact Chris Downey – blind architect from California – potential secondary adviser

WINTER BREAK SPRING SEMSESTER FINAL GOALS

3130

Evaluation Criteria

• Is the building able to be navigated by someone with a visual impairment?

• Does the sensory design benefit those who are

sighted, creating an inclusive experience for those of all visual capabilities?

• Is the building a flowing series of spaces with understandable transitions based off sensory

perception or do the transitions become too confusing?

• How does the application of haptic and auditory spatial

understanding translate into architectural form?

ConclusionDiscoveries

• As a frame of reference, the experience of the visually impaired provides architectural researchers and designers with a useful perspective on the process of placemaking. This is because our unused sensory potential is exemplified when vision in not dominating the understanding of a space

• Art can be cognitively and socially stimulating for those with a visual-impairment, particularly those in young developmental stages making a center for the haptic and auditory arts a beneficial program that can become an inclusive environment • Code can only assist the visually impaired to a small degree since it does not take into consideration alternative sensory perception of space

Reflections

This semester has been quitechallenging and exciting since I am analyzing a way of exploring the field of architecture in a multi-sensory manner. This has allowed me to gain an understanding of how spaces are experienced rather then how theyappear to be experienced in a digitalmodel or on paper. I have noticed that most of the successful architectural works that I have been to, especially the ones on my study abroad trip, utilize an understanding of experience beyond what is seen. Those who pay particular attention to the sensory perception of space such as Alvar Aalto and Peter Zumthor have been a great inspiration to the development of my thought process. My goal of creating an inclusive space for those who have visual impairments and those who are sighted is not to just aid the navigation abilities within the building but to build an experience on multiple levels allowing for the sighted tounderstand what they are missing by only taking space at face value.

Next Steps

• How can this thesis be implemented in a way that bridges between the theoretical ideas of multi-sensorial architecture and its real life execution? • How can a building designed

for the visually impaired engage someone who has the capability of sight?

• How can an architectural methodology be developed to represent non-visual spatial experience?

3332

BibliographyPrimary Sources

Blesser, Barry, and Linda-Ruth Salter. Spaces Speak, Are You Listening: Experiencing Aural Architecture. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2009.

Devlieger, Patrick. Blindness and the Multi-Sensorial City. Antwerp: Garant, 2006.

International Council of Museums, and Fondation de France. Museums Without Barriers: A New Deal for theDisabled. London: Routledge, 1991.

Joffee, Elga. A Practical Guide to the ADA and Visual Impairment. New York: AFB Press, 1999.

Malnar, Joy Monice, and Frank Vodvarka. Sensory Design. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2004.

Pallasmaa, Juhani. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. New York : John Wiley & Sons, 1996.

Ungar. “Cognitive Mapping Without Visual Experience.” Cognitive Mapping: Past Present and Future, Ed-ited by R. Kitchin and S. Fredundschuh, 13. London: Routledge, 2000.

Secondary Sources

Bahamón, Alejandro, and Ana María Álvarez. Light Color Sound: Sensory Effects in Contemporary Architecture. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2010.

Barbara, Anna, and Anthony Perliss. Invisible Architecture: ExperiencingPlaces Through the Sense of Smell. Milano: Skira, 2006.

Bloomer, Kent C., and Charles Willard Moore. Body, Memory, and Architecture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977.

Joffee, Elga. A Practice Guide to the ADA and Visual Impairment. New York: AFB Press, 1999.

Espinosa, Maria, Simon Ungar, Simon Angeles, Esperanza Ochaita, Mark Blades, and Christopher Spencer. “Comparing Methods for Introducing Blind and Visually Impaired People to Unfamiliar Urban Environments.” Journal (Paginated) (1998): 1-10. http://cogprints.org/1509/

Gibson, James J. The Senses Considered As Perceptual Systems. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1966.

Heller, Morton A. Touch, Representation, and Blindness. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Herssens, Jasmien. “Haptic DesignResearch: A Blind Sense of Place.” AIA. http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab087187.pdf (accessed September 10, 2012).

Holl, Steven, Juhani Pallasmaa, and Alberto Pérez Gómez. Questions of Perception: Phenomenology of Architecture. San Francisco, CA: William Stout, 2006.

Jay, Martin. 1988. “The Rise of Hermeneutics and the Crisis of Ocularcentrism”. Poetics Today. 9, no. 2: 307-326.

Jones, Caroline A., and Bill Arning. Sensorium: Embodied Experience, Technology, and Contemporary Art.Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 2006.

Kreij, Kamiel Van. Sensory Intensification in Architecture. Technical University Delft, 2008.

Leuven, K.U, and Ann Heylighen “Haptic Design Research: A Blind Sense of Place” The Place of Research, the Research of Place (2011):http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab087187.pdf

Morash, Valerie, Allison E. ConnellPensky, Andrea Urqueta Alfaro& Amanda McKerracher “A Review of Haptic Spatial Abilities in the Blind”,Spatial Cognition & Computation: AnInterdisciplinary Journal (2012): 83-95

O’Neill, Máire Eithne. 2001. “Corporeal Experience: A Haptic Way of Knowing”. Journal of Architectural Education. 55, no. 1: 3-12.

Révész, Géza. Psychology and Art of the Blind. London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1950.

Robert Campbell “Experiencing Architecture with Seven Senses, Not One.” Architectural Record (2007): 65-66.

Vermeersch, Peter-Willem, and Ann Heylighen “Blindness and Multisensoriality in Architecture: The Case of Carlos Mourão Pereira.” The Place of Research, the Research of Place (2011):

Annotatons

Blesser, Barry, and Linda-Ruth Salter. Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?: Experiencing Aural Architecture. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press, 2007.

Blesser explores the phenomenon of auditory spatial awareness rather then the typically researched physical and mathematical properties of sound. He does this in order to broaden the issues of the relatively unresearched topic of aural architecture. The author uses multiple lenses to filter his information, from composers to musicians to architects to the visually impaired. Through the ideas of “passive acoustic objects” (Blesser 2007, 2), “auditory dialogues” (Blesser 2007, 16) and “acoustic arenas,” we can better understand the way that sound can shape a space. Blesser believes that aural architecture is dynamic and adaptive because even though a space’s physical form may remain static, the sound sources and sonic behaviors can change (Blesser 2007, 24). Using the example of the visually impaired, who have developed a kind of echolocational skill set out of necessity, the author explains how sighted people can develop their auditory “muscles” in

a similar way. One simple example of this echolocation is the “tonal color” or reflection speed of low frequency back-ground sounds that changes when we get close to a wall (Blesser 2007, 43). This example can be used to locate the center of a hallway by balancing the tonal color observed by the left and right ears. Through implementation of aural design techniques, architecture can become more then just a utilitarian space; it can transform into anexpressive art form that communicates multi-sensorially.

International Council of Museums, and Fondation de France. Museums Without Barriers: A New Deal for theDisabled. London: Routledge, 1991. 81-149

This book is collection of several papers written by experts on the blind and the senses. The authors discuss theimportance of allowing those withdisabilities (sensory or physical) to have access to art and culture. The section from page 81-149 discusses the visually impaired and how providing those with low vision or no vision with a chance to learn about or create art can be beneficial for their social abilities. Ever since the Renaissance museums have

34 35

disabled touch from the experience of the gallery, which discourages people with visual impairments from visiting museums. It is only on specialoccasions that these places are opened up to touch tours. One of the authors explains how when a sighted person occupies an art gallery they are draw to what appeals to us visually and turn away from what doesn’t. The visually impaired cannot do this until they have fully explored the piece and have be-come acquainted with it. This kind of haptic engagement is gives those utilizing it a personal relationship to the item rather then the disconnect that would occur with ocular observation. The main goal of the book is convince architectural designers and owners of museums to develop spaces that allow for an inclusive nature and exploration of art that would benefit all users. There are numerous precedents that are discussed as well as physically benefits to experiencing art spaces through multi-sensory exploration.

Leuven, K.U, and Ann Heylighen “Haptic Design Research: A Blind Sense of Place” The Place of Re-search, the Research of Place (2011):http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab087187.pdf

This paper focuses on haptic design and its integration into the field of archi-tecture. Ideas that are explored through-out include active, dynamic and passive touch. The writers encourage architects toward a multi-sensorial architecture that is not just limited to vision. Not only will this improve architecture as a whole, but it will allow for equal experience and access for all people. By applying Kevin Lynch’s classifications of landmark, paths, nodes, edges and boundaries to haptic design we canrealize that landmark can become simply a defining “texture on a city square.” This idea directly correlates to interviews I have conducted with two of my peers who are visually impaired.

Pallasmaa, Juhani. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. London: Academy Group Ltd, 1996.

Pallasmaa feels that there is an ocularcentrism in architectural design that must be removed. He believes we

need to re-sensualize architecture by being more aware of how material choice effects space. In addition we should also include ideas of hapticity, aural perception, smell, taste, and overall engagement into the designprocess. Pallasmaa explains howancient Greek philosophers originally stressed visual dominance and then implemented fully into design during the Renaissance. Visual dominance can also be attributed to our change from an oral society, to a written society, to a printed society. The use of computer imaging has flattened our senses and the design process has turned into a “passive visual manipulation, a retinal journey” (Pallasmaa 1996, 12). Pallasmaa believes the sense of reality is strengthened through the interaction of the senses, describing it as “polyphony” or a melodicaccompaniment. The author’s writing is passionately critical of the ability of sight. Pallasmaa compares and contrasts sight with the other senses throughout the essay. For example, he describes the eye as an “organ of distance and separation” and touch as “the sense of nearness, intimacy and affection” (Pallasmaa 1996, 46). By addressing the strengths of the other senses and how to use them to shape space, Pallasmaa

has laid the guidelines to a dynamic and engaging architecture.

Malnar, Joy Monice, and Frank Vodvarka. Sensory Design. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2004. Malnar and Vodvarka explore the history and implementation of architecture and design that utilizes all senses. As with most books in this discourse, the authors are opponents of ocularcentrism, or dominance of the eye in the perception and creation of art and architecture. Taking from J.J. Gibson’s idea of perceptual systems rather in independent senses, the authors discuss how to experience a building with the body as a whole rather then just with a “wandering eye.” Malnar and Vodvarka claim that utilizing an understanding of sensory perception can be beneficial to the design process. For instance, the choice of textures within a building are thought of mostly for their appearance when their haptic qualities such as texture, weight, thermal properties, and density can create an expansive pallet for the designer to work with.

Morash, Valerie, Allison E. Connell Pensky, Andrea Urqueta Alfaro& Amanda McKerracher “A Review of Haptic Spatial Abilities in the Blind.”Spatial Cognition & Computation: An Interdisciplinary Journal (2012): 83-95

This article explores how haptic senses can allow for an exploration of space not thought to be possible by the blind. The authors argue that touch is more of a focused and analytical way of experiencing space, rather than sight which is more global and contains a wide field of information simultaneously. Although the visually impaired may lack the ability to be able to see detailedspatial forms, they are still able toprocess their environment equivalently by using their haptic abilities. The haptic method of spatial analysis works through egocentric (using the body) and locomotive (movement of objects around the area) to help detect the full image of a space. In the article they speak about how independence in movement should be encouraged at an early age. Learning to use haptic and aural abilities while young will increase the chances of this independence.

Van Kreij, Kamiel. Sensory Intensification in Architecture. Technical University Delft, 2008.

Van Kreij wishes to intensify the sensory experience in architecture by bringing attention to the value it adds to different spaces. The author is an architect from the Netherlands, and a current member of studioDAT. From the concept to execution of drawings, designers at studioDAT focus in on spatial experience. The aim is to create an exciting architecture that is both spatially interesting and interactive. (http://studio-dat.nl/studio/). Van Kreij wishes to inform us on how to design for more then just the visual. He explains how the “deprivation of sensory involvement, in modern life (Van Kreij, 9) flattens our engagement with our environment. Van Kreij speaks of the sensory experience as an “ongoing dialogue between human beings and the entities that surround us” (Van Kreij, 49). He thinks of this experience as something that can teach us to interact with our environment, causing it to become more dynamic.