October 2024 - Hans-Petter Bjørnådal with remarks on neuroscience by Menno Cramer
Architecture is often viewed primarily as a functional and spatial discipline, concerned with designing buildings and spaces to meet practical needs. However, there is a deeper, often overlooked aspect: the poetic dimension. This dimension goes beyond physical structures, engaging with emotions, senses, and consciousness to create spaces that resonate with the human soul. In exploring this poetic aspect of architecture, we delve into the connection between architecture, movement, events, and how space can evoke profound emotional and spiritual responses.
Advertisement for Architecture, Bernard Tschumi 1976-77
The Third and Fourth Dimensions in Architecture: Space, Movement, and Event
The third dimension of architecture refers to its most tangible aspect: the built environment. This is where walls, roofs, floors, and materials converge to create a defined space. However, it is the interaction with this space that brings it to life. The fourth dimension of architecture is defined by movement and event—how we move through spaces and the experiences we encounter within them. As suggested by Bernard Tschumi’s provocative statemeunt, "To really appreciate architecture, you may even need to commit murder» architecture is not static; it is shaped and reshaped by human actions, experiences, and events.
Without the dimension of movement and event, a space remains inert. It is the choreography of human actions that dramatically alters the character and meaning of the space, transforming it into a place of memory and meaning. Events—whether monumental or mundane—leave their mark on architecture, and in this sense, architecture cannot exist without them.
The Poetic Dimension: Opening a Space Beyond the Physical
Behind this fourth dimension of movement lies a deeper layer—the poetic dimension of architecture. It can be be difficult to explain it’s nature, but the poem "stillheten etterpå" (the silence afterward) captures this perfectly.
Prøv å bli ferdige nu med provokasjonene og salgsstatistikkene,søndagsfrokostene og forbrenningsovnene,militærparadene, arkitektkonkurranseneog de tredobbelte rekkene med trafikklys.Kom igjennom det og bli ferdigemed festforberedelser og markedsføringsanalyserfor det er sent,det er alt for sent,bli ferdige og kom hjem til stillheten efterpå
Rolf Jacobsen, Stillheten efterpå 1965
It is in this stillness and awareness that architecture transcends the physical realm and enters into a more profound dialogue with those who inhabit it.
In the poetic dimension, architecture has the potential to become a portal to deeper consciousness. To open up an experience that connects individuals to a larger, universal spirit, or even to nature itself. This connection—sometimes described as a moment of awe—offers a glimpse into a more profound awareness of one's surroundings. Though this experience is often deeply personal, it can also be shared, creating communal bonds through the shared experience of architecture.
When architecture evokes a shared emotional response, like calm or inspiration, individuals within the same environment may experience what neuroscientists call neural synchrony—a state where our brains’ activity becomes attuned to one another. In such spaces, architecture does more than influence individuals; it fosters a collective consciousness, a bond formed through the shared resonance of a place. (Menno Cramer)
Architecture as a Gateway to Consciousness
To truly access this poetic dimension, architecture must facilitate a state of calm and contemplation. The environment needs to be designed in such a way that it removes distractions and stress, allowing people to fully inhabit the space both physically and mentally. Clear, thoughtful planning, holistic design, and attention to sensory details all contribute to achieving this goal.
Holistic architecture, in particular, addresses not just the physical needs of a space but also the mental and spiritual well-being of its occupants. It promotes physical, mental, and spiritual health through an integrated approach that considers the human experience as a whole.
The brain’s plasticity allows our environments to shape us long after we leave them. Experiences in spaces designed to calm, inspire, or heal reinforce neural pathways associated with well-being, embedding the space within our mental landscapes. Architecture, then, becomes a living imprint on our neural fabric, contributing to the evolution of who we are and how we perceive the world.
Curating Sensory Experiences in Architecture
An essential aspect of the poetic dimension of architecture lies in the careful curation of sensory experiences. These experiences—whether visual, auditory, tactile, or olfactory—are integral to how we interact with a space and how that space makes us feel.
Light: Light, in its various forms and intensities, plays a crucial role in shaping atmosphere. In japanese architecture there are more than 8 ways to direct the light to a space.
Sound: Sound can define the character of a space. The gentle resonance of a gong, for instance, sets a certain frequency and mood, creating a field of sound that encourages reflection and mindfulness. Carlo Scarpas stairs are a great architectual example on how to introduce sound to the built environment.
Smell: The importance of smell is often underestimated, yet it is a powerful tool in shaping our experience of space. Religious spaces and spas, for instance, often incorporate specific scents to create a sacred or calming atmosphere.
Touch: The materials used in architecture also evoke emotions. The tactile qualities of materials—whether smooth, rough, warm, or cold—create a direct connection between the body and the space. The book «In praise of shadows» by Japanese author Junichiro Tanizaki explores architecture in the interplay between materiality and sensory perception.
Taste: While taste is rarely associated with architecture, there are moments—such as in food-centric spaces like restaurants or tea houses—where the experience of taste can be integrated into the overall sensory experience of the space.
Temperauture: Lisa Heschong´s book «Thermal delight in architecture» exploresh wow warmth and cold can be combined to create a better experience of life for human beings. The sauna is a perfect example of this.
Together, these sensory elements combine to create atmospheres that elevate the mind and spirit, allowing for moments of reflection and transcendence.
Architecture’s sensory landscape engages deeply with our neural pathways, activating regions of the brain responsible for emotion, memory, and perception. When we encounter curated sensory elements like light, sound, and texture, our limbic system—a neural center for emotions—responds instinctively, laying down emotional imprints that shape how we remember and feel within a space. (Menno Cramer)
Curating Emotions and Transcendence
Architecture has the ability to curate not just sensory experiences but emotional ones as well. Positive emotions can be heightened, creating a crescendo of positivity that lifts the human spirit. Alternatively, negative emotions can be curated to reach a point of transgression, where the feeling transforms into something deeper, leading to an opening in consciousness.
Land(e)scape Casagrande & Rintala 1999
Casagrande & Rintala’s project Land(e)scape. explores the forfotten barns of rural Finland. By putting them on sticks and let them march towards the cities, we are reminded of a forgotten past.
By curating spaces that evoke these emotions, architects can create an environment that helps people connect with their inner selves and nature.
Much of our experience in a space happens below the threshold of conscious awareness. The theory of embodied cognition suggests that how we physically engage with architecture—our movements, touches, even subtle sensory cues—shapes our subconscious understanding of space. These interactions form lasting neural connections, meaning that architecture's impact reaches into the depths of our subconscious, guiding our moods, thoughts, and associations. (Menno Cramer)
Connection with Nature and the Role of Awe
One of the most powerful ways in which architecture can open up the poetic dimension is by fostering a connection with nature. Whether through direct engagement with natural landscapes or through architectural elements that evoke natural forms and materials, this connection can create a profound sense of awe. Awe is a transformative emotion, one that neuroscience has linked to a sense of expanded consciousness and connection to something greater than oneself.
In places where landscape and architecture merge, this connection to nature can be particularly strong. Structures such as simple shelters ("gapahuk") offer a minimalistic but profound space where one can feel part of the natural environment, experiencing a moment of transcendence.
Bodø 2024 - Opening Cermony - Bjørnådal Arkitektstudio, Phase 7, Nordland Teater
In moments where architecture evokes awe, our brain’s default mode network (DMN) temporarily suspends self-referential thought, awe is characterised by a reduced focus on the self, opening us up to a sense of expansiveness and connection. This is why architecture that connects us to nature, vastness, or grandeur can create transformative experiences, transcending ordinary perception and merging us with something larger than ourselves. The poetic layer of architecture thus becomes a doorway, where structure and space dissolve, allowing us to touch and sense a deeper universal connection. (Menno Cramer)
The Poetic Act of Architecture
Ultimately, the poetic dimension of architecture is a transformative act. Through careful choreography of space, senses, materials, and emotions, architecture can elevate us to a higher realm of consciousness. This transformation can happen anywhere—whether in urban environments through interventions like urban acupuncture or in more remote, natural settings. The act of bringing poetry into architecture is an act of opening up the urban fabric , allowing new understandings and experiences to emerge.
In this way, architecture is not just an object but a performance. Spaces become actions and experiences, leaving traces of these actions in the walls and materials. Good actions, good experiences, leave positive imprints on the space, transforming it into something more than the sum of its parts. Architecture, when engaged poetically, becomes a portal—a gateway to transcendence, awe, and connection.
The poetic dimension of architecture is not about creating buildings but about creating experiences. It is about bringing the poetic into the world and transforming our understanding of space, self, and the universe.
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