Architecture as a Consequence of Perception

Abstract

Architecture, the form it takes, depends on its recipients. It is they who either indirectly or directly determine the shape of the building due to the character of the recipient. The very process of perceiving architecture is unique in this context. The research presented in the article is devoted to defining (presenting) the relationship between the perception process and the shape of architecture. This interdependence - defined by the subject and the object of perception - directs attention to the reception process. The research focuses on searching for determinants that influence this process. They are characteristic of a given recipient; in terms of anatomical structure - common for the whole Homo Sapiens species, in terms of cultural conditions - unique for each individual. The research is based on the assumption that the multi-sensoriality of this process is distinctive for the perception of architecture in relation to other arts. While in the case of painting the basic sense participating in the perception is sight, in the case of music, it is hearing, in the case of architecture "almost all senses" are involved. The research aims at demonstrating the relationship between the particular senses and the shape of architecture. The scope of research has been limited to contemporary architecture, with particular emphasis on the buildings constructed at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. The research is a study of selected cases that have enabled one to present the features of the architectural form in relation to individual human senses as well as the character of the space of building, resulting from this interdependence. To demonstrate the multidimensionality and complexity of this process, the scope of research has also been expanded to include information from the field of psychology and aesthetics. At the same time, research has been limited to physiological conditions only, assuming that cultural conditions require an independent study. The research leads to conclusions that can be summarized with the following statement: the shape of architecture depends on factors that affect the perception process. Contemporary architecture, which operates with the concepts of a language different from the historical one, introduces new interdependencies, new processes, and changes the way one perceives the surrounding space.