Thermal Bath, Downtown LA | Megan Miller

SENSORY DEPRIVATION Architecture is often regarded as a series of still retinal images, but the greatest designs address the sequence of our movements, activities, and experiences, engaging both our mind and body. Additionally, Architects and Urban Planners of the present day have effectively engineered physical activity out of the built environment, creating visual, sedentary environments that promote obesity and diminish mental well-being. The introduction of new technologies, machines, and synthetic materials has created unhealthy environments that seek to appease the majority rather than stimulating the individual. The present unhealthy state of America has made it essential to build an environment that encourages wellness. Can architects promote a healthy lifestyle through the intentional development of sensory stimuli? Each of our bodily senses has an effect on our wellness, so architecture should consider all five senses, as well as the movement of our bodies through the artificial environment. Through editing, reduction, and articulation, architecture can seek to avoid sensory overload and sensory deprivation. TEXTURE Texture occurs at different scales. The urban grid, the organization of spaces in plan,or the materials on a wall can all create a texture. Texture can be used to direct sound, generate desired visual and thermal effects, provoke a tactile response, or inform movement by guiding motion or providing a measure for distance. Texture can be informed by fractals, which are patterns based on repetition in nature. The patterns can create a sense of visual motion, or they can imply stillness. Texture is made more interesting when it is interacted with or moved through. Humans, light, and sound can all move through a texture. Texture can respond to the human body, while also extending it. The interaction of texture, light, views, color, materials, temperature, and movement of sound, light, and people can create a dynamic architecture that heightens our sensory experience. Many architects compare architecture to a musical scale. The elements of rhythm, patterns, change, transition, choreography, and composition can all be used to generate a meaningful experience in a building. SENSORY INTERRELATION The senses are all interrelated, and devices used to promote wellness for one sense can also benefit the others. Research suggests that drawing parallels to nature can promote wellness and well-being. What does nature have that the built environment doesn't? Every element in nature has its own unique texture, often informed by fractal geometry. Nature also has variation in light, color, sound, and smell. Natural materials have more texture and scent than artificial materials as long as they are not covered with synthetic coatings. A forest is seen as a particularly soothing space in nature. A forest is neither transparent nor opaque, bright nor dark, loud nor quiet. It caters to our peripheral vision, rather than having focal elements. Similarly, a cave is also an invigorating element in nature. We are excited by how we can move through a cave, interact with its niches, and discover the mysteries it has to offer. Architecture can implement similar devices that provide exciting spaces for our bodies to occupy and interact with.