EXPERIENCING

Architecture
Extract from a lecture by Jan van Dijk
"Architecture domesticates limitless space and enables us
to inhabit it, but it should likewise domesticate endless time
and enable us to inhabit the continuum of time."
Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin, 2009
Experiencing Architecture

How a person experiences a moment or a period of time
in their lives is affected by the surroundings within which
that experience is set. I regularly go walking in the
mountains and on the roads near my house. The
experience of the walk is totally different in the different
environments. When walking on the road the quality of
the experience is largely determined by the people I
meet, the conversations with those people, the intensity
of the traffic, and whether the tide is in or out along the
beach. As the walk is relatively flat it is not affected by
the rigor of the walk. I have never described or
remembered feeling that I have a memorable special
experience on this walk.

However, when I walk in the mountains the quality of the
experience is determined by the weather conditions, the
rigor of the climb and the quality of the view from the top.
I remember numerous occasions when either because
the sun was shining at a particular angle over the nearby
sea, or because the latter part of the walk was through
snow or because the walk brought me above the level of
the clouds that there were moments when the
experience of the walks were utterly memorable and
moving.

You will note that in describing the experiences above
there were both human interaction and environmental
factors which determined the quality of the experience.

The same is true about architecture.
Increasingly as city dwellers most of our experiences today are environmentally affected by the manmade spaces
where we spend our time vehicles, buildings, streets, squares, gardens etc. Apart from vehicles the quality of
those environments in terms of their contribution to peoples experience is largely determined by the quality and
intensity of the architectural input during their creation.

In essence, I would describe architecture as the backdrop to the theatre of life.

There is nothing special in thinking this or noting the change in peoples circumstances. Most architectural
theorists and writers from Hans van der Laan to Robert Venturi to Dean Hawkes describe and search for
approaches to architecture, proportional systems, or methods of detailing buildings which are intended to enhance
the architectural experience. The need for that quality of experience is taken as the unwritten goal for their efforts.
However, I would argue that the most important factors for
architecture are the moving, transitional, momentary
experiences. Great ideas come from deep thinking. To be truly
creative as architects we explore new possibilities for improving
our everyday experiences. To understand how buildings will be
perceived and if possible enjoyed over the long term we have to,
like a method actor, immerse our thoughts with the experience of
future users. When we let the rituals, and perception of
everyday use inform our ideas then we can achieve architecture
of real meaning.

"What I am thinking of are my human surroundingsand of the
building becoming part of people's lives That is the first
transcendent level in my work: the attempt to conceive of
architecture as a human environment"

Peter Zumthor, Page 64, Atmospheres, Birkhauser, 2006

Most architects carry out the typical baseline studies common in
every practice, photo graphic surveys, topographical surveys and
then produce images boards to get ideas for the proposed
design. We in van Dijk International of course do the same but
further spend time talking and thinking about how people will
pass through the building, how people will arrive at the building,
how they will use it and most importantly what addition to that
experience would make the building special for the user.

WELCOME

The first experience that virtually any building should give the
user is the experience of welcome. It is natural for people when
welcoming friends or family that they care for to hold out their
arms and embrace the visitor. Buildings to can provide a sense
of welcome to the visitor. This can be done by the building
reaching out to embrace people, by providing shelter to them
as they arrive, by making them feel safe and cared for when
alighting from vehicles, or by making the entrance and
approach legible. The celebration of the doorway to buildings
and the means of entrance is an intrinsic part of most
vernacular architecture
ENTRANCE

"Architecture occurs at the meeting of interior and exterior
forces of use and space".
From Pg 86 "Complexity and Contradictions", R. Venturi 1966
The entrance to a building, the passage between inside and
out, that portal where we leave the limitless space of our
planets atmosphere to enter the safety and enclosure of man-
made form is a place where architects can begin to work their
magic. It is the place where the physical experience of the
building itself begins.
PROMENADE

In these days of speed and hurry, we more than ever needs places to promenade, places where we can walk
slowly, that dont particularly go anywhere and even lead back to the same spot. A place of contemplation is not
simply one where we can sit and think, walking slowly and calmly under cover or while seeking out beauty in the
objects that surround us is an experience that buildings can encourage.
PASSAGE

"The movement between rooms I as important as the rooms themselves; and
it's arrangement has as much effect on social interaction in the rooms as the
interiors of the rooms".

Quote from Page 628, "A Pattern Language, Christopher Alexander, 1977

Celebration of the movement between one space and the next
is an important element in the creation of surprise. The act of
passing can enhance the experience of the spaces either side.
Being attracted up a staircase from one floor to the next can
make moving through a building special.
PROCESSION

"The ideals of traditional architecture are a classical proportion
that reflects an ordered cosmos, harmony, a seamless integra-
tion of past and present and the use of timeless, Platonic
forms."

Charles Jencks from "The Volcano and the Tablet",
Wiley-Academy, 2007

Procession is the act of moving in a formal or ceremonious
manner. Special occasions, religious ceremonies, and formal
entertainment can be enhanced by the celebration of
procession.
GATHERING

One of the most basic human needs is to come together with a sense of community. This happens at football
matches, religious events, community meetings, theatre nights, concerts etc. Architects often make the mistake of
thinking only of the need to see the event. The ability to feel part of the audience is an equally important and
emotive experience which should be considered.
ENCOUNTER

"The Informal gives rise to ambiguity. This means interpretation and experi-
ment as a natural course of events".
Cecil Balmond, Quote from "Informal", Prestel, 2002
Many of even the best architectural spaces are set pieces
created by the architects imagination for the carrying out of a
single activityviewing art, watching theatre, or working at our
desks. However, creativity and meaningful communication
often happen when informal meetings take place. Architects
can provide opportunities in their buildings for such encounters.
This thinking is not only important for creativity in offices but for
the everyday life of human beings everywhere.
VISTA

"If architecture, the making of Places, is as we propose a matter of extending the inner landscape of human being
into the world in ways that are comprehensible, experiential, and inhabitable"
Charles Moore from "Body, Memory and Architecture", Yale University Press, 1977
One of architectures greatest pleasures is framing or providing opportunities to look outwards from within the
building. Similarly stepping out onto a balcony to enjoy a panorama can be a memorable experience.
PROTECTION

"And yet buildings are not only enclosure; they are also
extensions of ourselves, like clothing".

Joseph Rykwert from "Ornament is no crime", "The necessity of
Artiface", Academy Editions, 1982
Ultimately buildings provide protection, protection from the
elements, protection from danger, protection from exposure.
Historically this was reflected in thick walls and small windows.
Today with thin skin technology and planar glazing we have lost
that sense of protection in our architecture. However there are
many times when even in our modern world humans need to
feel protected and secure.
CONCLUSION

We are interested in the infinite richness and ambiguity
of concrete reality. Architecture seems to be increasingly
pre-occupied with inventing new systems of abstractions
and complexity. This kind of complexity is impoverished
compared to the complexity of the world around us, and
misses the opportunity to engage with the powerful web
of emotions and expectations, of meaning that underlies
reality".

Adam Caruso from "The feeling of things" Page 43, "The
Feeling of things", Adam Caruso, 2008

To conclude, I am not calling for something new in
architecture, I am simply re-emphasising something that
I feel we are in danger of losing in our blind rush for
modernity. I hope that the examples I have chosen show
a continuity between the historical and the contemporary
in the creation of experiential space.

I simply believe that with a greater emphasis on thinking
about the way that our buildings are used that we can
create better buildings for everyday and for special
occasions. It is in the celebration of the richness of
human life that architecture becomes truly meaningful.

Jan van Dijk