EXPERIENCE & Chesa Madalena
an architectural story
Some years ago, I participated in an educational trip of architectural interest in Switzerland. Starting from Saint Etienne, France, we would travel a large part of the country to visit several more or less well-known architectural works. Among them, the Thermes de Vals by Peter Zumthor, the Rolex Learning Center of SANAA, the Kirchner Museum of Gigon / Gruyer, and the work of the Swiss Hans Jorg Ruch, in which the architect would guide us in person.
Some years ago, I participated in an educational trip of architectural interest in Switzerland. Starting from Saint Etienne, France, we would travel a large part of the country to visit several more or less well-known architectural works. Among them, the Thermes de Vals by Peter Zumthor, the Rolex Learning Center of SANAA, the Kirchner Museum of Gigon / Gruyer, and the work of the Swiss Hans Jorg Ruch, in which the architect would guide us in person.
From Mr Ruch's small architectural office, where 4-5 people worked lazily against the backdrop of the mountainous Swiss landscape, we toured for a whole day in his various local architectural works, some larger, some smaller scale, mainly in the Swiss countryside. At the end of the day, we arrived at a historic residence in a small Swiss village, Zuoz.
I still did not suspect that this would be one of the most intense architectural experiences of my life.
Chesa Madalena, built on one of Zuoz's twenty, 16 meters high, towers in the 14th century, was used as a rural residence until 1999. * 1 The house was restored and converted into a modern gallery by the architect. Despite its modern renovation, the interior retained the pulsating old feeling, with the thick stone walls of the centuries-old tower, the (perhaps necessary?) Swiss introversion, as the house was crammed between its neighbours while observing in proximity the rest of the village. Passing from the still empty spaces to the first levels, through a humid stone hall/former stable in an unpredictable series of spaces, we reached a room that embraced the tower while a theatrically placed window opened to the village and the landscape painted by the blue hour of the day. From that point, a narrow wooden staircase led to an elongated vestibule from where a vertical staircase hidden in the roof of the space started. Going up and at first glance, my heart almost stopped. The experience caused unprecedented awe and emotion.
What was it that I saw?
An attic with a mattress on the floor and a bay window overlooking the village and the Swiss landscape.
I still did not suspect that this would be one of the most intense architectural experiences of my life.
Chesa Madalena, built on one of Zuoz's twenty, 16 meters high, towers in the 14th century, was used as a rural residence until 1999. * 1 The house was restored and converted into a modern gallery by the architect. Despite its modern renovation, the interior retained the pulsating old feeling, with the thick stone walls of the centuries-old tower, the (perhaps necessary?) Swiss introversion, as the house was crammed between its neighbours while observing in proximity the rest of the village. Passing from the still empty spaces to the first levels, through a humid stone hall/former stable in an unpredictable series of spaces, we reached a room that embraced the tower while a theatrically placed window opened to the village and the landscape painted by the blue hour of the day. From that point, a narrow wooden staircase led to an elongated vestibule from where a vertical staircase hidden in the roof of the space started. Going up and at first glance, my heart almost stopped. The experience caused unprecedented awe and emotion.
What was it that I saw?
An attic with a mattress on the floor and a bay window overlooking the village and the Swiss landscape.
reality is introspective
Since then, I kept wondering what contributed to this hitherto incomparable experience? What made Switzerland's Chesa Madalena attic so uniquely riveting?
Olafur Eliasson, a Danish-Icelandic artist who often uses the natural elements to intensify the viewer's experience "* 2 states that reality is relative * 3. Every human experience, at the time it takes place, is automatically associated with events, stimuli from our external environment, but also from emotions, thoughts that happen, just as real as the external, internally, in our minds. This means that whatever happens is not self-existent in the human mind, but is influenced in intensity, importance, interpretation by previous experiences, emotions etc.
For example: * 4
summer island concert
These words create associative feelings and thoughts, different to everyone, charged with past experiences or future expectations. These words mean something different for each and every one of us. Moreover, during this period given the restrictions worldwide due to the pandemic, these words have a greater intensity than if there had never been Covid19, quarantine, social distancing etc.
What is the most important is that the "overall" reality, if such a thing exists, is always filtered through each one's personal perception and therefore is different for each one of us. The most interesting thing about this assumption is that the filter of personal perception is generally undetectable. In other words, anyone could argue that his reality is The Reality.
Many of these mechanisms were developed, in a simplistic interpretation, for the very purpose of human survival: unlike the rest of the earth's fauna, the human brain, even though it consists 2-5% of a human's body weight, it consumes 25 % of its energy needs. * 5 Humans had to automate mental processes so that they could survive and evolve as a species. As a result, the human brain, today, processes 11,000,000 bits / second of which only 50 bits are perceived by human consciousness * 6
In other words, for each new experience, the human brain looks into past experiences for patterns to be able to apply procedures that it has re-encountered. Then it can use the pattern it identified and save the precious, for its survival, energy.
The fast System 1
The slow System 2
In his book Thinking, Fast & Slow, Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman describes how human mental processes, which essentially determine the whole human behaviour, ways of thinking, perceiving and experiencing, operates through two systems, which he calls System 1 & System 2. * 7
System 1, the fast system, is the autopilot of the human system (this is what Don Norman called the visceral factor). It includes all the processes that take place automatically from walking while talking at the same time to tying your shoelaces. Taking this a step further, System 1 refers to all the automated mental processes of a person, whatever each of us is "used" to do, to think, feel in response to a certain cue. For example, the nostalgic memory of the neighbourhood where someone grew up, the unpleasant feeling of passing by an area that holds bad memories. System 1 administers the vast majority of the processes of human life. * 8
In the case of System 1, and due to its automated nature, "errors", often known as "biases" * 9 occur. These errors misdirect human judgement, without this even being perceived. For example, confirmation bias often leads one to interpret facts to confirm his initial beliefs.
In contrast, System 2, the slow system, is one that requires attention and focuses to create a deliberate thought or behaviour when encountering an automated pattern or a new circumstance.
embodied experience Vs rational design
What has Daniel Kahneman's System 1 & System 2 got to do with Chesa Madalena?
Like all human experiences, the experience of space is, for the most part, instinctive, embodied in us, in the sense that an impression/experience is formed without deliberate thought. In other words, System 1 (not System 2) is responsible for the architectural experience. There are spaces in which, for an inexplicable reason, we feel safe or happy, or on the contrary, we feel uncomfortable. * 10
Many architects have tried to approach spatial experience in different ways: from Peter Zumthor's atmosphere to Bernard Tschumi's event. Nevertheless, throughout the 20th century and until today, architectural practice has relied mostly on rational criteria: on functionality and maximum economy (of space, time and money). The modernist movement, representing all the above, built the cities we live in today and epitomised the common belief that logic prevails over emotion. * 11
It is worth noting that although spatial experience is mainly physical, designing methods used today for making architecture are based only on logical methods. * 12
designing for the overall experience
So which would be the characteristics of an architectural design method aiming at the overall experience of space? How can one include System 1 of the human experience when it may not even be perceived by the user himself? How can an architectural method overcome the errors of perception? Or maybe design with them? * 13
We could discern three different categories of "System 1" predispositions that affect our experience of space and architecture. The elements included in these categories are uniquely combined for every person into a complex blend that composes the final personal experience.
biological predispositions
For many, many years, much more than the last 5000 years that people have lived in organized settlements daily life has been very different * 14. For almost 2 million years, humans were foragers and lived in direct contact and interaction with nature. They chose the places they would settle based on easy access to food and protection from natural phenomena and possible invaders. These places were natural shelters, places that inspired security, ensured the supervision of the surrounding area, but also protection from sudden visits. This predisposition is recorded in human nature. Research is constantly proving the beneficial effect of nature on human physical and mental health.
This theory has been described by the term biophilia. Biophilic design brings humans in direct contact with nature (green, water, natural light), uses sustainable practices, while also borrowing design elements such as organic forms, emphasis on detail and complexity. * 15
Since then, I kept wondering what contributed to this hitherto incomparable experience? What made Switzerland's Chesa Madalena attic so uniquely riveting?
Olafur Eliasson, a Danish-Icelandic artist who often uses the natural elements to intensify the viewer's experience "* 2 states that reality is relative * 3. Every human experience, at the time it takes place, is automatically associated with events, stimuli from our external environment, but also from emotions, thoughts that happen, just as real as the external, internally, in our minds. This means that whatever happens is not self-existent in the human mind, but is influenced in intensity, importance, interpretation by previous experiences, emotions etc.
For example: * 4
summer island concert
These words create associative feelings and thoughts, different to everyone, charged with past experiences or future expectations. These words mean something different for each and every one of us. Moreover, during this period given the restrictions worldwide due to the pandemic, these words have a greater intensity than if there had never been Covid19, quarantine, social distancing etc.
What is the most important is that the "overall" reality, if such a thing exists, is always filtered through each one's personal perception and therefore is different for each one of us. The most interesting thing about this assumption is that the filter of personal perception is generally undetectable. In other words, anyone could argue that his reality is The Reality.
Many of these mechanisms were developed, in a simplistic interpretation, for the very purpose of human survival: unlike the rest of the earth's fauna, the human brain, even though it consists 2-5% of a human's body weight, it consumes 25 % of its energy needs. * 5 Humans had to automate mental processes so that they could survive and evolve as a species. As a result, the human brain, today, processes 11,000,000 bits / second of which only 50 bits are perceived by human consciousness * 6
In other words, for each new experience, the human brain looks into past experiences for patterns to be able to apply procedures that it has re-encountered. Then it can use the pattern it identified and save the precious, for its survival, energy.
The fast System 1
The slow System 2
In his book Thinking, Fast & Slow, Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman describes how human mental processes, which essentially determine the whole human behaviour, ways of thinking, perceiving and experiencing, operates through two systems, which he calls System 1 & System 2. * 7
System 1, the fast system, is the autopilot of the human system (this is what Don Norman called the visceral factor). It includes all the processes that take place automatically from walking while talking at the same time to tying your shoelaces. Taking this a step further, System 1 refers to all the automated mental processes of a person, whatever each of us is "used" to do, to think, feel in response to a certain cue. For example, the nostalgic memory of the neighbourhood where someone grew up, the unpleasant feeling of passing by an area that holds bad memories. System 1 administers the vast majority of the processes of human life. * 8
In the case of System 1, and due to its automated nature, "errors", often known as "biases" * 9 occur. These errors misdirect human judgement, without this even being perceived. For example, confirmation bias often leads one to interpret facts to confirm his initial beliefs.
In contrast, System 2, the slow system, is one that requires attention and focuses to create a deliberate thought or behaviour when encountering an automated pattern or a new circumstance.
embodied experience Vs rational design
What has Daniel Kahneman's System 1 & System 2 got to do with Chesa Madalena?
Like all human experiences, the experience of space is, for the most part, instinctive, embodied in us, in the sense that an impression/experience is formed without deliberate thought. In other words, System 1 (not System 2) is responsible for the architectural experience. There are spaces in which, for an inexplicable reason, we feel safe or happy, or on the contrary, we feel uncomfortable. * 10
Many architects have tried to approach spatial experience in different ways: from Peter Zumthor's atmosphere to Bernard Tschumi's event. Nevertheless, throughout the 20th century and until today, architectural practice has relied mostly on rational criteria: on functionality and maximum economy (of space, time and money). The modernist movement, representing all the above, built the cities we live in today and epitomised the common belief that logic prevails over emotion. * 11
It is worth noting that although spatial experience is mainly physical, designing methods used today for making architecture are based only on logical methods. * 12
designing for the overall experience
So which would be the characteristics of an architectural design method aiming at the overall experience of space? How can one include System 1 of the human experience when it may not even be perceived by the user himself? How can an architectural method overcome the errors of perception? Or maybe design with them? * 13
We could discern three different categories of "System 1" predispositions that affect our experience of space and architecture. The elements included in these categories are uniquely combined for every person into a complex blend that composes the final personal experience.
biological predispositions
For many, many years, much more than the last 5000 years that people have lived in organized settlements daily life has been very different * 14. For almost 2 million years, humans were foragers and lived in direct contact and interaction with nature. They chose the places they would settle based on easy access to food and protection from natural phenomena and possible invaders. These places were natural shelters, places that inspired security, ensured the supervision of the surrounding area, but also protection from sudden visits. This predisposition is recorded in human nature. Research is constantly proving the beneficial effect of nature on human physical and mental health.
This theory has been described by the term biophilia. Biophilic design brings humans in direct contact with nature (green, water, natural light), uses sustainable practices, while also borrowing design elements such as organic forms, emphasis on detail and complexity. * 15
social / cultural predispositions
In addition to biological, cultural predispositions, depending on the period and place where a group of people live, affect significantly people experience space by shaping their cultural and social references and standards. Similarly, one can't ignore, nowadays, the rising effect of social media trends and information on human perception.
Let me describe the importance of cultural predispositions with an example. A few months ago, I attended the very interesting virtual presentation of the book Urban Experience and Design: Contemporary Perspectives on Improving the Public Realm. The presentation included a series of short lectures on "the biological and evolutionary perspective on how the buildings around us affect us" * 16. At the end of the event, I took the floor to ask if there is a modern example of architecture that puts all this data into practice. Nikos Saligaros, architect and mathematician known for his work in urban and architectural theory, * 17 proposed a project by Dimitris Porphyrios in Athens, as a characteristic expression of the book's principles; the headquarters of Interamerican Insurances on Syggrou Avenue. Dimitris Porphyrios is an internationally renowned architect who is mainly active in Great Britain. His modern architecture combines elements from modernism with the extensive use of materials, such as metal and glass with elements of neoclassicism, such as the three-part organization of the facade and decorative details. * 18 Nevertheless, such a hybrid architectural style in Athens seems somewhat unfamiliar.
In addition to biological, cultural predispositions, depending on the period and place where a group of people live, affect significantly people experience space by shaping their cultural and social references and standards. Similarly, one can't ignore, nowadays, the rising effect of social media trends and information on human perception.
Let me describe the importance of cultural predispositions with an example. A few months ago, I attended the very interesting virtual presentation of the book Urban Experience and Design: Contemporary Perspectives on Improving the Public Realm. The presentation included a series of short lectures on "the biological and evolutionary perspective on how the buildings around us affect us" * 16. At the end of the event, I took the floor to ask if there is a modern example of architecture that puts all this data into practice. Nikos Saligaros, architect and mathematician known for his work in urban and architectural theory, * 17 proposed a project by Dimitris Porphyrios in Athens, as a characteristic expression of the book's principles; the headquarters of Interamerican Insurances on Syggrou Avenue. Dimitris Porphyrios is an internationally renowned architect who is mainly active in Great Britain. His modern architecture combines elements from modernism with the extensive use of materials, such as metal and glass with elements of neoclassicism, such as the three-part organization of the facade and decorative details. * 18 Nevertheless, such a hybrid architectural style in Athens seems somewhat unfamiliar.
personal predispositions
Finally, as mentioned above, each one of us has his/her own predispositions that shape his/her spatial experience. Memories from one's childhood, textures, materials, colours, smells, from scattered experiences and references comprise a unique spectrum of interaction when encountering new spaces and generating new experiences.
by way of epilogue
Chesa Madalena's riveting experience, after all, can be probably explained by the combination of the biologically fascinating earthy stone textures and the traditional historical architecture, with a touch of a familiar minimalistic modern architecture like the one I was taught. Or by the unforeseen cinematographic architectural experience that the architect had set up? Or by a personal reference?
Experience, after all, is something too difficult to explain. It is unpredictable and deeply personal. And this is what makes it rarely but truly magical.
Nevertheless, to some extent, some traits can be predicted and designed to stimulate our mental predispositions. And, perhaps, these can lead to riveting, architectural and non-architectural experiences.
Annita Douka
Finally, as mentioned above, each one of us has his/her own predispositions that shape his/her spatial experience. Memories from one's childhood, textures, materials, colours, smells, from scattered experiences and references comprise a unique spectrum of interaction when encountering new spaces and generating new experiences.
by way of epilogue
Chesa Madalena's riveting experience, after all, can be probably explained by the combination of the biologically fascinating earthy stone textures and the traditional historical architecture, with a touch of a familiar minimalistic modern architecture like the one I was taught. Or by the unforeseen cinematographic architectural experience that the architect had set up? Or by a personal reference?
Experience, after all, is something too difficult to explain. It is unpredictable and deeply personal. And this is what makes it rarely but truly magical.
Nevertheless, to some extent, some traits can be predicted and designed to stimulate our mental predispositions. And, perhaps, these can lead to riveting, architectural and non-architectural experiences.
Annita Douka
*1 RUCH & PARTNER ARCHITEKTEN AG - Madalena (ruch-arch.ch)
*2 Olafur Eliasson - Wikipedia
*3 (1) Olafur Eliasson interview: Retrospective opens at Tate Modern | Architecture | Dezeen - YouTube
*4 See also Daniel Kahneman's example: "Banana Vomits"
Kahneman, Daniel, 1934- author. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. New York :Farrar, Straus and Giroux, pg 52
*5 Harari, Yuval N., Yuval N. Harari, John Purcell, and Haim Watzman. (2015). Sapiens: a brief history of humankind.
*6 Mlodinow, L. (2012). Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior. New York: Pantheon Books, p. 33.
*7 Kahneman, Daniel, 1934- author. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. New York :Farrar, Straus and Giroux
*8"Recent research in neuroscience has shown that 95 percent of all neurological processing is intuitive and subconscious and is beyond our awareness."
Ruggles, D.H. (2019). Beauty, neuroscience and architecture: Beauty and homeostasis as a model for architecture. London: Conscious Cities Anthology 2019: Science-Informed Architecture and Urbanism. ISSN 2514-6815 DOI:10.33797/CCA19.01.08
*9 Examples and Observations of a Confirmation Bias (verywellmind.com)
*10 Ruggles, D.H. (2019). Beauty, neuroscience and architecture: Beauty and homeostasis as a model for architecture. London: Conscious Cities Anthology 2019: Science-Informed Architecture and Urbanism. ISSN 2514-6815 DOI:10.33797/CCA19.01.08
*11 Norman, Donald A. (2005). Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. Basic Books. ISBN 0465051367.
*12 In academic and professional terms, the difference between a successful project and an average one is judged by the strength of its concept and whether its clarity remained and was kept consistent throughout.
What is an Architectural Concept? — Archisoup | Architecture Guides & Resources
*13 Design for How People Think (Don Norman) (Video) (nngroup.com)
*14 Harari, Yuval N., Yuval N. Harari, John Purcell, and Haim Watzman. (2015). Sapiens: a brief history of humankind.
*15 Salingaros, N., Neuroscience Experiments to Verify the Geometry of Healing Environments: Proposing a Biophilic Healing Index of Design and Architecture, edited by Hollander J.B., Sussman A., Urban Experience and Design, Contemporary Perspectives on Improving the Public Realm, (2021), Routledge, ISBN 9780367435554
*16 Open Invitation to Urban Experience and Design Book Launch: Friday, January 15, 2021, 3PM EST | The Genetics of Design
*17 Nikos Salingaros - Wikipedia
*18 Interamerican Headquarters : Commercial Projects : Porphyrios Associates
*2 Olafur Eliasson - Wikipedia
*3 (1) Olafur Eliasson interview: Retrospective opens at Tate Modern | Architecture | Dezeen - YouTube
*4 See also Daniel Kahneman's example: "Banana Vomits"
Kahneman, Daniel, 1934- author. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. New York :Farrar, Straus and Giroux, pg 52
*5 Harari, Yuval N., Yuval N. Harari, John Purcell, and Haim Watzman. (2015). Sapiens: a brief history of humankind.
*6 Mlodinow, L. (2012). Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior. New York: Pantheon Books, p. 33.
*7 Kahneman, Daniel, 1934- author. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. New York :Farrar, Straus and Giroux
*8"Recent research in neuroscience has shown that 95 percent of all neurological processing is intuitive and subconscious and is beyond our awareness."
Ruggles, D.H. (2019). Beauty, neuroscience and architecture: Beauty and homeostasis as a model for architecture. London: Conscious Cities Anthology 2019: Science-Informed Architecture and Urbanism. ISSN 2514-6815 DOI:10.33797/CCA19.01.08
*9 Examples and Observations of a Confirmation Bias (verywellmind.com)
*10 Ruggles, D.H. (2019). Beauty, neuroscience and architecture: Beauty and homeostasis as a model for architecture. London: Conscious Cities Anthology 2019: Science-Informed Architecture and Urbanism. ISSN 2514-6815 DOI:10.33797/CCA19.01.08
*11 Norman, Donald A. (2005). Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. Basic Books. ISBN 0465051367.
*12 In academic and professional terms, the difference between a successful project and an average one is judged by the strength of its concept and whether its clarity remained and was kept consistent throughout.
What is an Architectural Concept? — Archisoup | Architecture Guides & Resources
*13 Design for How People Think (Don Norman) (Video) (nngroup.com)
*14 Harari, Yuval N., Yuval N. Harari, John Purcell, and Haim Watzman. (2015). Sapiens: a brief history of humankind.
*15 Salingaros, N., Neuroscience Experiments to Verify the Geometry of Healing Environments: Proposing a Biophilic Healing Index of Design and Architecture, edited by Hollander J.B., Sussman A., Urban Experience and Design, Contemporary Perspectives on Improving the Public Realm, (2021), Routledge, ISBN 9780367435554
*16 Open Invitation to Urban Experience and Design Book Launch: Friday, January 15, 2021, 3PM EST | The Genetics of Design
*17 Nikos Salingaros - Wikipedia
*18 Interamerican Headquarters : Commercial Projects : Porphyrios Associates