The Touch

’Atmosphere, meaning the overall impression, is processed through all the senses in the same way that we sense the weather. It is a complex phenomenon, but also simply an experience.’

I even argue, in my recent texts, that vision is not the most important sense in experiencing architecture. The most important sense is our existential sense – our sense of self. We encounter architecture through our entire being, not only through the eye.’

The quote is from Juhani Pallasmaa’s interview in The Touch, a recently published book from Kinfolk and Norm Architects.

In the book, Nathan Williams of Kinfolk and Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects explore the idea of sensual, human-centric design which emerges from five areas: materiality, light, color, nature, and community. 

The book reveals sensual architecture and interiors from all over the world through imagery, interviews and philosophical essays. It also offers practical tips from the minds of design industry leaders on how to make our living environment more pleasurable to not just our eyes but our whole being.

The book is available all over the web. I got mine in Nide, Helsinki.