To exist in space means to use our bodies to navigate ourselves within the space. In order to navigate our bodies, we use our cognition, our consciousness, to make sense of all that we perceive through our senses. You are the embodiment of your conscious inner self that is existing within the geometric entity that is space.
You are the embodiment of your conscious self that is existing within the geometric entity that is space.
Architecture has a dramatic influence on the flow of our consciousness. The way our space is designed influences our ability to experience the entire range of emotional states. Recent advances in the cognitive neuroscience confirms that architectonic experience is related to physiological responses. Whether we are or are not well is connected to experiencing of our spaces.
Structures around us
We exist within a whole nest of structures in nature. We exist within a galaxy, within our Solar System. Then we exist on the planet and the next level of structure of nature is our own physiology that further exists on the level of cellular structures. Within these there are molecules including DNA and within there are atoms. All of these are structures that follow the natural law of creation. The entire universe is nested in structures, all organized according to the natural law. It's all within this concept that these structures are a reflection of the underlying intelligence of the universal creation. All except for those structures we spend 80–90% or our time within. Our houses, buildings, streets, districts, cities are all constructions within space. Humanly made, designed and structured.
The entire universe is nested in structures — as a reflection of the underlying intelligence of the universal creation.
To become an architect I studied at different schools. I spent years learning about space, structures and how to arrange these in order to create a (seemingly) harmonious outcome. I didn't learn anything about nature's structures in my time studying or during my years of practicing architecture. During this time I have never witnessed anyone entertaining the thought of involving the structural law of nature into the design process. Because contemporary architecture, unlike engineering, is not based in the natural law. You are not worried that the ceiling above your head is going to collapse because you trust that the civil engineer knows exactly how the law of physics works. Or an electrical engineer who also applied the laws of nature, would not be questioned. These fields are applications of the laws of nature. All fields of engineering that are involved in space-creation are. All but one.
The law of nature is universal, it is consistent, it is true whether we are familiar with it or not, or whether we believe in it or not. We cannot deny the reality of structural engineering. And if we do, it doesn't make the ceiling collapse on our heads. But the architecture itself is another matter.
The art of enclosure
As architects we love to say that we create space. It is not true. We don't create space, the space is just there. Space is everywhere, space is universal. In hands of an architect it becomes a resource. The reality of architecture is about enclosing space. What an architect does at her or his essence is to enclose a bit of space by putting walls, floor and ceiling around it, and to conceptualize the space within this space in order for it to 'make sense'. The outcome — the room — becomes a virtue of enclosure. The space which is actually this room was always there. But was it usable for the particular purpose before it was enclosed and conceptualized by an architect? It was not. That is the art of architecture, the art of enclosure for a particular purpose. The real essence of the architect's work. This purpose can be anything. To live one's life in a house, to learn things in the classroom, to cook food, to transport us to other places or to meditate, to transcend and to heal. The purposes are infinite and are evolving with the human beings and their needs.
That is the art of architecture, the art of enclosure for a particular purpose — the real essence of the architect's work.
The true way to measure the success of an architect's work is by asking how successful was the space in filling the original purpose. How successful was the design to create a balanced environment to fulfill the purpose. Speaking from experience, in the architectural practice this would be laughable. Yet we all know that there are successful and unsuccessful designs. We study them at school. Those that are widely accepted as being well designed. We also study the designs that are condemned and understood as being complete failures. For instance an apartment complex in the US (Pruitt-Igoe), known for the quality of life there being so poor that it led to it being torn down only 17 years after it was built. On the other hand there are buildings praised for generations, lauded for having distinct qualities, for the spiritual experience we have inside them. We study the good ones and we study the bad ones, all in hope that throughout our careers we are going to repeat the ‚good' principles and replicate them in our designs. As if through some process of osmosis we are going to absorb the laws of nature that cause designs to carry that exceptional principles and enclose spaces of a higher spiritual quality. Can you imagine other fields of engineering being educated that way? That would be preposterous. We are taught typologies and functional schemes, we are taught properties of the materials and the normative regulations. But we are not taught what the rules of designing a harmonious space are.
Spaces have effects upon consciousness. We know it has something to do with the sunlight, the way the sunlight enters the space and is experienced in space. We know it has something to do with the floor plan, how it is conceptualized. The sound reflection and absorption. The proportions and measurements. And surely materials. Finally we know for sure it has a lot to do with the site, its location and orientation. But we are not sure because it is not taught at school and it is also not applied in the regular design practice.
Throughout the course of our lives we are going to spend most of our time in the structured space, buildings or otherwise conceptualized and designed envrironment. Wouldn't it be logical and efficient to ask ourselves: how important is it, that the conception of this space is in harmony with our own nature? A space that calms us down when we're stressed, helps us to focus when we're distracted, balanced when we're out of alignment or just simply be our daily wellness companion? A space that resonates with our essence. That knows us so well that it merges with us on the fundamental level. To find out about these rules I needed to step outside of my conditioned self. To explore the compactified intelligence that is at the basis of reality I left my comfort zone. Outside of the science versus spirituality dogma, outside of outdated ways of thinking and doing. Into a journey of a conscious design.