Questions of Perception: Phenomenology of Architecture

by Steven Holl, Juhani Pallasmaa, Alberto Pérez-Gómez

A+U 1994 special edition covering the work of Holl, Pallasmaa, and, Perez-Gomez, titled Questions of Perception. Their three individual essays presented in the book, are thematically linked; each one tries to explain the role man's perception plays in architecture and also explores phenomenal accounts. In their original introduction, the authors write: "The endless cultural limitations and contradictions inherent in artistic work, revealed with impeccable clarity and logic by the critics' deconstructive theory, are ultimately of limited use for the generation of architecture. The architect must take a position, one that necessarily has ethical consequences, and for which words, a theoretical discourse is nevertheless indispensable.

Bilingually presented in English and Japanese.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction, Art, Philosophy, Theory, Essays, Design

155 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1994

About the author

Steven Holl (born December 9, 1947) is an American architect and watercolorist, perhaps best known for the 2003 Simmons Hall at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the celebrated 2007 Bloch Building addition to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri,[1] and the praised 2009 Linked Hybrid mixed-use complex in Beijing, China.

Holl graduated from the University of Washington and pursued architecture studies in Rome in 1970. In 1976, he attended graduate school at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and established his offices New York City. Holl has taught at Columbia University since 1981.

Holl's architecture has undergone a shift in emphasis, from his earlier concern with typology to his current concern with a phenomenological approach; that is, with a concern for man's existentialist, bodily engagement with his surroundings. The shift came about partly due to his interest in the writings of philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty and architect-theorist Juhani Pallasmaa.

Reviews

[Zahra Eskandari · Rating 3 out of 5]

در حقیقت این کتاب پرسش هایی مطرح می کند و به بررسی آن ها می پردازد که خود زیربنای پرسش هایی از مقصود و هدف معماری هستند
تجربه جهان و نه فقط یک اثر معماری
درواقع به بیان این نکته که ما در حال تعامل دائمی با جهان هستیم می پردازد

در بخش اول و دوم کتاب قسمت هایی از کتاب چشمان پوست هم آورده شده که به مراتب روان تر و شفاف تر به آن پرداخته شده است
بنظر من می توان اینطور گفت موضوع کتاب بررسی معماری مبتنی بر حواس مختلف است و نه صرفا حس بینایی که انفاقا حس بینایی را در این بخش کنار گذاشته و از تجربیات و نظریات درگیری دگر حواس در رویارویی با یک اثر معماری سخن گفته شده

از متن کتاب:
معماری تجربه ی عمودی ما از جهان را تقویت می کند.
یوهانی پلاسما

[Federico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked very much the first and last essay

[Bibs · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good book

[Wei Cho · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best architecture books I've read!

It wasn't about the buildings, it was about the tangibility of the senses that the spaces elicit in you. It was about how to experience that space with your senses. It is a very thought-provoking book. Steven Holl and Juhani Pallasma have definitely become one of my favourite architects writers. Their philosophy of architecture is enticing and very thoughtful. I got several quotes and ideas from the book that helped me developed my design concept based on how people will interact with the space I create. Beautiful book. Totally recommend it to all my friends studying Architecture! Need to read more books like this one and more often.

This book is one of those rare and precious books that one encounters while browsing through the Architecture collection in the library of your university :D

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read this book shortly after college and found it even more compelling after many years of practicing architecture. It is all too easy to become mired in the day-to-day challenges that architects face and lose track of the subtleties of our craft. Should be required reading for all architects - young and old. Highly recommended for non-architects too as a good primer on how we experience the spaces we inhabit.

[Jason bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare book that explores to boundaries of architecture beyond the visual. Pallasmaa, along with Steven Holl are attempting to unpack the nature of the tactile medium of architecture.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty unmemorable.

[Josh Mings · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thesis dealt heavily in perception, and this was one of the books that helped shape how I see things. A must read for anyone interested in phenomenology.

[Enrique Polanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most important treatise on architecture in the last 2 decades
Skip Merleau-Ponty and get your phenomenology 101 here

[Vildan]

It can be interesting.