Perceived Spaces The Mind and Space

Transcription

1 Perceived Spaces The Mind and Space Space is both a physical and mental construct. Space can have absolute dimensions, for instance, an area of 100m 2. Yet, how that space is perceived, experienced and used depends on an interplay of variables combining physical and mental attributes. Light, shadow, colour, shape and texture are parts of a palette an architect utilises to manipulate, define and create a physical space. The mind has its own repertoire: culture, memories, experience, age, mood and biology serve to influence the perception of space and determine its function. The physical boundaries of a space are in flux - and constantly evolving. As population density increases, a home once considered small may today be unaffordably large. Communal spaces are more than empty stages with fixed parameters in which events social events and activities take place; instead, they are invested with myriad meanings. Perceived Spaces explores the intertwined links between lives, culture, history and activities of people and spaces they inhabit. i) NANO < 5m Personal Space ii) MICRO Up to 500m 2 Shared - Office, Mall iii) MEZZO What the eye can see Neighbourhood, Community iv) MACRO Beyond the visible City, Country

2 NANO (< 5m): Personal Space How close is too close for comfort? How close can you stand next to a person before it becomes too close for comfort? How is our perception of space governed by custom, societal expectations and cultural experience? What role can architects play in this equation of Fixed Physical Space vis a vis Perception of Space? Architecture of Personal Space Space is a multi-dimensional concept with layers of meaning embedded within it and demands placed on it. An office space has to provide privacy, status, comfort, interaction, efficiency, a sense of belonging, or isolation. These days, environmentally-friendly solutions are demanded. A fun and creative workplace is linked to productivity and profitability. The architecture of personal space is a juncture where science, art, anthropology, sociology, history, geography and psychology all meet on a very personal level.

3 MICRO (up to 500m 2 ): Communal Space Space is simultaneously personal, communal and impersonal. A community implies both something structural (it has definable boundaries such as a condominium) and something socio-psychological (a sense of shared values developed through interaction with members). The evolution of HBD design offers an object lesson in the developmental process of how space is perceived over time as different generations of citizens come to live in HDB flats. In the 1970s, flats were simple, functional block designs. In the 1980s, HDB responded to changing expectations of citizens creating a communal environment where a sense of identity and character served to promote social interaction and community bonding. Neighbourhoods were landscaped with open spaces and pocket gardens for communal and recreational activities. In the 1990s, housing schemes and flat types were introduced to meet the expanding diversity of resident profiles, from singles to residents with more sophisticated design sensibilities. The vision for the new millennium is for homes to be unique and innovative in their designs. HDB towns will become exciting places to live, work and play in.

4 MEZZO: What the eye can see Where does a PLACE begin and end? How much of a PLACE is found only in the MIND of the perceiver? In 2011, Joo Chiat, a part of Katong, was named Singapore s first Heritage Town. Yet, if you asked residents where is Joo Chiat, or where is Katong, there are no exact answers. However, Katong residents feel a strong loyalty and pride living in this unique place in Singapore. Far from being an inert and ahistoric form, place may be thought of as a process of becoming... People are active participants in the historically contingent process of the making of place: within the context of their times, they construct places by investing them with human meaning. [THE MEANINGS AND MAKING OF PLACE: EXPLORING HISTORY, COMMUNITY AND IDENTITY by LILY KONG and BRENDA YEOH] The perception of space is a distillation of our collective memories, meanings we apply to them, our ideals and values we cherish. The result of all these factors then determines how spaces within a space is used, the buildings we choose to preserve and to create. The perception of our Common Spaces determines the architecture of those Common Spaces, which is in a constant dialectical flux. MACRO: Beyond the eye Our physical environment includes the earth, ocean and sky. It is a Common Space all humans share the earth belongs to everyone. It means we are all collectively responsible for its care. Climate change and recent natural disasters have raised questions about the responsibility of humankind. What role do architects have in raising awareness of this fundamental living space in order to sustain its habitability? Our planet is referred to as Mother Earth, and its earth was literally used as the building blocks of our first dwellings. How can innovations in architecture today serve, rather than harm, our Mother Earth?

5 MEDIA WORLD Common Spaces in World of Information The media world comprising newspapers, magazines, film and television, radio, the World Wide Web, Twitter, et cetera, collectively adds another dimension to the idea of Common Spaces. At no point in our history has exposure to media been so pervasive and intensive. The world has shrunk, borders have melted away and new formulations of Common Spaces have emerged. Information about events reaches across the planet in real-time, updated moment by moment. Like a global and virtual Agora, the media has become a common platform where ideas, discussions and debates take place; and, in turn, shape the physical, mental and virtual world we live in. IMAGE: Montage of newspapers, magazines, film and television, radio, the World Wide Web, Twitter, etc. i) NANO < 5m Personal Space ii) MICRO Up to 500m 2 Shared - Office, Mall iii) MEZZO What the eye can see Neighbourhood, Community iv) MACRO Beyond the visible City, Country

6 Nano: Personal Space My World is in My Pocket Since April 2011, Amazon sells more e-books than paper books. With e-readers such as Kindle, ipad and smartphones, we can now carry around a personalised library consisting thousands of titles. Newspapers and magazines from all over the world are accessible with one click along with movies, TV-on-demand (no adverts, no waiting), plus everything we can find on the World Wide Web. Where once we went to a library or book-store, or waited for a magazine to arrive in the mail, we now simply turn-on our mobile device wherever we may be. Our world of information is, quite literary, at our fingertips with a swipe or a click we enter a personalised space configured uniquely by and for one person. While the content is available to all the experience of that content is completely personalised.

7 Micro: Shared Space People Close to Me are Always Close-by The United Nations deems Internet access as a basic human right. In this Age of Information, the ability to share and receive information is fundamental to everyday life. According to Edelman PR company: The most profound finding of the Edelman Trust Barometer is that in 6 of the 11 countries surveyed, the person like yourself or your peer is seen as the most credible spokesperson about a company in every country surveyed. Friends and family ranked at number two as the most important credible source of information. In other words, when someone wants an opinion or recommendation about a service or product, they first go to their peers, family and friends. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, et cetera serve as Common Space where a trusted community of people share and discuss information. As the media world expands, access to information we can trust becomes a pressing need. Media platforms that facilitate sharing among a trusted community will grow in significance.

8 Mezzo: Communal Space Shaped by and Shaping My Community To what degree does the media in the physical community we live in shape our thinking both on the conscious and unconsious levels? To answer this question, it behooves us to examine the values implicity contained in our media (advertisements, magazines, newspapers, et cetera); or, as significantly, the messages that are absent (for example, cigarette advertisements, Playboy magazine). As the boundaries blur between the virtual and physical, to what extent does the virtual world of media enable us to transcend the boundaries of physical media encompassing us? How the virtual and physical media world shapes what we can (or cannot perceive) and is a matter that politicians, religious leaders, educators, community leaders and parents constantly debate. As individual citizens gain increasingly sophisticated access to media, the dynamics of how we are shaped by our community and, in turn, shape our community will keep changing.

9 Macro: Beyond the Visible My World of Choice The World Wide Web is now the encyclopedia of choice: Google has become a verb ( I ll Google it to find out ). From finding a holiday destination to a hotel; comparing consumer products to intellectual ideas; from New York Times to Al Jazeera the world s information (much of it available online; a lot only available online) is accessible wherever there is unrestricted Internet access. However, a world of innumerable choices/possibilities is not without pitfalls. Barry Schwartz, in his book The Paradox of Choice, points out: The fact that some choice is good doesn t necessarily mean that more choice is better. As a culture, we are enamoured of freedom, self-determination, and variety, and we are reluctant to give up any of our options. But clinging tenaciously to all the choices available to us contributes to bad decisions, to anxiety, stress and dissatisfaction. One response to having so much information is to filter that information. Search engines now automatically stream information tailored to our preferences: we see what we prefer to see. Or do we? Perhaps we losing control over what we see to what search engines think we want to see? Increasingly as we move beyond our visible Common Space into the invisible Common Space via by the world of media, we are move into uncharted territories.