N.Zagora, D. Šamić
Urban atmosphere A considerable part of the architectural discourse in past decades addressed the atmospheric qualities of spaces, and the human senses, which play a key role in the perception of the natural and built environment. The importance of the multisensory experience is rooted in the phenomenological approach to architecture found in works by Gaston Bachelard, Martin Heidegger and Christian Norberg-Schulz, and was recently popularised by contemporary architects Juhani Pallasmaa and Peter Zumthor. Emerging from criticism of the ocular-centric paradigm in contemporary architectural practice, the phenomenological view prioritises the multisensory over the visual experience: “Atmospheric characteristics of spaces, places and settings are grasped before any conscious observation of details is made. Architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world, and this mediation takes place through the senses” (Pallasmaa, 2012). Before understanding it intellectually, our response to the atmospheric qualities of a space is emotional: “We perceive atmosphere through our emotional sensibility – a form of perception that works incredibly quickly” (Zumthor, 2006). The concept of the multisensory experience of an atmospheric space in architecture has become increasingly important in urban environments under the concept “the atmosphere of a city” (Böhme, 2014). Atmosphere is a phenomenon which mediates between the subject and the object: “Atmospheres fill spaces; they emanate from things, constellations of things and persons” (Böhme, 2014). The atmospheric perception of public spaces involves all senses, and adds up to the atmosphere of the entire city, which consequently constitutes the quality of the city. Beyond the plain mise-en-scene, overall sensorial stimulation combines various types of visual and olfactory experiences (smellscapes) (Henshaw, 2013) or auditory sensations (soundscapes) (Atkinson, 2007), acquired through mobility (walking) and perceptual memories (Monserrat Degen & Rose, 118
