ARCHITECTURE AND PERCEPTION OF THE LAY PUBLIC WHY WE NEED TO PERCEIVE FROM THE LAY VIEWPOINT AND HOW? SIXIN LIANG
It might be a bit sarcastic to write on this
idea where she was. As for me, on the other
topic, considering I am a student on a
hand, the assonance of the streets is
degree course in architecture. But I have
fascinating. Consider, if you will, Via delle
always been intrigued by the phenomenon
Volte. Beauty is the feeling when you step
of dierent people experiencing the same
on the old gravel street; when you see the
thing in vastly alternate ways.
medieval arches one after another in
For example, I know a young Chinese girl
straight perspective; when you realise that
who visited Ferrara three months ago.
citizens of Ferrara coincidently chose the
Amongst her observations was that the
colour red for their curtains; when you walk
streets and the houses looked so similar to
around the corner and comes across an
one another that she frequently had no
amazing basilica‌
1
The same sight appeared completely
without handrail-stair, the neat lines of
different when viewed by a 10-year-old girl
pavement and walls, the sculpture at the
than it did when subject to the scrutiny of a
entrance - ohh I ve seen them in a lecture of
seasoned graduate student.
the contemporary architecture, which is
For another instance, four years ago when I
about Scarpa.
just started to study architecture, I didn t
And I was asking myself:
know Carlo Scarpa1. One day I went to the
If I wasn t educated in architecture school,
Piazza of San Marco in Venice, passing by
would I notice the details and associate
the Olivetti store, I gave a hasty glance to
them to the lexicon of an architect?
the showcase and was thinking - ah,
It was published on Journal of Architectural
antique - nice stuff. Since then I ve been to
and Planning Research
Venice several times, again and again I
Architects and Laypersons Judge Buildings
passed by this store and till the very last
Differently: Cognitive Properties and
time, I stopped and observed: the irregular-
Physical Bases
2
a research
Why
which is based on the lens
1
Carlo Scarpa, Italian architect 1978-1906
2
Journal of Architectural and Planning Research Vol. 19, No. 2 (Summer, 2002), pp. 131-148 R. Gifford, D. W. Hine,
W. Muller-Clemm and K. T. Shaw 2
model analysis across 42 buildings with a
development of values. Each of us have
group of architects and a group of
different taste. So it s pointless to impose to
laypersons respectively evaluating on 6
the others your opinions and judgments on
cognitive properties: Clear, Complex,
architecture. Because to the end,
Friendly, Meaningful, Rugged and Original;
architecture is a very subjective field as we
Resulting that agreement between the
all know. Nothing is objective, nothing is
architects and laypersons overall aesthetic
right or wrong. The reasons we all human
quality of particular buildings was small.
beings have different tastes, according to
Clarity was more strongly related to global
Scrution - are experience, preference and
assessment for architects, and complexity
thought. 4 And research indicates that
was more strongly related to global
architects and non-architects do interpret
assessments for laypersons. But it also
architecture differently citing education
showed that architects and laypersons
which is related to knowledge structure
seem to think about the 6 cognitive
and experience from which comes our
properties in different ways. For example
aesthetic pleasure and preference as
their agreement about which buildings are
variables contributing to these differences.5
meaningful was virtually zero.
Preference is the outcome of thought and
Therefore what lay observers perceive from
education; it is expressive of moral, religious
architecture is totally different from
and political feelings, of an entire
architects do. Why do we all perceive
Weltanschauung6. Unfortunately, Most of
architecture differently?
our architectural schools are geared toward
De gustibus non est disputandum 3 . Tastes
turning out the occasional genius - the
are acquired through instruction, through
future master of the new style - the next
the acquisition of knowledge and the
generation of tastemaker. His competence
3 4
Latin Maxim, means In matters of taste, there can be no disputes. I shall consider in turn the relation of taste to the three principal categories of experience, preference and
thought. The Aesthetics of Architecture, Roger Scrution 1980 pp.106 5
Hershberger, 1969; He was the first to document the differences between architects and non-architects; he
attributed these differences to the professional education of architects. His study compared the meanings of buildings to architects, pre-architects and non-architects 6
German: one s outlook on the world 3
in addressing his clients need is given
users but limitedly to only a certain group
secondary importance…
of architects, to the end, it s pathetic. If the
7
Some artists might say, I don t need to care
original intention of architects cannot be
about what other people think. I just want
appreciated and understood by majority
to do my own art. Express the inner soul of
of people, why do we still tenaciously insist
my work. However, architectural art is
on designing significant architecture? - A
different. It is more difficult to avoid
question for all.
architectural art compared to the other arts.
Refer to aesthetic, there s no distinction
We re living in a certain architectural
between high and low. Gans9 observed that
environment. Even if we don t like a
architects preferred
building, we have to pass by it, see it or
popular , the style preferred by non-
even get into it everyday.
experts. For non-experts the popular style
The art of
architecture is … always an imposition.
high
style over
8
was coherent, pleasurable, and clean,
Since architecture is deeply into people s
signifiers which architects attributed to the
daily life, it is important to consider
high style. 10 It s true that architects have
aesthetic from point of view of the lay
professional knowledge and aesthetic
public.
experience. But one cannot say the high
However, unfortunately, we architects often
style is better than the popular style. And
naïvely think about laymen s preference
we shall not see popular as a negative
from our own point of view, which is
adjective, it means the general taste of the
inevitably subjective. And we draw too
lay. If architecture is for the population,
much attention to what we like
does it harm to equally consider popular
aesthetically, which cannot be perceived
style together with the high style? The
and understood by the public. Even it s
answer is obviously not. In some cases, it is
academically appreciated , if the message
even more important to respect the
cannot conveyed to the majority of the 7
Izumi, 1965 - Journal of Architectural and Planning Research (summer 2002) 132
8
Izumi, 1965 - Journal of Architectural and Planning Research (summer 2002) 132
9
H. Gans, Towards a human architecture: a sociologist view of the profession, Journal of Architectural
Education, vol. 2, pp. 26‒31, 1978. 10
Research article: Differences in Architects and Non-architects Perception of Urban Design: An Application of
Kansei Engineering Techniques ¦ Urban Studies Research Volume 2011, Article ID 736307, pp.13 4
popular
style than our own aesthetic
also to the ordinary uneducated man. 12
satisfaction.
Which I think all of us architects should
After all, how can we perceive the beauty
draw a lesson from.
of a building like a layman? And how can we know what a delightful
Notes:
building looks like from a lay viewpoint
1.
The Aesthetics of Architecture, Roger
while we ourselves are not one of them?
Scruton 1980, Princeton University Press ¦
From my point of view answer is not
Chapter 5: Judging Architecture; Chapter 10: Architecture and Morality
possible. We cannot. But I believe that we could try our best to achieve the
most
2.
Architecture for People - explorations in a new humane environment, Byron Mikellides
appropriate solution, while upholding our
1976 ¦ pp.42-43 Educating the Client; pp.
originality and creativity and presenting our
46-58 Whose Failure is Modern
project to everyone - architects and non-
Architecture? pp.122-134 A Conflict
architects, in a way that it could be lexically
between Art and Life?
comprehensible and aesthetically
3.
Journal of Architectural and Planning
pleasurable to the majority of all, not by
Research Vol. 19, No. 2 (Summer, 2002) ¦ pp.
imposing upon people what we believe to
131-148
be good for them, no matter how good our
4.
Lampi di Pensiero: Fenomenologia della Percezione in Architettura, Juhani Pallasmaa
sociological, religious, psychological,
2011
ideological or aesthetic reasons may seem
¦ pp.23-25 Bellezza pp.64-74
Fenomenologia dell Architettura pp.
to us to be… The simple answer is that to achieve architecture architects must be
180-183 Umiltà dell Architetettura 5.
Towards a human architecture: a sociologist
humble to their art and love their fellow
view of the profession, J H. Gans, Journal of
men.
Architectural Education, vol. 2, pp. 26‒31, 1978.
11
And Roger Scruton concludes, The
architects must be constrained by a rule of obedience. He must translate his intuition
6.
Research article: Differences in Architects and Non-architects Perception of Urban Design: An Application of Kansei Engineering Techniques ¦
into terms that are publicly intelligible,
Urban Studies Research Volume 2011, pp.13
unite his building with an order that is recognisable not only to the expert but 11
Architecture for People - explorations in a new humane environment, Byron Mikellides ¦ pp.42 Educating the
Client 12
The Aesthetics of Architecture, Roger Scrution 1980 pp.250 ¦ Conclusion: Architecture and morality 5