A profound design process eventually makes the patron, the architect, and every occasional visitor in the building a slightly better human being.
Interpretation
A well-thought-out design process enhances the character of everyone connected to the building.
Juhani Pallasmaa's quote emphasizes that a profound design process in architecture goes beyond mere aesthetics; it has the power to improve the essence of those who interact with the built environment. This improvement manifests in various ways, potentially promoting empathy, inspiration, and a heightened sense of responsibility, ultimately enriching the human experience within that space.
In practice
In a presentation about the impact of architecture on community well-being, one can use this quote to illustrate how thoughtful design enhances human connections.
Gravity is measured by the bottom of the foot; we trace the density and texture of the ground through our soles. Standing barefoot on a smooth glacial rock by the sea at sunset, and sensing the warmth of the sun-heated stone through one's soles, is an extraordinarily healing experience, making one part of the eternal cycle of nature. One senses the slow breathing of the earth.
I would like to use architecture to create bonds between people who live in cities, and even use it to recover the communities that used to exist in every single city.
A greater focus on design in all new homes would make the best use of land, create homes and public spaces, and reinforce the structures of urban life.
There is a danger when every building has to look spectacular; to look like it is changing the world. I don't care how a building looks if it means something, not to architects, but to the people who use it.
One cannot make architecture without studying the condition of life in the city
Contemporary architects tend to impose modernity on something. There is a certain concern for history but it’s not very deep. I understand that time has changed, we have evolved. But I don’t want to forget the beginning. A lasting architecture has to have roots.
All buildings, large or small, public or private, have a public face, a facade; they therefore, without exception, have a positive or negative effect on the quality of the public realm, enriching or impoverishing it in a lasting and radical manner. The architecture of the city and public space is a matter of common concern to the same degree as laws and language—they are the foundation of civility and civilisation.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.