Image: seier+seier | Flickr

When taking a closer look at the relationship between music and the theater in which it is played, the composer becomes a pivotal link between the two that provides some intriguing insight into ways that architecture shapes its occupants.

As architects, we like to think that we shape architecture — but as most of us know it also shapes us. The relationship between adaptation and environment often works both ways, and for this reason, I encourage you to watch the following video where David Byrne will take you through the evolution of music, and the strong role theaters and other “venues” play, as the space “surrounding” a performance actually becomes its extension.

In particular, look for his juxtaposition between the way music has developed to fit particular venues of its time, and how birds from different regions and geographic environments actually evolve to develop different bird calls. As you will soon learn by watching the video below, David Byrne paints a picture of not only why architecture is significant in uplifting the lives of its occupants through sound, but also will get you thinking about ways you can enhance your architecture by knowing full well that you are creating a context that your occupants will need to inadvertently fit into, as much as it will need to fit them.

Here is the video entitled How Architecture Helped Music Evolve:

What Does This Mean for Your Designs?

After watching the above video, you are probably left with a better understanding as to why the design of architecture is so critical to not only help people be more functional, but to also help entire cultures to evolve. It is as if architecture is both a thumbprint of a person or a culture, while also serving as a vessel within which a person or a culture can develop and thrive. And a key component that makes all of this happen are the senses with sensorial stimuli, like sound through music.

Thus, by understanding more about sensory design, your architecture will stand a better chance of growing, learning and evolving with its occupants, by not only fitting them now, but also helping them to realize their future through context. As your occupants use your building either for an hour, for decades or over many generations, it must meet their needs on many levels — intellectually, emotionally, physiologically, behaviorally and spiritually. And still, the senses play a large role on all of these.

In order to do all of this well as an architect, it will often help to delve into how the human senses absorb, process and actuate stimuli. By getting a richer understanding of this, you will equip yourself to create designs that grow and evolve — to actually become an extended “instrument” with which not only musicians and composers create and perform music, but also with which occupants can realize a better extension of themselves as they experience each moment of every day.

Please Tell Me What You Think

I would really like to get your feedback on my post today, so please leave me a comment in the form below. And if you enjoyed it, make sure you share it with your Twitter followers by “tweeting” it using the re-tweet button on this page.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: fudj | Flickr

Going to the theater is usually an invigorating experience. A good production definitely considers the orchestration of numerous stimuli…all in an effort to feed the senses. Similar to architecture, theater set design must work to create an experience with space, and often such theatrical experiences tap into so much more that just the visual sense.

For this reason, architects can learn a thing or two from good theater set design and performance.

Space Filled with Dynamic Moments

What goes into producing an entire theatrical experience rests upon more that just the actors. There is an entire environment that revolves around them — everything from the theater building itself to the often dynamic and jaw-dropping stage environments.

As architects we can learn a lot from film compilation, music composition and story narrative; but the subject of theatrical design and performance is often an underplayed topic. If you think about it…how often can you see a synthesis of so many senses “composed” to engage you in an experiential narrative?

Of course, there are some differences between designing for a theater experience versus designing for a lifestyle experience. However, there are some intriguing overlaps. For starters, both often incorporate cutting edge technologies like lighting and computer technologies. In essence, a theater stage (say for a musical) can be perceived as a micro-environment in that it must accomplish a lot with a little amount of space.

It’s time for architects to delve a bit deeper into how theater design and performance orchestrates the senses to simultaneously tell a story. The narrative can often be quite complex and often the experience for the audience becomes quite memorable and meaningful.

The Importance of Transition

Theatrical performances are compact, micro- journeys that can often tap into intellectual and emotional dimensions through the audience’s senses. With limited time and space transition becomes a critical factor. Hence, transitions are a key takeaway lesson for architects to remember.

As the scenes and the stage transition from one scene to the next, that space becomes more flexible — not just because walls and floors move around, but because transitions are occurring all the time. For example, lights transition within a scene and then fog emits to transition between two songs, then the walls rotate while colors evolve. The stage is ever transforming at all scales and the actors work with these qualities to ultimately create a well-synchronized performance.

Of course, the stage is a performance and much rehearsal goes into creating such a “perfect” showing. But architecture can learn much from the way a theatrical production is stitched together. Every small detail and every moment has a meaning and contributes to the greater whole of the narrative.

The next time you go to the theater to see the latest Broadway Musical, enjoy the show but also keep in mind how the set design experience really caters to the senses. It is really amazing to see what can actually be accomplished within such a small space — from visual illusions, to beauty, to emotions, to making you think.

The theater set designers takes the audience (and the actors) for an experiential ride — isn’t that what you should do with your architecture?

Please Tell Me What You Think

I would really like to get your feedback on my post today, so please leave me a comment in the form below. And if you enjoyed it, make sure you share it with your Twitter followers by “tweeting” it using the re-tweet button on this page.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

The following video is by Urban Screen, a company that claims to “put architecture on stage”. They basically design large-scale projections for urban surfaces.

You will notice how the building facade in this video becomes dynamic and its skin seems to “breathe” — even if it is only an illusion.

LAYERS OF FLATNESS

In some ways I think that the experience of this installation is very different on video than it would have been in person. I do; however, like the way the projection is scaled to “play” with the existing buildings design elements (windows and such).

Seeing a video like this is thought provoking in that it makes one aware of a state we call “flatness” — and what designers can do with its layers.

IT’S MORE THAN JUST A PROJECTION

There is most definitely a theatrical side to this urban “stage” where architecture can come to life in an entirely new way. It’s not about the simple act of projecting; it’s what Urban Screen does with the merger between the dynamic projection and the static building.

By pushing the boundaries of physics, passers-by can “see” building materials and structures behave in entirely new and unexpected ways.

It’s a great way to push the “behavioral” envelope.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman