Author manuscript, published in "Ambiances in action / Ambiances en acte(s)- International Congress on Ambiances, Montreal 2012, Montreal: Canada (2012)" Atmosphere and heritage Documenting the architectural heritage (original) (raw)
Related papers
Ambiance as an instrument to link the tangible-intangible aspects of heritage
2016
I explore how the notion of ambiances can help integrate the tangible-intangible divide in heritage urban landscapes (HUL). Ambiances are both subjective and objective and thus involve people’s lived experience as well as their physical environment (Thibaud, 2011). The concept of ambiances occupies the space between subject and object (Bohme, 1993). Given its dual nature, ambiances can link disparate dimensions in heritage literature: past-present-and future events; individual and social memory, and instrumental and symbolic meanings (Alves, 2015).
SHS Web of Conferences
The concept of “ambiance” has been shaped over the years by questioning the interactions between three attractors: architecture and the city, climatic and sound phenomena, uses and perception. Studied in pairs, each of these attractors refers to very different disciplinary fields; architecture and phenomena concern the physics of the city, architecture and uses interest sociology and uses and phenomena are rather turned to comfort. Studies concerning ambiances are therefore highly interdisciplinary and raise many questions: living spaces, urban renewal and heritage, urban prospective and the city as a stage. For this, many conceptual and technical tools are mobilized: digital tools for simulation and immersion, investigation, surveys and storytelling, prototyping, field action. What may be new in the field of academic studies is the awareness of artistic creation as a resource for the use of digital tools, storytelling and the representation of complexity through original means.
2012
Abstract. Building an exhibition means giving shape to an artificial environment in which certain meanings are transmitted. In a dialectical relationship with the visi-‐ tor, objects reclaimed from the context that generated them are ordered and pre-‐ sented, defining situations full of new meanings and dimensions. In this context, atmosphere plays a significant role: objects and public are simultaneously in one place and, to ensure a successful communication, the emotional component takes on strategic importance. Building an architecture exhibition means giving shape to an artificial environment in which the object of the display is absent. Therefore, in some cases, the purpose of the show becomes the issue of making a spatial experi-‐ ence accessible to the public. Some architecture exhibitions do not define their goal as an objective presentation based on technical drawings, models and strangely uninhabited photographs but, on the contrary, they try to reconstruct a certain “some...
Built heritage perception through representation of its atmosphere
A holistic view on the city was shaped under the influence of such fundamental works as the Image of the city by Kevin Lynch (1960), or Genius loci by Christan Norberg-Schulz (1979). Especially the latter publication defined the identity of places as a resultant of a number of factors, including intangible values, which allowed better understanding of the complexity and richness of the city phenomena Similar assumptions laid foundation for the recommendation on the protection of the historic urban landscape (HUL) adopted during the UNESCO General Conference in 2011. The above-mentioned issues are crucial for visualising built heritage, since not only shapes and dimensions are responsible for the proper understanding of the place. The intangible values are also of great importance. This is the main topic of the paper, which aims at presenting various methods and techniques in reconstructing and representing heritage buildings and areas. This is illustrated by case studies, based on the professional and didactic experience of authors. In particular, traditional hand-drawing techniques and computer-based visualisation methods are compared. Despite the adopted techniques the most important seems not only to achieve a certain level of accuracy but also to reflect genius loci of represented site. Both issues have to be well-balanced to achieve sustainable and satisfactory results.
On Atmosphere as a Visual Phenomenon in Architectural Aesthetics
Heritage and the City: Values and Beyond, 2022
The aesthetic perception of a spatial atmosphere is related to the sensory experience we have in that space. Although this experience is led by a multisensory understanding, the dominant sense is generally the sense of sight in architectural spaces. This dominance—which is generally connected to the Modernist architects as asserted by, for example, Juhani Pallasmaa (2005)—is related to the speed of the perception, or speed of the transfer of the data amount collected by this sense. What is perceived and evaluated aesthetically via the data provided by the sense of sight comprises the composition of the spatial atmosphere in visual respect. In this visual rendition, composition principles have an important role in affecting the experiencers aesthetically in the evaluation of space by setting objective criteria. Therefore, in this paper, I aim to read and understand the relationships between architectural spaces and composition principles as objective atmosphere generators. I chose rhythm, contrast, and unity in variety as the composition principles frequently used in architectural design. To demonstrate this relationship, I firstly made a literature review to provide a base for the analyses theoretically, and secondly, I made a case study comprising the examples having visual organizations created by the mentioned composition principles. The cases to discuss the visual qualities provided by these principles comprise the Villa Stein (Paris, France, 1927) designed by Le Corbusier, the Barcelona Pavilion designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Georg Kolbe’s sculpture named the Dawn (Alba) (Barcelona, Spain, 1929), and the Brion Cemetery (San Vito d’Altivole, Italy, 1969-77) designed by Carlo Scarpa. Examining the atmospheric design and genii given by the composition principles in these cases may pave the way for understanding the lack we have in the aesthetic qualities of today’s architecture.
Traditional and Digital Representations of Atmosphere in Architecture. A first systematisation
SHS Web of Conferences, 2019
In architecture, atmosphere and its many implications have, in recent years, received increased attention. This paper considers atmosphere in architectural representation, and begins with an exploration of different definitions of these atmospheric representations. This paper then identifies and summarises representations of atmosphere in architecture and their key aspects, and proposes, in the form of a timeline, a preliminary systematisation of these aspects. This paper considers both traditional and digital representations of atmosphere in architecture, and focuses on aesthetic and emotional qualities of atmosphere. Thus, this paper is not limited to realistic and scientific approaches of atmosphere as meteorological conditions, but extends to atmosphere as emotions and mood. This paper also suggests cross-fertilisation, in the representation of atmosphere, between architecture and other fields. Therefore, while this paper explores atmospheric representations in architecture, it ...
1_A Framework to Analyze Historic Buildings and Interiors.pdf
Analysing and understanding the historic environment gives us the possibility to deeply grasp the inseparable relations between form, structure, and material, which gives historic buildings a unique character and defines architectural identity. But understanding all these underlying issues needs a critical and active engagement with the built environment. Evaluating the historic environment with an intuitive approach can feed the design process but it may also lead to the undervaluation of certain issues, which may in fact be very important in terms of cultural significance. This paper aims to develop a framework to analyse historic buildings by focusing on space more than the architectural being. Therefore, it proposes to analyse the historic environment with a continuous approach starting from urban scale to interior scale. The use of such a framework aims to structure the analysis of the historic environment with a concentric approach on human experience and it targets to feed the adaptive reuse process and related design activities.
Proceedings of the International Symposium “Creating an atmosphere”., 2008
This paper presents results of two large surveys (in English and Spanish) conducted from April 2007 to April 2008. The objective was to gather empirical information about Extraordinary Architectural Experiences (EAEs). The survey produced the largest number of personal testimonies of EAEs ever collected (2,872). This paper presents 14 responses that cover the process, nature, and effects characterizing such extreme atmospheres. The findings show a phenomenology of sudden and surprising arousal, spontaneous unfolding, intense/profound/vivid perceptions, high state of consciousness, no talking and silent/introspective manners, strong bodily reactions, and remarkable levels of recall. EAEs were overwhelmingly reported to be emotional, sensual/physical/perceptual, timeless, and pleasurable.