Architecture and Perception of the Lay Public

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