Intuitive Architecture
What do you think about when you are about to build a new home .... do you think of the buildings shape, cost, number of rooms, style .... or do you think about the building in relation to the neighborhood, landscape or view? Each of these elements are important when designing a building, but there is another element that fundamentally impacts on the experience of the spaces - and that is how a building feels. Intuitive Architecture is something we focus on at Donnell & Day to ensure that the completed buildings are tailored to not only function beautifully but also to delight and stimulate the senses.
Buildings are designed to enclose space. If you peel off the walls and imagine the air inside it as a solid element - this is the space that we inhabit everyday. This space can have a different feel to it dependent on the proportions, materials, textures and how it catches the light - it can feel warm and cozy, light and airy, quiet and calming, or shadowy and mysterious. However, for too many new buildings, it also has the potential to feel cold and clinical, soulless and empty, or even bland nothingness, relying on a decorators coating of paint to do a huge job of injecting 'character' into a room.
"Architecture as art emerges from a desire to solve more than just a functional problem. This deeper desire is itself its ethical function. A statement that the buildings art exists not only for arts sake but also for the sake of some ethical purpose." Paul Goldenberg 'Why Architecture Matters'.
When we design intuitive architecture we consider not only the inhabitants and their experiences and wellbeing within the spaces but also how that building impacts on the community, the neighborhood and also the landscape. We design structures that fit with the brief and budget but also intuitively takes into account the future of that family, neighborhood or landscape with forward thinking technology and design. I love that architecture is a fusion of art, science, culture, history, geography, is an expression of our own time and values and has the potential to make a difference in peoples lives, both now and in years to come.
A great architectural space should make you FEEL something, whether it be calm, peace, pleasure in moving through the rooms, awe, inspiration, exhilaration or perhaps simply noticing how well it is tailored to your everyday movements, how it celebrates those daily moments and rituals at different times of the day as the light moves across the surfaces. Investment in design makes a fundamental difference to the quality of a home, and is something that can be enjoyed and experienced daily for many years to come.
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