The built environment has often been designed with only visual principles in mind. This study is an initial attempt to understand the relationship of our basic five senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste) with the spaces we occupy and how it affects architecture students’ well-being. Many spaces engage only with our sight and often touch, but rarely do they captivate our other senses. By interacting with all of our senses can we start to interpret the poetic nature of the spaces we are in and start to feel more empowered. Occupying a multi-sensory environment can be enriching, promote socialization, comfortability, pleasurability, and creative thinking. Data for this research was obtained by observing social behaviors, conducting various surveys, ethnomethodology, and coordinating a few experiments by placing familiar congenial objects in spaces. In a place where there is very little stimulation, how are users creating their own multi sensory environments? What is value of having a multi-sensory environment? Does it stimulate creative process?
09.15.2016