_Pallasmaa, J. (2005). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses. Chichester, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Academy.

For a while, designers usually create with vision as their forefront. In the Eyes of the Skin, Pallasmaa tackles the “bias towards vision, and the suppression of the other sense.” The engagement of our senses in architecture plays a very significant role, it informs us of our presence and existence in space. The encounter of a multi-sensory space is discussed as well, explaining the objective of such spaces and the importance of it. Pallasmaa also emphasizes how engaging other senses aside from just our visual is connected to how we perceive and engage the space as well as our capacity of thoughts.

_Busch, A. (2004). The uncommon life of common objects: Essays on design and the everyday. New York: D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers.

Although Akiko Busch describes the intimate relationships that one has with certain objects, one could argue that these object focused relationships could also foster certain intimate experiences within the space that they occupy. These stories explore and describe to us how we often learn to understand and also redefine our relationship without object. Busch elegantly describes to us the cherished relationships that her family, friends and as well as herself has with objects such as a stroller, a cereal box, a vegetable peeler, and many more. As we all know, all objects are designed and they are usually designed for efficient function. However, the intimate experiences that users have with these objects reveals something much grander. It reveals humane and genuine moments, moments that help us understand these artefacts in a much deeper level. Any of these everyday objects “compose a profile”, they shape us, they “tell a story not only about them, but also about the rooms, the landscapes they inhabit.”

_Gallagher, Winifred. The Power of Place: How Our Surroundings Shape Our Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions. New York: Poseidon, 1993. Print.

_Ellard, Colin. Places of the Heart: The Psychogeography of Everyday Life. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

_Malnar, J. M., & Vodvarka, F. (2004). Sensory design. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

_Beatley, T. (2011). Biophilic cities: Integrating nature into urban design and planning. Washington, DC: Island Press.

The idea of a biophilic city includes not only lush greens of various scales but citizens would also be actively involved with the nature that is offered around them as well. A biophilic city allows for “urbanites” to be exposed to native foliage and also helps us realize the potentials of how our city can include greenery. Beatley describes how a biophilic city can be executed through our infrastructure, our roofs, our patios, our small urban gardens, our buildings’ walls; the list can go on really. A green wall by the botanist Patrick Blanc in Paris stood out from Beatley’s list of green precedents. Incorporating such designs has demonstrated its social benefits, this wall evoked amazement, wonderment, engagement, and participation. Being a part of a biophilic city sounds like something out of a fairy tale. It may seem impossible to do, but it is gradually getting there, many cities are taking steps towards it. Although Beatley describes the benefits and strategies of how to develop a biophilic city, these recommendations could also be scaled down to be better fit for facilities.

_Giesecke, A., & Jacobs, N. (2012). Earth perfect?: Nature, utopia and the garden. London: Black Dog Publishing.

In this book of essays, Earth Perfect? Nature, Utopia, and The Garden, the author Donald Dunham explores the relationship between the garden with architecture. Here he emphasizes about how the idea of a garden has the usual connotation of gardening as merely a chore or as a hobby, which also pairs with backbreaking work and dirty knees. Many also describe the garden as tamed nature. The place of a garden could also be seen as a clearing of a space that allows for reflection, for people to become aware of the edge condition between nature and the built. To be the mediator between architecture and nature. The birth of a garden is conscious, it requires place and human intervention. Dunham explains the importance in his text, “A deliberately planted tree in a clearing or space in the forest certainly reflects intentional action, but without continued acknowledgment of its existence, it becomes another tree in the forest, no longer able to claim the right of place. It is at the complete mercy of nature untamed.”

_Almusaed, A. (2011). Biophilic and bioclimatic architecture: Analytical therapy for the next generation of passive sustainable architecture. London ; New York: Springer.

Almusaed encapsulates the discipline of biophilic architecture and different methods of how to apply it into our lives. He also references to how the application of biophilic architecture can  benefit us in our overall health and well-being. The introduction of indoor plants has also been proven that it improves indoor air quality. He supplements this by providing the background information of different plants and vegetations, all varying in terms of application and environment.