Juhani Pallasmaa

In this classic essay, first published in 1996, Finnish architect, teacher and author Juhani Pallasmaa argues, very effectively, for considering all of the body's senses, not just the visual as it dominates architectural design. He sees today's emphasis on images as coming at the expense of the other senses and therefore causing the environments we create to be literally and metaphorically shallow. It's hard to deny that Pallasmaa is on to something, and that his two-prong argument (the first part of the book is a historical glimpse of sight's ascendancy, while the second part focuses on the other senses) is very effective. It helps that the book is a short one and that Pallasmaa's prose is intelligent yet not overly difficult to digest; these traits have made the book an important one for students in architecture school. One of my favorite ideas is the author's view of sight, which he sees as closer to touch, since we see when light "touches" the eyes.

Yet, with nearly 20 years transpiring since the book's initial publication, I wonder if the book has had a strong impact on what architects produce. It's nearly impossible to determine if buildings apparently designed with the other senses in mind were designed with the assistance of Pallasmaa's ideas, but a quick look at the Pritzker Prizes since 1996 (Pallasmaa happened to serve on the Pritzker jury from 2009 to 2014) reveals some sympathetic architects: Sverre Fehn (1997), Glenn Murcutt (2002), Jørn Utzon (2003), Paulo Mendes da Rocha (2006), Peter Zumthor (2009), Eduardo Souto de Moura (2011), and Wang Shu (2012). Any link between the book and something of a trend toward awarding architects who design for the total bodily experience is tenuous, but Wiley did release an extended, 128-page hardcover version of the book (Amazon link below), which says a little something about the lasting significance of this great essay.… (more)