1. BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
(ARC61303/ARC2224)
SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (MARCH 2017)
Name: NIK AFIQ AMADI BIN NIK ABDULLAH ID No.: 0317749
Lecturer: MR PRINCE FAVIS ISIP Tutorial Time: 1000-1200
Reader/Text Title: THE EYES OF THE SKIN Synopsis No: 3
Author: JUHANI PALLASMA
The Eyes of the Skin is about Juhani Pallasma’s theoretical architectural perceptions on the
developmentofarchitectural philosophy and teaching in the 21st Century. He highlighted the importance ofall
human senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste) through the world of architecture instead of just
experience it with sight. I believe good architectural work always started with exploring the spaces by
activating all the senses. For me, it is an interesting essay to read, as it triggered my thoughts on
understanding more deeply about how to explore into the architectural world.
In the beginning, Juhani Pallasma stated that he increasingly concerned aboutthe loss of sensory
and sensual qualities from the art of architecture. People are over experienced through vision rather than
other senses. This issue addressed him to write an essay abouthuman sense and in terms of experiencing,
making and teaching architecture. I agree when he said that an architect has to address all the senses
simultaneously and fuse our image of self with our experience ofthe world. In my opinion, we can enhance
our self-senses by communicating it through art and architecture. Designing a building that is beyond the
capability ofa normal human can imagine and they experience itin the same time can become a meaningful
of art. I believe an architect can manipulate human emotions and spiritual essence and associations to the
space design. There are few examples nowadays; architectwho notonly design for only sightcan experience
it but also other senses.
On the second part, Juhani Pallasma examines the role of other senses in authentic architectural
experience, and points the way towards a multi-sensory architecture which facilities the sense of belonging
and integration. I find it very interesting about his explanation on multi-sensory experience. He described an
example, walking through a forest can activate all senses and relate it with the architecture where he wrote
that the architecture is essentially an extension of the nature into man made realm. This context explained
that, architecture should strengthen the existential of self through design. The eye should collaborate with
other senses to determine the quality of space, matter and scale.
In the nutshell, he many times mentiondeeply aboutsense oftouchand relate it with vision.He stated
that it is impossible to experience the space only by the sense ofvision withoutcollaborating it with sense of
touch. However, he did notexplain more aboutother senses, which in my opinion, is vital as well. At the end
of the text also, the content become more abstract kind of experiences. Ibelieve, in order to become great
architect, we should design a building which able us to tackle our multi-sensory of sense. Notonly designing
a space or form, but also inserting a successful programmatic eventin the building which can stimulate the
end users sense and make the building alive as well.
2. Word Count: 484 Mark Grade
Assessed by: Date 7th
June 2017 Page No. 1
