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Return to Essence, Philosophy in Simplicity
Q. Could you share your views on the relationship between sensory perception and design, and how Norm Architects creates rich sensory experiences?
A. Human beings experience the world through specific places, times, and objects, with our five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—breaking down countless stimuli to form our perception and reactions to our environment. After taking in the overall atmosphere, our perception narrows its focus, allowing the senses to explore details such as shape, texture, density, light, and sound. Our holistic understanding of the world is derived from these sensory inputs resonating within our body and mind, embedding these experiences into our memory. These encounters shape our unique senses of comfort, safety, and the feeling of home.
The relationship between our senses and our life experiences is deeply interconnected, influencing our connection to specific moments and things. Therefore, a human-centric approach to architecture and design is essential in harmonizing our relationship with the world, genuinely engaging all the senses to enhance the quality of life. As a team, we constantly ask ourselves, "How should this space or object make someone feel?" This question guides the selection and arrangement of design elements, building a bridge between the physical and the emotional. It is not just about predicting future changes through two-dimensional drawings or models; it requires us to draw on our sensory memories and integrate them with empathy, imagining how certain sounds, textures, volumes, and scents will resonate with the human body. In this way, architecture and design become a language of human connection, inviting the body to engage fully with the space.
