Characterizing round buildings as Bouba, and angled buildings as Kiki, is one example of our brain making associations across the senses. Learn how designers engage this unique perceptual ability by using building form for sensory messaging!

Stock Music provided by four_track, from Pond5

Images and video by:

Freepik

Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

Christian Perner on Unsplash

Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

Utkarxh Rathore on Unsplash

Bernd Dittrich on Unsplash

Inga Mucke on Unsplash

Cosmin Caciuc

Cody Thurston

References and Resources:

Lea, M., Thomas, R., Lamkin, N., & Bell, A. (2007). Who do you look like? Evidence for the existence of facial stereotypes for male names. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14(5), 901-907.

Köhler, W. (1929). Gestalt Psychology. New York: Liveright.

Ramachandran, V. & Hubbard, E. (2001). Synaesthesia—A window into perception, thought and language. Journal of Consciousness Studies 8: 3–34.

Ramachandran, V. (2004). A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness: From Impostor Poodles to Purple Numbers, Pi Press.

Nanda, U. (2005). Sensthetics: a crossmodal approach to the perception, and conception, of our environments. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University.

Banasiak, M. (2020). A Sensory Place for All. In G. Lindsay (Ed.), Contemporary Museum Architecture and Design: Theory and Practice of Place. New York: Routledge.

Lupton, E. & Lipps, A. (2018). “Why Sensory Design?” In The Senses: Design beyond vision edited by Lupton, E. & Lipps, A. New York. Princeton Architectural Press.

Spence, C. (2021). Sensehacking: How to use the power of your senses for happier, heathier living. London, UK: Viking Penguin

Vartanian, O., Navarrete, G., Chatterjee, A., Brorson Fich, L., Leder, H., Modroño, C. & Skov, M. (2013). Impact of contour on aesthetic judgments and approach-avoidance decisions in architecture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 110,10446–10453.

Bar, M. & Neta, M. (2007). “Visual elements of subjective preference modulate amygdala activation”. Neuropsychologia 45, 2191–2200.

Friedenberg, J., Lauria, G., Hennig, K., & Gardner, I. (2023). Beauty and the sharp fangs of the beast: degree of angularity predicts perceived preference and threat. Psychological research, 10.1007/s00426-023-01822-y.

Denver Art Museum. “Modern & Contemporary Art: Matthew Brannon, Last to Know.” (2010).

Peter Zumthor, Therme Vals

Daniel Libeskind, Hamilton Building, Denver Art Museum

Daniel Libeskind, Jewish Museum Berlin

Frank Lloyd Wright, Jester-Pfeiffer House

Phoenix Earthship, Taos New Mexico

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