Exploring Multisensory Design Approach in

Sacred Spaces

By Shiva Shishodia
PID20319

A final paper submitted to :

M21-C-Contemporary Interior Practices

Tutor : Errol Reubens TA : Surabhi Motwani

Contents

Page no.

Abstract iii

Introduction 1-2

Design , Architecture and the senses 2-3

Multisensory design Approach 4-6

Conclusion 6

Refrences 7
Abstract

The art of creating, designing, making of architecture calls for clear thought
process which takes majorly through senses and the body. Senses are an
important part of human life. It allows us to experience life and thus we rely on our
senses without realizing.Senses mix with memories making and individual move
through time and space making him experience which hits from all directions.

The multisensory design is imagined to enjoy human faculties by making a space charming
to them. With regards to interiors , individuals are probably going to feel that sight is generally
significant, which is the reason aesthetics is considered a significant aspect of the design.
But,multisensory design perception research has given some remarkable insights on how
sensory integration in the perception of space, object and events take place. They have
further worked on how this affects our behavior and understanding of certain experiences
in multisensory atmosphere.
Sacred spaces such as meditative centers are generally experential in design as they
provide a serene space to gain conciousness. In this paper we would be discussing two
such spaces and how do they make senses an integral part of interior design
 Exploring Multisensory Design Approach in
Sacred Spaces

By Shiva Shishodia
PID20319

Introduction

Senses are an important part of human life. It allows us to experience life and thus we rely on
our senses without realizing. Everyday life and the way we perceive our world and surrounding
are unconsciously or consciously dependent on our senses. The senses is not only means of
mediation of the information for discernment of the intellect, but they are also means of sparking
the curiosity, imagination and articulation of thought. Senses mix with memories making and
individual move through time and space making him experience which hits from all directions.

“As much as the needs of fact, the needs of the spirit and the senses, must be satisfied.
Architecture is as much a part of the realm of art as it is of technology; the fusion of thinking
and feeling.”

— Harry Seidler

The art of creating, designing, making of architecture calls for clear thought process which
takes majorly through senses and the body. Designing communicates thoughts and emotions
through varied expressions which ignite the intellectual perception towards any piece of art.

FIGURE : Five senses enhancing experiences by stimulating intellect

Sensory design is defined by the total sensorial experience achieved through design
which can influence our feelings, mood, behavior and wellbeing. The senses trigger
each other and amplify other senses which changes the way we perceive a space.
Sensory design is an approach which focuses on the user of the space and how
senses can be stimulated to enhance the quality of life and experience in that space.

M21-C-Contemporary Interior Practices Exploring Multisensory Design Approach in 1

Tutor : Errol Reubens TA : Surabhi Motwani Sacred Spaces
 Sensory design considers not just the shape of things but how things shape us, responding to an
insistent, ever-changing environment. When our body presses into the cushioned surface of a
chair, both body and chair give and react. We grab objects in order to use them as tools for breaking,
bending, mashing, or joining together other objects and materials. Tools are active extensions
of our sense of touch. Tasting food is more than a chemical response—it involves the muscular,
skeletal action of crushing and transforming matter. We use our senses to change our world.1

FIGURE : Joy Monice Malnar and Frank Vodvarka, Ranges of the Senses, from Sensory
Design, University of Minnesota Press; © 2004 by Joy Monice Malnar and Frank
Vodvarka

Design, Architecture and Senses

Traditionally, most of the Interior design practices have been ruled by sense of sight and
how it can stimulate viewer intellectually. Pallasmaa (1996), a Finnish architect, in one of his
famous works The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses, noted that architects have
traditionally been indifferent in this regard, designing primarily for the eye of the beholder (Bille
& Sørensen, 2018; Pallasmaa, 1996, 2011; Rybczynski, 2001; Williams, 1980). Elsewhere,
Pallasmaa (1994, p. 29) writes that: “The architecture of our time is turning into the retinal art
of the eye. Architecture at large has become an art of the printed image fixed by the hurried
eye of the camera.”

” Le Corbusier (1991, p. 83) went even further in terms of his unapologetically outlook, writing
that: “I exist in life only if I can see”, going on to state that: “I am and I remain an impenitent
visual—everything is in the visual” and “one needs to see clearly in order to understand”.

1 James J. Gibson, The Senses Considered as Perceptual Systems (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1966, 1983); Jan Louwrens, Brain
and the Gaze: On the Active Boundaries of Vision (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012).

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Tutor : Errol Reubens TA : Surabhi Motwani Sacred Spaces
 FIGURE : Book cover, The eyes of the skin by Pallasmaa ; Design and Architecture has been regarded as an art form
of the eye. Right corner- above: Eye reflecting The interior of a famous theater from 1775.;Right corner- below, Ascene
from a french movie where female protagnist loses eyesight, denting Vision as most noble of the senses and loss of
eye sight is ultinate physical loss( Reference taken from book)

Commenting on the current situation, Canadian designer Bruce Mau put it thus: “We
haveallowed two of our sensory domains—sight and sound—to dominate our design
imagination. In fact, when it comes to the culture of architecture and design, we create and
produce almost exclusively for one sense—the visual.” (Mau, 2018, p. 20; see also Blesser
& Salter, 2007)

But recently designers have been considerate towards other senses as well; sense of touch
through textures, olfactory senses and how all these senses affect the whole living experience
of an inside space has been looked upon. There is an emphasis on the formal aesthetic of
interior, and it is favored at the expense of the experiential concepts through sensory elements
. Many believe that the primary purpose of a building is to keep the distraction from the task
at hand therefore, most often all the senses aren’t taken in to account in design. The senses,
hearing, touching, taste and smell require closer contact and actual physical engagement,
and what seems to happen is that most often, they are denied importance.

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Tutor : Errol Reubens TA : Surabhi Motwani Sacred Spaces
 Multisensory Design Approach towards Sacred spaces

Multisensory design perception research has given some remarkable insights on how sensory
integration in the perception of space, object and events take place. They have further worked on
how this affects our behavior and understanding of certain experiences in multisensory atmosphere.
For example, Sacred spaces such as meditative centers have to create a sense of tranquility
in the interiors which makes it possible to experience the atmosphere of peace and serenity.

FIGURE : Sacred places in India. In India there are many such places which fills people in awe with its beauty.

In India there are many such places which fills people in awe with its beauty. Dargas
or religious shrines have musical offerings or dervishes which bults a spiritually
binding atmosphere. Temple bells ringing is considered auspicious. These bells are
made up of combination of varied metals in fixed proportion. It has been scientifically
proven that sound produced from ringing of these bells makes a remarkable unity
and harmony composition causing unity of left and right side of human brain.

“There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won’t go. For me,
India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush
beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated
intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds. It was as if all my life I had been seeing the
world in black and white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything
re-rendered in brilliant technicolor.”

— Keith Bellows

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Tutor : Errol Reubens TA : Surabhi Motwani Sacred Spaces
 One of the remarkable examples of sacred place with experential atmosphere is Maitri mandir
in Auroville. Named after SriAurobindo, Auroville is known for sharing practical knowledge of
yoga (Integral Yoga) and meditation to the entire world. Maitri Mandir in Auroville is dedicated
for spiritual significan practicing for spiritually inclined people. Designed by Roger Anger, it is
called soul of the city as its at the center of geographical Auroville. Expression of the faith of
the inhabitants of the city, Maitri mandir is a place for people to find their consciousness and
a place of concentration.

Geodesic spherical dome covered with golden disc that reflects sun rays on the outside and
a spherical form crystal globe has been put at the focal point of the meditation chamber as
point of convergence of consideration, and a heliostat has been intended to coordinate the
sun beams onto this globe. This is the main light for the chamber.

FIGURE : Interior meditation hall at Maitri Mandir, Auroville; Crystal globe put at the centre
point of the meditation chamber

The heliostat has a mirror that turns in unison with the development of the earth so the daylight
is reflected continually at a similar point. At the point when the sun isn’t sparkling, artificial
led lighting under the fabric skin is utilized to reenact the impact of normal light stimulates the
sense of sight and one can experience soothing and calming effect. Neat marble cladding at
the inside chambers gives it neat finishing. People sit silently and meditate and have mystical
and reverential experiences.

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Tutor : Errol Reubens TA : Surabhi Motwani Sacred Spaces
 Another sacred place where once can experience serenity in the space is Isha yoga Centre
in Coimbatore. One of the three meditation method offered there is Sound meditation. Dhyan
Linga Dome, which is inner parikrama zone, made of pillarless brick structure is space for
meditation has 14ft high Dhyan Linga on which continuous water drips. Due to large dome
structure and its form, the sound dripping of water as it hits Dhyan Linga echoes and is used
for meditation purpose. Moreover, Single resonator absorbers (Helmholtz resonators) were
installed in three layers, so as to absorb 12 frequencies between 120 Hz and 1.50 kHz. The
result was a dome with a certain reverberation, which was normal because of its volume.1This
gave also a certain sound quality which added to the experience of the sanctum. Smell of
wet earth, jasmine, burning diyas fills the space making it peaceful and a calming place for
meditation. Warm lighting effect is given by using halogen lights to create a calming effect.
Cuddapah black limestone flooring, plaster vault finishing adds to the timeless experience
and allows one to absorb in the consciousness.

FIGURE : Interiorof Dhyan Linga at Isha yoga centre coimbatore

Conclusion

An embodies memory of all that we recognize, of all that we have lived through and
experienced, senses have added a dimension of different perception to it. The timeless
task of design is to create a memorable experience of space, matter and time fused
into one unified dimension of our consciousness. Design is the essence of creating
art of reconciliation between us and the world and the only way to do is through senses.

1 Auroville Earth Institute Report, November 2019

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Tutor : Errol Reubens TA : Surabhi Motwani Sacred Spaces
 Refrences:-

1) Auroville Earth Institute

http://www.earth-auroville.com/dhyanalinga_dome_en.php

2) The Senses: Design Beyond Vision , by Ellen Lupton and Andrea Lipps(2008)

3) Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses (West Sussex,
England: Wiley, 2005). For an updated account of sensory architecture, see Sarah Williams
Goldhagen, How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives (New York: HarperCollins, 2017).

4) James J. Gibson, The Senses Considered as Perceptual Systems (Westport, CT: Greenwood
Press, 1966, 1983); Jan Lauwereyns, Brain and the Gaze: On the Active Boundaries of Vision
(Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012)

5) Leatherbarrow, David. “Breathing Walls.” Architecture Oriented Otherwise. New York:

Princeton Architectural, 2009. 36. Print

6)Auroville.com
https://www.auroville.com/about-matrimandir

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Tutor : Errol Reubens TA : Surabhi Motwani Sacred Spaces