Quotes On Architecture, construction, planning

We can measure with a tape whether or not a man can reach something, but we must apply an entirely different set of standards to judge the validity of an individual’s feeling of being cramped. (p. 52)

From The Hidden Dimension (1982, orig. 1966):

Space perception is not only a matter of what can be perceived but what can be screened out. People brought up in different cultures learn as children, without ever knowing that they have done so, to screen out one type of information while paying close attention to another. Once set, these perceptual patterns apparently remain quite stable throughout life. (pp. 44-5)

Texture…is appraised and appreciated almost entirely by touch, even when it is visually presented. With few exceptions…it is the memory of tactile experiences that enables us to appreciate texture. So far, only a few designers have paid much attention to the importance of texture, and its use in architecture is largely haphazard and informal. In other words, texture on and in buildings are seldom used consciously and with psychological or social awareness. (p. 62)

A keystone in the arch of human understanding is the recognition that man at certain critical points synthesizes experience. (p. 66)

The structure of the eye has many implications for the design of space… For example, movement is exaggerated at the periphery of the eye. Straight edges and alternate black and white bands are particularly noticeable. This means that the closer the walls of any tunnel or hallway, the more apparent the movement. This feature of the eye causes drivers in countries like France to slow down when they enter a tree-lined road from an open highway. To increase the speed of motorists in tunnels, it is necessary to reduce the number of visual impacts that flash by at eye level. In restaurants, libraries, and public places, cutting down on movement in the peripheral field should reduce the sense of crowding somewhat, whereas maximizing peripheral stimulation should build up a sense of crowding. (p. 72)

…our own culture tends to stress that which can be controlled and to deny that which cannot. (p. 58)

…man senses distance as other animals do. His perception of space is dynamic because it is related to action–-what can be done in a given space-–rather than what is seen by passive viewing. (p. 115)