Architectural Statements and Technological Phrases: An inter-disciplinary investigation of performance and technology, and its influence on spatial design and occupancy

Abstract

We perhaps most readily associate notions of architecture engaging the senses with grand architectural statements. The Gothic Cathedral, Renaissance Cupola or industrial envelope of St. Pancras Station are awe-inspiring. More recently the architect Peter Zumthor (2006) has brought the subject of architecture and the senses back to centre stage. However, he exposes architecture to sensory scrutiny at a very personal scale, where the feel of a door handle and the sound of a heavy door closing provoke a personal connection to space and place. Within the built environment, technology’s influence is most obviously conceived at this grand scale. Arguably, recent works by Gehry, Foster and Hadid ha..