Spaces with a Voice: Architecture as the Language of Emotions

Designers are constantly in contact with two types of materials: “construction materials” and “architectural materials”. The former, which follow the rules of Euclidean geometry, adapt to the function and physical structure of a building, while the latter comply with topological principles, and are often intangible. This is not a question of wordplay: the materials we use for building are not only physical materials; they’re also those materials that awaken emotions and prompt more subtle interactions.

These intangible materials are able to evoke specific sensations and have a profound impact on our psychological well-being. As the title of a moral philosophy essay recalls, the influence of elements such as the aroma of a warm croissant can even enrich human goodness, in a way that moves beyond the physical substance of the croissant. In a sense, the architectural environment plays a similar role: it is not just the materials that make up a building that are significant, but also how they interact with each other to awaken emotions.

Let’s take a chess match, for example: each piece has an intrinsic value, but this value is significantly impacted by its position on the board and the relations established between the pieces during the match. Likewise, emotions derive not only from the way physical materials are combined, but also from the harmony established between light, shadows, transparencies and sounds that reflect and spread through spaces. Elements such as water, sky, vegetation and even minerals all intertwine to create a “living environment” able not only to perform practical functions, but also to awaken profound emotional responses.

The characteristics of these materials - and not only their visual features - can evoke both memories and feelings. Immutable though they may seem, even mineral materials can alter with the passing of time, taking on different positions in space and creating connections or separations between different areas. Materials are also affected by the passing of time: while they do not always deteriorate, they can acquire a patina that enhances their appeal and their ability to tell a story.

Neurosciences and other scientific disciplines are increasingly demonstrating how the environment influences all forms of life, and humans in particular, on whom it has an impact throughout their lives, right from birth. The quality of our habitat - composed of sounds, smells, temperature conditions, air quality and the interactions between materials - has a profound impact on our physical and psychological well-being. This impact affects not only individuals; it extends to the community as a whole, in all its forms.

In the course of our lives, each one of us moves from one environment to another. These environments include our homes, which can be subject to continual changes. While in peasant society the home remained virtually unchanged, today - and especially in countries such as Italy, people change their residence 5 or 6 times in their lifetime on average. Right from our days in our mother’s belly, the sounds, materials and spaces we live in influence our existence, determining its duration and quality. These effects are not coincidental: they are determined by the wise architectural choices, culture, education and knowledge we carry with us.

So architecture is not just a question of material construction, but of creating environments conducive to human well-being and able to respond to the psychological and emotional needs of those who live in them. In this sense, architecture becomes a discipline that shapes lives, improving the quality of human experience through sensitivity to materials and the effects they have.