The Spirit of Place
The post's headline might sound unfamiliar, never been heard of, arouse our curiosity, or nudge us to scratch our heads. Confusion aside, let us first simplify the topic and begin with the source. The terminology "Genius Loci" had origins as far back in time during the ancient civilizations of the Romans. According to these pioneers, this was referred to as the protective "spirit of the place" and was historically portrayed as a guardian creature, supernatural entity, or possibly a watchful ghost.
Meet Sophia. She is an adventurous traveler and loves going around famous destinations around the world. One day, she finally fulfilled her life-long dream of experiencing the Eiffel Tower of Paris in person. Those were ecstatic moments for her as she fully savored the majority of the marvelous features of the place as much as a typical tourist could consume.
A few years later, she happened to arrive in Las Vegas for a vacation and all of a sudden, stumbled upon an exact replica of the famous Eiffel Tower in one of the luxurious hotels in that city. Did she feel the same way there as her previous presence at the original monument? No, she did not. An unforgettable place that had already been experienced will always embed its unique emotional connections and vivid memories to that person therefore could not be repackaged and shipped somewhere else regardless of their stark similarities. See the difference?
Fast forward to our modern era, Genius Loci has evidently evolved into an extensively researched field of science because of its valuable influence on the architecture and design professions. In fact, the spirit of place, also popularly known as "sense of place", has become more obvious nowadays due to its useful timely implications. There are a variety of spaces that feel comfortable and have a welcoming impression while others tend to push us from a mountain edge falling to the bottom. Some habitats also tend to emanate warmth and hug us with security and refuge. These are basic examples of emotional reactions that are usually the result of natural tendencies derived from relevant moments of our experiences.
Each interior zone, outdoor area, building exterior, and geographical landscape embraces a distinctive atmosphere - beyond that of the existing built environment. Furthermore, this physical setting mirrors how spaces operate in the real world as people travel through time and space. Hence, this is where Genius Loci plays a strategic role in how we perceive and experience our immediate surroundings.
Lifeless Built Environments
Contrary to popular belief that buildings are lifeless objects, it is high time to think otherwise. We constantly have the tendency to prefer the novel. And in architecture, we are more attracted to buildings that have adapted to new technologies, recent design styles, and state-of-the-art construction materials due to our natural obsession with the latest trends.
On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with heritage sites and ancient buildings regardless of how far they have shifted from the norm. These edifices may have lost their luster however, the cultural mark they have planted on a location will always be felt by people who experience the place, given that the concerned environment is worthy of the memorable moment.
Genius Loci offers justice to aged buildings that are considered lifeless because of the passage of time but have contributed immense cultural and social value during their lifespan. One effective way of rejuvenating their former glory and the prime condition is through adaptive architecture, which is another interesting subject to investigate.
Place as a Phenomenon
Our daily lives are surrounded by perceived phenomena in actual realms. Concrete objects such as plants, trees, animals, forests, doors, floors, furniture, houses, and buildings. It also consists of celestial bodies like the sun, moon, stars, and the physical aspects of the universe as well as the planet's atmosphere plus our ever-transforming seasons.
Interestingly, this phenomena also include intangible properties like our emotions and the expressive feelings that affect us. This is often referred to as the "meat of our existence" and is simply considered as one of the core ingredients of our human experiences.
A more technical definition of place is called environment. We seldom use the typical expression in our conversational language that happenings "take place". Thus, it is worthless to even think that any event or occurrence would be materialized without referring to a specific location. A place is apparently a significant component of our earthly existence. All these vital criteria point to a locality's character, also known as atmosphere, and is fundamentally the primary essence of a place.
Context of Genius Loci in Spaces
In its relationship to current architectural theory, Genius Loci has a profound influence on the transformation of a place and is categorized as a philosophical branch of Phenomenology. This interesting architectural domain has been explored more thoroughly by the notable theorist Christian Norberg-Schulz in his outstanding book, Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture.
There are instances when the attractive and elusive characteristics of a certain place draw the attention of people. For the physical process of Genius Loci to take effect, there are certain elements that are foundational to its concrete application.
NATURAL HABITATS. This comprises green landscapes, topographic conditions, climatic states, and the availability of authentic natural components like water, soil, air, plants, animals, etc.
CULTURAL EVIDENCE. These are the constructed infrastructure and architecture like bridges, fortifications, religious structures erected on hilltops, plus other buildings that are embedded in the geological landscape, social legacy, actual location or movement of people, and the specific place as a cultural destination.
SENSORY INTERACTIONS. This consists of the visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile activities that are the resulting outcomes from the interactions with the habitat, landscape, and culture of the location.
Collectively, it is the direct engagement and immersive exposure of human beings to their physical environments that contribute to their immediate reactions and transform a location or site into its sense of place.
Feng Shui and its Influence
In Eastern philosophy, Feng Shui is a system of principles governing spatial programming, organization, and orientation with its relationship to the flow of healing energies in the built world. The fundamentals of this widely-practiced Oriental concept merge the valuable characteristics of functionality, distribution, and harmony into the language of architecture and design thought processes.
Here are some practical and real-life applications of Feng Shui to enhance the spirit of place for a wide variety of houses, offices, buildings, and other equally significant constructed environments:
GEOMETRIC PROPORTIONS. The square and rectangular are the most preferred shapes in the construction of space due to their standard usage and ideal compatibilities in designing architectural projects. These simple forms also allow the easy flow of energy and practical utilization of building materials.
PASSAGE OF NATURAL ELEMENTS. The designed space must be conducive to the continuous stream of natural sunlight, breathable air, and correct ventilation to flow within the interiors. Floor-to-ceiling height windows are perfect examples to allow the passage of these vital components of nature.
ELIMINATION OF POINTED AND SHARP OBJECTS. Spaces like bedrooms, family rooms, living areas, and even high-end bathrooms where rest is the core activity, must be free from dangerous decorations, furniture, and items that cause fatal accidents. The achievement of complete relaxation in these zones is the key.
SEPARATION OF SPACES. Specific areas within the interior environment must be ideally separated with designated walls to categorize their functional purposes. For instance, a home office must be completely isolated from noisy areas to properly safeguard the allocated energy in the intended room.
PRACTICE OF ORGANIZATION. A messy environment would not be an ideal space to rest, work, eat, study, clean up, or socialize. Hence, the provision of ample storage systems to arrange, compile, and manage all sorts of stuff helps to avoid clutter in the discipline of Feng Shui and allows the passage of desirable positive energy.
EASE OF ACCESS PATHS. Entry portals like front doors for homes must portray a solid appearance and open towards the interior to invite feelings of welcome and hospitality upon the entry of people. Moreover, these passageways must be maintained with tidiness, cleanly organized, and free from mess to promote the continuous current of favorable forces.
(Note: A special shout-out to @macchiata in answering her personal request to write about this topic. I hope this has helped you.)
The Architecture of Well-being
If we are serious enough in enjoying everything that space provokes in the different human experiences we exhibit, the spirit of a place, though invisible, is the ultimate answer to being more emotionally connected to our various built environments.
Would it be a more memorable spatial encounter if we simply slow down, relax our senses, as well as feel the beautiful atmosphere and character of our surroundings? If the numerous benefits that are derived from Genius Loci are planted at the core of transforming the ambiance of a certain place, would that significantly establish architecture as a more worthwhile endeavor? Only time will tell.
#Hive, have you experienced the Genius Loci of an environment while in its presence?
