Buildner has announced the results of its Museum of Emotions Competition, an annual international design competition that tasks participants with exploring the extent to which architecture can be used as a tool to evoke emotion.
The brief calls for the design of a conceptual museum with two exhibition halls: one designed to induce negative emotions; the other designed to induce positive emotions. Participants are free to choose any site of their liking, real or imaginary, as well as choose the scale of the project. The meaning of "positive" and "negative" is up for interpretation: What two emotions might a designer consider contrasting? How might an architect conceive spaces that elicits fear, anger, anxiety, love or happiness?
The Museum of Emotions is a "silent" competition; that is, participants must communicate ideas without text, using only imagery. No form of text, whether design descriptions, annotations or even diagrammatic labels, is permitted.
Buildner worked with an international jury panel to evaluate the received entries:
- Julien de Smedt is Founder of Brussels-based JDS Architects;
- Stephanie Deumer is a Canadian Visual Artist currently living and working in Los Angeles;
- Sonia Gagné is Partner at Montréal-based practice Provencher_Roy;
- Daniela Holt Voith is Founding Principal and Director of Design at Voith & Mactavish Architects;
- Lydia Kallipoliti is an Assistant Professor at the Cooper Union and Principal of ANAcycle thinktank;
- James Krueger is Design Principal at HMC Architects’ in San Diego, California;
- Nuno Pimenta runs a transdisciplinary practice in Porto;
- Angelo Renna is an architect based in Italy;
- Lukas Rungger, Co-founder of NOA - architecture and interior design studio.
To put additional focus on this topic, Buildner has published the book Emotional Architecture: Designing Experiences That Provoke Feelings, which delves into the intricate relationship between architecture and the spectrum of human emotions. It explores how spaces can profoundly influence our feelings, from serenity and joy to anxiety and melancholy, through the use of light, layout, materials, and more. The projects exhibited in this book are curated from submissions received over several editions of the Museum of Emotions competition. They reflect an array of ideas submitted from architects and designers from around the globe.
Architecture and Emotion Through History
Since ancient civilizations, architecture has performed as a mirror for human values, with the design of buildings reflecting an interplay between function and aesthetics using available materials and responding to the conditions of site and context. Whether for habitation, work, religion, culture or sport, the architecture of buildings has invariably impacted, guided and resonated with the human psyche, and performed as a centerpiece to the human experience.
The Emotional Impact of Architecture Beyond Form and Scale
Contemporary architects explore the psychological impact of spaces, considering factors like color, lighting, and spatial arrangement. The design of workplaces, for example, increasingly focuses on creating environments that promote productivity and well-being. Open, collaborative spaces are juxtaposed with private, quiet areas of focus, catering to the diverse emotional needs of individuals within a shared workspace.
In residential architecture, there is a growing emphasis on creating homes that nurture a sense of well-being. Natural materials, ample light, and green spaces are chosen deliberately by architects to craft environments that support and enhance the ebb and flow of daily life and to provide sanctuaries from the demands of the outside world.
Meanwhile, forms of sacred architecture and museums remain experimental, connecting visitors in various ways with daylight, nature and materials to achieve various impacts on the human psyche.
Emotion: Subjective or Universal?
Architecture is rarely a one-size-fits-all equation. A minimalist structure may evoke serenity for one but feel sterile to another. A grand structure may empower some visitors, while making many feel powerless. Emotional resonance is, in essence, often a dialogue between the architecture and the individual, where personal experiences and cultural nuances intermingle with the physicality of a space.
As we navigate this nuanced relationship, it becomes evident that architecture is not a static backdrop but an active participant in our daily lives. It molds our experiences, shapes our memories, and leaves an indelible mark on our emotional landscapes.
First Prize Winner + Buildner Sustainability Award
Project title: Open Secret
Authors: Deimjanas Gološčiapovas, Rimgaudas PraŠmutas, Lithuania
The proposal depicts a mounded garbage dumping ground within a field. A deep cut through the man-made grassy hill dramatically reveals the layers of trash that form it. The newly planted hillside appears as a sort of oasis from afar, set along a meandering hiking path. Only when one accesses the quasi-monument are the rather sickening aspects of the interior revealed. The project is sophisticated in its delivery and the tension it creates between the idyllic exterior country scene and the interior experience. The project is powerful in its potential to be both immersive and educational.
Second Prize Winner + Buildner Student Award
Project title: How do you affect others?
Authors: Yujie Weng, Mengmeng Bu, New Zealand
The project appears to be set within an urban park. In section, it depicts a vast, concave excavation within a grassy field, topped by two canopies: the first, a thin shell of concrete layered in grass and peppered with rectangular openings that allow the entrance of sunlight as well as views into and out from the cavernous subterranean; the second, a set of ethereal fabrics supported on thin vertical rods which filter the sunlight and create a covered park space. The project is reminiscent of a variety of well-known projects realized in particular by Japanese architects in recent years.
Third Prize Winner
Project title: Tower
Authors: Wenshan Peng, Rod Luo, Weiqi Fan, China
The proposal is for a form of tall Belvedere, stairway or tower constructed within a body of water and accessed via a lengthy raised walkway stretching linearly from a shoreline. The entire structure has a hairline thinness and the verticality of the stair is balanced by the horizontality of the walkway. One can imagine that such a crossing brings a visitor into a totally different, quiet and raw environment that contrasts with what one might find on the shore. The tower is depicted to extend below the water nearly as far as it extends skyward. Here, while the stairs are totally unnecessary, a deep dive is required to experience the darkness and marine life below the water line. The experience depends on how deep or high one might be willing to venture.
Highlighted Submissions
1. Project title: Museum of Nature
Author: Haoye Xu, USA
Set atop a skyscraper, this project unveils a rooftop space designed to offer a unique perspective of the cityscape. It presents two contrasting views: one overlooks the dense urban sprawl, dominated by towers and industrial structures, devoid of natural elements. The other provides a tranquil scene of blue skies, with scattered greenery and the gentle presence of birds. Through this contrast, the project underscores the importance of integrating nature into urban environments, prompting reflection on the balance between urban development and preserving natural beauty.
2. Project title: Tempest's Embrace: A Journey from Turmoil to Tranquility
Authors: Yongjia Huang, Hejin Zhu, Hong Kong
The project is set within the sea, a collection of massive forms that float above an inhabitable underwater space. Above the water, the setting is tranquil, bathed in daylight, presenting flat and calm decks for leisurely exploration and sea gazing. Below, a tunnel leads to a darker underwater environment, where visitors feel the ocean's weight and depth. Navigating through a complex path, visitors may experience some confusion and tension until reaching an open atrium with sky views, where the weight of the sea gives way to the lightness of the air above.
