CHAPTER SEVEN

Research Focus

This chapter consist the focus of the study wherein it will discuss the
importance of human perception in developing sustainability by means of place
attachment and eco psychology.
The research focus plays a major part in developing the design of the project
by adapting the principle as defined by the following topics.

7.1 Introduction

The first time I saw UST Beato Angelico is when I reserved a slot for the
course of College of Architecture. When I saw it, I easily attached the word
“Beautiful” in the building. Architecture is just my second choice in UST; Commerce
being the first. Architecture just came suddenly to me. In fact, all the other courses
I’ve applied in other university are in line of business and commerce. I don’t know
anything about beauty in architecture; even though I’m related to arts during my high
school years. Maybe that’s the reason why I’m awestruck with Beato.
For the first time, unspoiled by other criticism, Beato is a work of art for me. I admire
everything about it: The reflective glass, It’s I “don’t know style” (but during that
time its looks classical for me), the smooth beige cement on the center margined by
the rough exterior finishes, the fancy steel curves at the top (I just realized during my
stay in architecture that it’s not steel but iron), everything looks perfect on the outside.
And When I set my first step in the building that “awesomeness” turned into “pure
genius” I’ve never seen anything like this building before. It’s very different from my
High school building in the province. Beato’s ceiling is flawlessly designed with
recess patterns compared to my bland high school’s ceiling, even the toilets look
good. But remembering those times, I feel that what I liked the most about Beato is
it’s air-condition. The coolness of the building covers up everything. It literally covers
up everything, even the exposed piping in the rooms. Beato was a hot chick.
Call me visual illiterate

During my first semester in Beato, my conception of beautiful for Beato turns

out ugly. Seniors called it ugly. Inquire them and they will answer you about the low
quality of tiles, the breaks in the wall and the exposed piping. Professors labeled it
with unpleasant. I asked them and they always answer me theoretically, about how the
building is not suitable for an art education, how you can’t experience the building
and the continuing architectural philosophy that I can’t understand. Finally, my
colleagues, I don’t ask them, they told me, they bragged about it. They pointed out
everything and repeat what the seniors and the professors have just said. They make
Beato ugly for me, and I believe it. I know the reasons and the reasons are true.
Physically, theoretically, everything is well apprehended and visible with my EYE,
but never assimilated by my body and soul. Beato is ugly but deep inside I don’t
know why…

…My stay in Beato is the beginning of my two journeys to the world of architecture
of the eye.

First Journey: Journey to Beato : my guilty-pleasure axiom, “experiencing

the building”

During my last semester in my 2nd year, I always see myself looking outside the
classroom, experiencing the view of the field. I always eager to get out of the
building; the thought of entering the building is claustrophobic. I always feel that the
building is clogging me up. It’s eating me like a whale and I’m Jonah the prophet,
praying to God to get me out of here soon. The experience takes me back to my high
school classroom. Everything is different: from mono-bloc to wooden chairs,
concrete classrooms to dilapidated walls, air-conditioned rooms to naturally ventilated
classrooms, vehicular noise to natural sound of trees’ swaying. Surely, for an instance
the eye will choose Beato. But give the other sense some time and the sense of touch,
hearing, smell and taste will force the sense of sight in choosing my old high school
classroom.
Applying what I learned from Architectural theory which I learned from really good
books in the library. I really understand the term of experiencing the building. The
term really sounds cheesy and corny for non- architectural crowd, (and talking about
it to them makes me look like an artsy-fartsy ultra-retard) but understanding the
function of the space and its relation to its user is really personal and takes living to
that space to fully understand. It’s not really the technicality that makes Beato not ok:
It’s not about the cracking walls, exposed piping, toilet in front of the gallery,
breaking tiles etc. Yes they may contribute, but these factors can also be adjusted or
remedied. The vitality of the problem doesn’t lie to these technicalities. What lies
beneath is the interaction of space to its users, the perception of each element in
enhancing the relationship of the said factors. As Edward Casey (2000) said,
“A meaningful architectural experience is not simply a series of retinal images, the
elements of architecture are not visual units or gestalt; they are encounters,
confrontations that interact with memory. “

Beato’s aesthetic is ok. But its function is bad especially for art education. Non-art
education may be ok for Beato, It could make up for the lack of space. So It makes me
to conclude that Beato is not ugly it’s just average, If Kristine Hermosa is the most
beautiful woman in local showbiz, Jolina Magdangal is Beato.

Second journey: Journey to the land of Kure-colors: The five human senses: sense
of eye, sight, vision, optics, ocular

The sense of sight has really produced a thought provoking structures. The
architecture of Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry is very well applauded in my freshmen
years. Everybody is playing with shapes and forms in their elevations, I included. It’s
permissible, we are students, were discovering. In my design studio, the architecture
of the eye is not just visible in elevations and sections. It even crossed its parameter in
doing floor plan. The elaborate and curvy corridor of the emergency area of the
hospital is well received by my design professor compared to my straight-practical
corridors presented in black and white. The kure-colourful presentation does really
pays. The professor was not forgivable.

Photograph images of futuristic structures, always serve as a guide in

developing building aesthetics in my education. The more futuristic and complicated
the look of the design: the more beautiful it is. Quoting my Design professor “You’re
the generation of architects that don’t design for your time, your designing for the
future”. Her words are broad; it could be helpful and could be poisonous. She used it
as a poison. She used the phrase in expressing her belief in complexity of visual
design, her unrelenting belief that architecture must be good for the eye. She favoured
designs in all glass; even the nature of the project requires privacy. Architecture has
become an art of the printed image fixed by the eye of the camera. Architecture of our
time appears as mere retinal art of the eye.

I’ve been into two different design classes, approximately 90 students, with
different taste and idea in architecture. I believe that it is the one of the major strength
of UST architecture, the diversity of student. You get to see lots of ideas, different
approaches and lots of distortion of forms and shapes. To those students, I’ve never
seen anyone that is very critical to the material. The application of material is sub
prioritize. It doesn’t contribute much to the design outcome; its effect to the user is
always left to oblivion. The main priority is always the shape of the building. The
material gave meaning to the structure; natural materials express age and history,
origin and its use while modern materials gave spatial thickness, movement and
reflection though some architectural theorist contradicts the use of modern materials
against the natural material (further discuss in the next chapter) It is certain that
materials do affect the mood of the building, it provides perception in experiencing
the building, not just in visual aspect but also in tactility.

“The sense of sight is undeniably the most general way of experiencing a

space. The perception of sight as our most important sense is well grounded in
Physiological, perceptual and psychological facts. The problem arises from the
isolation of the eye outside its natural interaction with other sense modalities, and
from the elimination and suppression of other senses, which increasingly reduce and
restrict the experience of the world into the sphere of vision. This separation and
reduction fragments the lunatic complexity, comprehensiveness and plasticity of the
perceptual system, reinforcing a sense of detachment and alienation.” (Pallasmaa,
2005)
Journey to the five senses: vision, audition, gustation, tactitian, and olfaction

Phenomenology describes the complexity of perception. It is the pretext to

understanding the relationship of architecture and experience. A phenomenological
focus seeks to reinvigorate architecture's ability to capture the poetry of existence, and
hence re-establish its meaningfulness to everyday life by cultivating diverse sensory
experiences and a heightened sensitivity towards the immediate physicality of the
world. There are several reasons as why to promote sensuous environments aside
from the fact that it engages the body it also facilitate comfort. In an article by
members of ARUP entitled, “Sensual Buildings”, it is suggested that buildings should
be able to perform tasks of interchange between itself and the user. They promote
“real-time” environments and full immersive environments: “Sensual buildings would
be buildings … that extend the architectural experience beyond the visual domain.”
“They will not even be three-dimensional buildings but rather multidimensional
sensual experiences that stimulate all our senses, keeping us awake and alert where
now we are slowly put to sleep”

Going back to my old high school building, I recall that even the rooms are not
visually good compared to Beato. My stay in that building is probably more
memorable than the later. Hopefully, 50 years from now, I can still recall more the
soundscape of my old high school building compared to the noise along Espana
Blvd., the smell of soil after the rain in contrast to the bland air-conditioned smell of
the room. The taste of fruits like mango and Kamias outside my room, the passive
touch of the multi textured environment and so on. Quoting Pallasmaa (2005)
“Architecture strengthens the existential experience, one's sense of being in the world,
and this is essentially a strengthened experience of self. Instead of mere vision or the
five classical senses, architecture involves several realms of sensory experience,
which interact and fuse into each other.”

7.2 Human Senses and Sensory Experience

Architectural space is about layering for all of the senses. Like a musical
composition, spatial features come together into a symphony for occupants to
experience. Bringing a space to life means that architectural function and form is not
just primarily for the visual sense. By engaging all of the senses, form and function
may be more fully expressed so occupants can have deeper, more meaningful
moments – feeling the bouquet of their surroundings in all of its dimensions
[ CITATION Mar09 \l 1033 ]. Elementary school teachers tell their students that there are
five senses: vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Aristotle used this classification
system more than 2 300 years ago (Cohen, Curd and Reeves, 2005), and still probably
the most common one. Nonetheless, current researchers typically expand beyond the
five senses. There are between nine and twenty-one human senses, depending on who
you ask, and how they define a sense. It is generally agreed that nine is the minimum.
These are touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing, thermoception, nociception,
equilibrioception, and proprioception. (Anissimov, 2010).

The next section will concentrate on the five Aristotelian senses namely:
sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. It will give us a better insight on how each
sense is important in the Architectural theory. The analysis will be balanced without
favoring a superior sense as much as possible.

7.2.1 Sense of Sight. The human eye is an amazing organ. It is about the size
of a jumbo olive, yet it performs impressive task. It can handle information about
colored and uncolored objects either near or far away and can work when the lighting
is dim or glaring. Historically in western culture, sense of sight has been considered
vital. Greek philosophers based their certainty on vision and visibility; Plato regarded
vision as humanity’s greatest gift (Foster, 2008) and Aristotle considered sight as the
most noble of the senses (Stonehill, 2006). During the renaissance, the five senses
mere understood to form a hierarchical system from the highest sense of vision down
to touch. The Renaissance system of the sense was related to the imaging of the
ceramic body; vision was correlated to fire and light, hearing to air, smell to vapour,
taste to water and touch to earth (Pallasmaa, 2005).
Perception begins with vision, and vision can direct the other senses to a
multisensory experience. In our everyday activities, vision is regarded as the most
useful. Particularly nowadays, vision has been strengthened by numerous
technological inventions. The mass production of visual imagery, used in
entertainment and advertising of human products; from television to newspapers, and
all sorts of media, assume humans that vision is the most useful sense. Our society is
characterized by the growth of vision transforming us into an experience of visual
journey.
Vision plays a significant role in our life. Human’s 180-degree forward-facing
field of view, shapes his lived experience in its environment (Smythies , 1996). But
the very essence of the lived experience is shaped by the unfocused peripheral vision.
Peripheral vision is a part of vision that occurs outside the very center of gaze
(Hunziker , 2006) apart from focus vision, which is the center of gaze. Focused vision
confronts us with the world whereas peripheral vision envelops us in the flesh of the
world. Peripheral vision delivers a sensation which forms the background of detailed
visual perception (Hunziker , 2006) Peripheral vision incorporate us with space, it
encourages participation, while focused vision pushes us out of the space, making us
mere spectators just like looking at architectural photographs. (Pallasma, 2005)
Vision, in relation with other senses such as touch, is responsible for the
perception of tangible qualities of things. It gave forms to the intricate patterns of a
woven basket or to the alluring form of a flower. Review of a large number of studies
have noted that when there is a discrepancy between vision and touch, people
generally trust their vision (Welch, 1978) As it concluded, visual “capture” typically
occurs when there is a conflict between the two modalities; vision wins and tactile
perception is recalibrated so that it matches what we see (Tipper, Lloyd, Shorland
etc., 1998)
In the world of architecture, Vision plays a vital role specially in developing
building elevations. Greeks built the Parthenon with optical illusions. Even great
modern architects accord their creation with the sense of sight; Le Corbusiers's
famous credo, "Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses
brought together in light, defines the architecture of the eye. The role of sight in our
society nowadays is undoubtedly on its prime. It is visible in any media, actions and
behaviour. Vision seems highly important to us and we may contemplate how our
lives would be changed if we were blind.

7.2.2 Sense of Touch. Skin is the largest sensory system; it has protective
values and is important in social interactions. The skin is the oldest and the most
sensitive of our organs, our first medium of communication, and our most efficient
protector, even the transparent cornea of the eye is overlain by a layer of modified
skin (Montagu, 1971)
The two systems that transmit information from the skin receptors to the brain
are: Active and passive touch. Active touch occurs when a person actively explores
the environment by touching objects. It is important when we try to discover the
object’s properties. This is also called haptic perception. Passive touch occurs when
an object is placed on a person’s skin. Active touch is more precise and useful than
passive touch. (Bolanowski, Verrillo, McGlone, 1999)
Touch is the parent of our eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It is the sense which
became differentiated into the others, a fact that seems to he recognized in the age-old
evaluation of touch as 'the mother of the senses (Pallasmaa, 2005) Touch is the
sensory mode which integrates our experience of the world and of ourselves. Touch is
one of the most intimate ways we explore our environment; it is the least distanced
and most interactive of the senses (Brady, 2003) Touch invites bodily engagement
through our face, hands, and feet and in some cases our whole body; just considers the
various textures or feel of these objects: wet moss, different textures of tree bark, sad;
fur; cold water; pebbles, rock and so on.
The hands are the sculptor's eyes; but they are also the organs of thought as
Heidegger suggested (quoted in Pallasmaa , 2005). It can experience tactile qualities
from a distance, visually when we perceive waves in the sea, waves in the fields of
grain and the different patterns and textures created by the rocks, trees and other
vegetation on mountains. Touch is the unconsciousness of vision, and this hidden
tactile experience determines the sensuous quality of the perceived object, and
mediates messages of invitation or rejection, courtesy or hostility.
These days, with the loss of tactility, measures and details crafted for the human body
and particularly for the hand. Architectural structures became repulsively flat, sharp
edged, immaterial and unreal. These are visible in modern structures, they might
provoke imposing and beautiful structures but it has not facilitated human rootedness
in the world.

7.2.3 Sense of Taste. Taste buds found in the tongue serves as the gustatory
instrument in tasting. Taste refers only to the perception that results from the contact
of substances with the special receptors in the mouth (Bartoshuk, 1971) the word
flavour is used to refer to the wide variety of perceptions we experience when we eat.
Flavour includes smell, touch, pressure, pain and so on in addition to taste
(McBurney, 1986) although there is controversy; most psychologists believe that
human can taste four basic kinds of stimuli: sweet, bitter, salty and sour (Goldstein,
2006)
Smell, also known as olfaction, is particularly important on the way food
tastes. Smell and taste are frequently grouped together under the name chemical
senses because the receptor cells for smell and taste are both sensitive to chemical
stimulation (Sensory Aspect of Smell, 2001) The interaction of taste and smell
pointed by Burdach, Kroeze and Koster (1984) states that “we rarely encounter pure
taste stimuli- independent of their odours. When you sit down to consume a pizza, the
odours of the crust, the oregano, and the mozzarella combine with salty taste to
produce the familiar flavour. Often as the case of pizza, smell is even more important
than taste in determining the flavour (Burdach, Kroeze and Koster, 1984)
There is a subtle transference between tactile and taste experiences. Vision
becomes transferred to taste as well; certain colors and delicate details stimulate the
tongue. A delicately colored polished stones details evoke oral sensation (Pallasmaa,
2005) our sensory experience of the world originates in the interior sensation of the
mouth, and the world tends to return to its oral origins. The Nordic custom of
wandering through the forest to collect blueberries and mushrooms may involve
gustatory appreciation that is not merely instrumental. Other examples are drinking
water on the way up a mountain, or tasting salt from sea air mist. (Brady, 2005)
Therme Vals, the spa complex built in the Swiss Alps by celebrated architect
Peter Zumthor, is a good example wherein gustatory experience in architecture is
exemplify. Because of its crystal clear water and the nature of the building, the users
can taste the water and this architectural experience brings the world into the most
intimate contact of the body.

7.2.4 Sense of Smell. The Olfactory area, nose included, is used for smelling.
Smell is also known as olfaction. Human needs only eight molecules of substance to
trigger an impulse of smell in a nerve ending, and It can detect more than 10,000
different odors. Gesteland (1978) wrote that olfaction is the most mysterious of the
senses. While Engen (1982) points out in his book “the perception of odors” that
smell is more closely linked with emotion. The sense of smell is both important and
mysterious. Although we may not always be aware that smell is influential, it can still
be important in everyday behaviour. Despite its importance, we do not know much
about it, Teghtsoonian (1983) claims that vision and hearing are like the two
pampered daughters, whereas smell is the Cinderella of perception.
The aromatic dimension of buildings is one that has been for the most part neglected
in architectural theory, yet the effects created by odoriferous materials, ventilated
scents and the other wafting perceptions can significantly influence one's experience
of a structure (Howes, 2005). In the natural environment for example, the fragrance of
a flower, operates at a general level then enter our experience; the process of smelling
may takes the longest to reach the brain, but once you do smell, the smell lasts longer
than other senses (Lehman, 2009). You might not remember the look of your
childhood bedroom but you can still remember its ambience and smell. A particular
smell makes us unknowingly re-enter a space completely forgotten by the retinal
memory; the nostril awaken a forgotten image. Baudelaire called the smell of a room
"the soul of the apartment" (quoted in Howes 2005), and reference to the olfactory
nature of architecture are essential to defining the mood and emotional tenor of a
place
The medium for olfaction, air, may seem an unlikely construction substance;
yet such impossibility has spurred a number of utopian, spiritual and artistic
visionaries. The smellscape of sixteenth-century Ottoman mosques can be partially
reconstructed based on documents preserved in different archives in Turkey, the types
of smells and perfumes that worshippers could sense inside the mosques was an
essential and openly acknowledged aspect of the multi-sensorial experience of the
divine(Ergin, 2008). A veil of fog around the Pepsi-cola pavilion produced by Zakros
InterArts and Experiments in Art and Technology at the 1970 Expo in Osaka outfitted
with atomizers to create miniscule water droplets appeared to be simultaneously
decomposing into mist and condensing to the atmosphere shows how olfaction can
contribute in the built environment. (Pepsi Pavilion, 1970)
But one might ask Why did the olfactory aspect of architecture is often
neglects amidst its connection to deepening one’s experience? Why did the smell
should be construed as any more coercive than other elements of the built
environment, such as colored lights or piped-in music? The answer is precisely the
chemical nature of olfaction. Because actual molecules are ingested into the body,
critics of environmental fragrance argue that affected individuals should be given the
opportunity to provide voluntary, informed consents (Damian and Damian, 1995) but
taking consideration of the natural environment, olfaction can relieves stress and
provide obvious evidence of a healthier lifestyle.

7.2.5 Sense of Hearing. Ear is our instrument in gathering sound. It is

perfectly located on the sides of our head to capture sound. Hearing is an extremely
important perceptual system, and its role in human communication is vital. Evans
(1982) argues that hearing is even more important than vision for humans. As he
notes “It has been said that a blind man is cut off from the world of things, whereas
one who is deaf is cut off from the world of people”.
Sight isolates, whereas sound incorporates; vision is directional, whereas
sound is Omni-directional. The sense of sight implies exteriority, but sound creates an
experience of interiority... Sight is the sense of solitary observer, whereas hearing
creates a sense of connection and solidarity (Pallasmaa, 2005) Sounds are all around
us, and they appreciably enhance our experience in our environment; from birdsongs,
children’s laughter, ticking of clocks, wind through trees, rippling water, cars,
aeroplanes and so on, all may create a soundscape. We are often unaware of these
sounds as we take them for granted. Acoustic perception usually remains as an
unconscious background experience.
Sound can create a space; it can carve volumes in dark voids when you hear
something inside of it. Some listeners can learn to “see” objects with their ears, but
even without training, we can all hear spatial geometry such as an open door or low
ceiling. (Blesser and Salter, 2007) The audible attributes of physical space have
always contributed to the fabric of human culture, as demonstrated by classical Greek
open-air theaters, Gothic cathedrals, modern music reproduction, and virtual spaces in
home theaters. Auditory spatial awareness is a prism that reveals a culture’s attitudes
toward hearing and space.
Sounds give a deeper meaning in our life, it heightens our experience. When
sound is removed from a film, for instance, the scene loses its sense of continuity and
life. Silent film, indeed, had to compensate for the lack of sound by a demonstrative
manner of overacting
Sound can be used as building material for spatial design along with light and
shadow. It works within the spaces that are less assisted by the eye; ear heightens the
acoustical awareness of the space. By minimizing our relationship with the visual, we
focus our attention to the aural. As a result , our perception of sounds become space
oriented. Architecture Theorist, Juhani Pallasmaa points out how sound participate
with him compared to what his eyes see.
“I regard an object, but sound approaches me; the eye reaches, but the ear receives.
Buildings do not react to our gaze, but they do return our sounds back to our ears”
In today’s architecture, a good example on how sound is adapted as a major
consideration in building is exemplified in Le cylinder Sonore. Le cylinder Sonore,
creates a field in which acoustical experience may occur. It was created as a publicly
funded intervention artistic for section 4 of the “Parc de la Villete.” It has double
cylinder that acts as an acoustical container and resonator, its special boundaries have
relevance only as they unfold, transform or superimposed the experience of sound.
The effect is the acoustical delineation of space and the physical massing of sound.

7.3 Sensory Experience to a sense of place

Our senses are the medium through which we interact with the world. To
understand or connect with our surroundings, we must collect fundamental
information from each sense. It is through these synthesized perceptions that we
comprehend what are surroundings are, and how we psychologically connect to our
environment [ CITATION Bol08 \l 1033 ].Understanding how architecture can affect our
state of mind through an acute awareness of sensory information gives us the ability
to create spaces that surpass architecture of the time, and create a space that people
will identify with and give meaning to. The inevitable result of engaging memory in
architecture will produce memorable spaces that inspire us, leaving us with a sense of
belonging [ CITATION Bol08 \l 1033 ]. Lyndon and Moore declare that “much of what is
built now is too tepid to be remembered. The spaces with which we are surrounded
are so seldom memorable that they mean little to us.” [ CITATION Don96 \l 1033 ] Most
of the time, architectural designs rely more heavily on just one primary sense – the
visual one. The other senses are unfortunately frequently neglected. This is
unfortunate since it is through the senses that architecture can have profound effect
[ CITATION Mar09 \l 1033 ]. In order to create unique, personal experiences in the urban
environment, all five of our senses must be touched in new ways. Through the
exploration of sensory experiences we can use the built environment to create
memorable emotional experiences while we interact with both the built, manmade
environment and nature. When architecture responds to memory, a part of the soul is
enlivened and an enhanced sense of place results; this connection between
architecture, place, and ourselves leaves us with memorable experiences that will
forever impact our lives by reminding us of our past and inspiring our future
[ CITATION Bol08 \l 1033 ]. Bergson writes, “There is no perception which is not full of
memories.” He goes on to say, with the immediate and present data of our senses we
mingle a thousand details of our past experience. In most cases these memories
supplant our actual perceptions, of which we then retain only a few hints, thus using
them merely as ‘signs’ that recall to us former images. (quoted in Cadava, 1998). The
inevitable result of sensuous engagement in architecture will produce memorable
spaces that inspire us, leaving us with a sense of belonging.

7.4 Developing Sustainability

7.4.1 Sustainability. Sustainability is a development that meets the needs of

the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs; the core of mainstream sustainability thinking has become the idea of
three\dimensions, environmental, social and economic sustainability (Brundtland
Report, 1987).

These three dimensions have been defined by Costa-Pierce (N.D.)

Economic Sustainability. (Maintenance of financial capital; keeping

financial capital intact) Economic sustainability means making profit.
Industrialization and population explosions are challenges to social and
economic sustainability. Economics must change to incorporate all four forms
of capital, and work to quantify intangibles and common property resources
(air, waters, oceans, etc.). Environmental and social costs must be internalized
through new policies and valuation techniques.

Social Sustainability. (Maintenance of social and human capital;

keeping social and human capital intact)The social (and moral) capital is
comprised of: Community participation; Intact civil society; Equal rights;
Social cohesion; Cultural identity; Diversity; Tolerance; Humility;
Compassion; Patience; Forbearance; Fellowship; Fraternity; Love; Pluralism;
 Honesty; Laws; Discipline. Human capital is investments in: health; nutrition;
education. Social capital requires maintenance and replenishment of shared
values by communities, social and religious groups. Without this "it will
depreciate just as human-made capital does".

Environmental Sustainability. (Maintenance of natural capital;

keeping natural capital intact)The natural capital is comprised of intact
ecosystems and ecosystems services (structurally and functionally) comprised
of: Gas regulation; climate regulation; disturbance regulation; water
regulation; water supply; erosion control and sediment retention; soil
formation; nutrient cycling; waste treatment; pollination; biological control;
food production; raw materials; genetic resources; and intact land/forest/soils,
water/ocean/freshwaters, atmospheric ecosystems. Protecting natural capital
would ensure sustainable stocks of resources and raw materials for human
needs and ensure the maintenance of natural sinks for humanity's wastes, but
also ensure adequate resources are available for nature, and that humanity's
wastes do not disturb nature. Waste emissions are held within the assimilative
capacity of the environment without impairing it. Harvest rates of renewable
are kept within regeneration rates.

7.4.2 Place attachment. Place attachment is defined as the development of

affective bond or link between people or individuals and specific places (Hidalgo and
Hernandez, 2001; Moore and Graefe, 1994). It is expressed through interplay of
affects and emotions, knowledge and beliefs, and behaviours and actions (Altman and
Low, 1992) Gieryn (2000) argued that place attachment results from many factors:
accumulated biographical experiences, the socially and culturally shared activities and
the geography and the architecture of the place. Place theorists speculate that
individuals who are emotionally, cognitively or functionally attached to a place will
act to protect that place (Tuan, 1997; Relph, 1976). The promise is most clearly
shown by the strong feelings of attachment people develop to particular places and
their desire to protect them from change and development.
 The natural environment, encompasses all living and non-living things
occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof (Adams and Lambert, 2006). The
natural environment is contrasted with the built environment, which comprises the
areas and components that are strongly influenced by humans. Juhania Pallasmma
said that human responds to site and connects to nature by framing views, but when
it’s built in the city, it can’t frame ‘natural’ views. Then it resorts in creating views, a
tree, a fountain, etc. the sense of place or engagement of the site, and tectonics.
(quoted in Anand, 2008)
Designing the built environment for the senses may evoke place attachment
for the users. A built environment designed with nature with respect to the first
premise promise a meaningful interaction with nature with a possible of developing
ethics to the environment. Several environment philosophers have suggested the idea
that an aesthetically sensitive relationship to nature can engender a benevolent attitude
towards it. This attractive idea takes it lead from the strong feeling that people who
find beauty in nature are not inclined to harm it. Most writers who have considered
the problem recognize that there is no necessary connection between positive
aesthetic valuing and a moral attitude towards nature, but nevertheless, there is
promise in such proposal.
Further understanding of the relationship between these two factors may be
better understood through recognizing biophilia hypothesis (Wilson, 1984). Biophilia
hypothesis suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other
living systems. The term "biophilia" literally means "love of life or living systems.
Wilson proposed the possibility that the deep affiliations humans have with nature are
rooted in our biology.

7.4.3 Eco-psychology. One of field of psychology that will connect nature in

developing sustainability (not only in environment but also in socio and economic) is
Eco-psychology. Eco-psychology explores the relationship between humans and
nature, specifically involving this relationship’s influence on mental health,
environmental health, and spirituality. The core of eco-psychology is the belief that
humans and the environment are deeply interconnected, and that needs and health of
one should best be explored by examining and responding to the needs of the other as
well. Without the health of the environment humans are unable to thrive, and thus
human treatment of and relationship with the environment can be seen as a reflection
of human treatment and perception of the self. Disconnection with nature will result in
decreased mental health, instability, and delusions, which will lead to self-destruction
concurrent with environmental degradation (quoted in Turlington, 2009)

The benefits of natural environment in attaining social and economic sustainability

are as follows:

Social aspects. Natural environments provide opportunities for

affiliation, social support, intimacy, and group bonding in a new, "exotic"
environment. A degree of shared challenge also increases social support and
altruism. Social support has demonstrable health benefits (Cobb; Berkman &
Syme). A study suggests that exposure to the natural environment may also
enhance our ability to care, our appreciation of community, even our
generosity (Hagen, 2009).

Economic aspects. The economic benefits of natural environment in

human built environment can be both direct and indirect. Direct economic
benefits are usually associated with energy costs. Air-conditioning costs are
lower in a tree-shaded home. Heating costs are reduced when a home has a
windbreak. The indirect economic benefits of natural environment are even
greater. These benefits are available to the community or region. Lowered
electricity bills are paid by customers when power companies are able to use
less water in their cooling towers, build fewer new facilities to meet peak
demands, use reduced amounts of fossil fuel in their furnaces, and use fewer
measures to control air pollution. Communities also can save money if fewer
facilities must be built to control storm water in the region. [ CITATION Int05 \l
1033 ]

7.5 Conclusion

The importance of architecture acts the way it should be. Its timeless task,
unpolluted by corporate ideas and commercialism, is to embody our existence in the
world. It starts when architecture is not considered as a symbol of power and status,
commercialized housings and project, showcase of technological achievement but as a
natural quality of lived experience. Architecture is our way of relenting to the world.
As we always said “We shape Architecture, Architecture shapes us.” We compromise
with our senses. As said by Juhani Pallasmaa (2005) “Architecture is our primary
instrument in relating us with space and time, and giving these dimensions a human
measure. It domesticates limitless space and endless time to be tolerated, inhabited
and understood by humankind. As a consequence of this interdependence of space
and time, the dialectics of external and internal space, physical and spiritual, material
and mental, unconscious and conscious priorities concerning, the senses as well as
their relative roles and interaction have an essential impact in the nature of the arts
and architecture.”

The research focus is very important to the thesis because it will teach the user
a firsthand experience to develop a caring ethics to the environment. Subconsciously,
it will also aid the users to develop a sense of community by providing sensuous
places wherein people can socialize and interact with the space. If a community have
a dynamic citizens who takes pride for its culture with ethics for the environment, a
sustainable economy is already within hands.