The commodification of the built environment has resulted in a built world devoid of emotion. Similar to the way music is just sound, architecture without emotion is just space: devoid of meaning or impact upon those who occupy it. In order to replicate the feeling of chills and goosebumps that I experience while listening to classical music, this thesis attempts to restore the human aspect of architecture by utilizing the concepts of phenomenology espoused by Peter Zumthor and Juhani Palasmaa. Incorporating the senses of vision, touch, sound, and smell into the design of a space through material, light, and form will help to imbue it with an intense experiential quality of emotion.
The site and program for this investigation was the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin. Three rehearsal studios are the test bed for spaces evoking the emotions of hostility, melancholy, and serenity.
