An architectural sensibility : how empathy affects the way we authentically feel buildings

Abstract

Given the polysemic nature of the word empathy, due to the various definitions it has today, little has been written about this phenomenon in relation to architecture. Moreover, a person's connection to architecture, has, nowadays, become strongly determined by one's visual interpretation of it. Consequently, this thesis study attempts to articulate the importance of 'feeling' architecture, by enquiring about how one can go about potentially feeling a more authentic sensibility towards a building, or space, through em pa thy. This phenomenological investigation presents a series of methods in order to show: (a) how empathy allows an individual to feel one's surroundings, by assessing how an individual's connection to people compares to the judgement of their photographs, and may be applied (or is similar) to an individual's connection to buildings; (b) the importance of being more authentic, by appreciating individuals' perspectives before and after dialogue. From the testing for empathy, results revealed that individuals tend to exhibit shifts in 'feeling' from their previous judgements of photographs due to a greater awareness of both Self and one's surrounding. From the testing for authenticity, the results revealed that individuals tend to exhibit shifts in opinion from their previous pre-conceived ideas of concepts due to a sense of vulnerability through discourse.