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This book explores the historical development of architecture, not from the viewpoint of its creators but from the viewpoint of those who experience it. It delves deeply into the mechanisms of architectural perception, using knowledge from the life sciences, which has made remarkable progress in recent years. Indeed, looking back at the history of architecture, there have been no attempts to reconstruct the entire theory of architecture from the perspective of the person experiencing it. In this sense, this book seeks to discuss architecture from a human perspective, drawing on findings from the life sciences.
 
The book, “From Object to Experience: The New Culture of Architectural Design” was written by Harry Francis Mallgrave, one of the most prominent architectural historians of our time.
 
The book explores the nature of architectural design and its future culture by combining the history of ideas about architectural experience with the latest findings in fields such as neuroscience, cognitive science, and evolutionary biology. The book contains Mallgrave's assertion that the subject matter of design should change from “objects” that make lofty claims about design concepts to “experiences” based on deep insights into the inner lives of human beings. Juhani Pallasmaa, architect and professor emeritus at Helsinki University of Technology, has described the book as “an original and promising document in the current growing interest in approaching architecture not as an aesthetic object, but from the perspective of psychological reality and experience.”
 
In my laboratory, we are also conducting research on architecture evaluation based on brain waves and other biological responses. Since I was a student, it has always bothered me that discussions in the field of architectural design, which considers beauty and aesthetic appeal, rely solely on someone's subjective judgment. Therefore, I read as much neuroscience literature as possible on a daily basis. This book, a systematic compilation of the latest findings in brain science research, almost makes me forget that it is an architecture book.
 
Brain science research is revealing how we perceive space, with studies showing, for example, that we tend to view spaces with higher ceilings and greater openness as beautiful. Still, other research is revealing specific mechanisms by which we perceive space not only visually but also through all five senses. These discoveries have emerged in recent years. The field of brain science is truly evolving, with new findings being generated daily. Using these findings, Mallgrave highlights the limitations of the conventional view of architecture as visual art and seeks to redefine it—using concrete examples —as something perceived through all five senses, including smell and hearing. Incidentally, readers will soon witness how our conventional wisdom about vision, such as preferences for sharp versus curved edges and the difference between central and peripheral vision in shaping experience, is rapidly being rewritten by the life science research.
 

(Written by KAWAZOE Yoshiyuki, Associate Professor, Institute of Industrial Science / 2025)