The Importance Of The Auditory System In Perceiving Architecture

Perception is a multiplex process of selecting information from a concrete surrounding and translating it into a specific mental and physical experience. This activity is necessary in order to provide the adoption of the individual to the living environment. It is made possible through an important mechanism: the sensorial system. The selection of the input is provided by perceptual filters and developed by previous mental patterns and experiences. Through the output of this complex process we interact and use space. Space perception is provided by the collaboration of all the senses, although throughout the history of philosophy and architecture the sensorial systems were organized in a hierarchy according to their importance. The visual system is considered as the most important filter to experience the architectural space. But, architecture not only can be seen but it can be heard. Buildings and spaces create specific sounds, which describe their characteristics. The research analyses the importance of the auditory system in experiencing architecture and how physical features indicate in the way we perceive architectural space.