What Is The Frequency Of Home?

          

When we think of our home many familiar scenes come to mind. Possibly the smell of fresh coffee in the morning, or the soft cozy chair you sit and read in after a long day. Whatever the case is, these senses make up the environment we inhabit. When we juxtapose these senses it can often create a dynamic affect, which Aldo Van Eyck labels “Twin Phenomenon.”

            The concept of a “Twin Phenomenon” can be felt through both spatial and physical senses. The mood of a dark shadowy room is very different from that of a room utilizing natural light. Likewise a room that is large seems to imply social gathering where as a smaller room may imply personal refection. It is evident that architects use these “Twin Phenomena” to influence how people feel in a space. A built example of this technique can be seen by Daniel Libeskind’s Jewish Museum in Berlin. The museum showcases exhibits about the Jewish culture throughout history. The holocaust exhibit in particular uses a confined dark spaces to invoke a feeling of grief from the museum’s visitors. The “Twin Phenomena” Libeskind utilizes in the exhibit is light verses dark and restricted verses open spaces. It is clear that using these juxtapositions of senses can be very powerful, so the question is how do we as designers use these techniques to create a better environment for people to live in?

            The sentiments derived from these “Twin Phenomena” are what make a space into a place. A place implies a human connection; a space can be described with out human context. Aldo Van Eyck advocated a strong sense of place when he stated, “Whatever space and time mean, place and occasion mean more. For space in the image of man is place, and time in the image of man is occasion.”

Works Cited:

Aldo van Eyck, "place and occasion: Home for Children, Amsterdam" Progressive Architecture, September 1962 (New York: Reinhold Publishing, 1962) 155-160.

"Studio Daniel Libeskind: Jewish Museum Berlin." Studio Daniel Libeskind: Homepage. Web. 25 Jan. 2011. <http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/projects/show-all/jewish-museum-berlin/>.