Invisible Architecture: Experiencing Places Through the Sense of Smell

by Anna Barbara, Anthony Perliss

What does a church smell like? Or a movie theater? How conscious are we of the smells that surround us? The idea that places have an olfactory identity is not recent. Even in ancient architecture the dynamics of scents and their permeation were incorporated into the design. The 20th century, however, witnessed an increasing need to dry out spaces and sterilize the air in the effort to eliminate any olfactory perception in the regulation of indoor air quality. The resinous odor of the timber in Peter Zumthor's Swiss Pavillon at the Hannover Expo; the thinness of the oxygen-poor Blur Bar by Diller+Scofidio; the shape-rendering Wind Tunnel by Renzo Piano for Ferrari at Maranello—these are among the most recent signs that architecture is reclaiming it's invisible olfactory dimension to add a further experience to space. This original book maps out places and scents from around the world, in architecture throughout the ages, accompanied by expert "noses": celebrated architects, avant-garde artists and scientists who research perception.

Genres: Architecture

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broad examples of smell in architecture and how design can be approached differently.

[Mark Bieraugel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and thought provoking book on the intersection of perfume\fragrances and architecture. Interesting interviews between perfumers and architects!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was really excited by the topic of this book, but it fell flat compared to my expectations. the treatment of smell as an important element of architecture was somewhat one dimensional and shallow. and not that engaging.