Literary Fiction

Architecture as Mind Reading

My professor pointed me toward a story he had heard on NPR titled

Want To Read Others' Thoughts? Try Reading Literary Fiction

I was really surprised to see how relevant this story was to my current train of thought. He suggested that I listen to the story and substitute "books" for "architecture." The bit referred to a study that has been performed, studying the effect of reading on people's perceptions of other people and their emotions and thoughts. Participants that read a piece of literary fiction (rather than popular fiction) were much more likely to "read" people correctly. 

In one portion of the clip, Raymond Mar states that there used to be a stereotype that reading is a solitary activity, but in reality, readers are imagining themselves in a social environment. But interacting in the real world is very different from an imagined interaction.

I think that architecture is a wonderful bridge between these two ideas. Literary fiction leaves it to the reader to interpret this fantasy. Architecture can do the same thing. Themed architecture doesn't have to hit you over the head. Architects can create "literary" spaces, not just "popular" spaces. 

Fiction allows people to imagine themselves in a world, manufacturing a social feeling. Architecture can bring people together through a shared experience. The experience may mean something different to every person that utilizes the space, but they are free to interpret it and grow from it however they please. 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/10/04/229190837/want-to-read-others-thoughts-try-reading-literary-fiction

Creating and Maintaining

When looking at Las Vegas architecture that focuses on theme, cohesion, experience, etc, I decided to look at current architecture and examine how well it succeeds in telling this "story."

Luxor- When looking at photos, there are a lot of photos taken with extremely wide angles from a high perspective. There aren’t many photos taken from the ground (aka: what people inside the space actually see). When you walk inside the Luxor, everything is huge. You look up into the massive underside of the pyramid and think “Wow, that’s neat….. Ok, what’s next?” There isn’t much to draw you through the space. The main area is stacked on multiple floors, without a great line of sight to pull you from place to place.  The impressive experience is maintained for a perspective that most street visitors will never have.

www.awayigo.com

A view from the main area. An interesting design, but without much consideration of human scale.
www.bottle-service-vegas.com

Paris- The goal of this hotel seems to be to “transport” the visitor to Paris. They want someone to enter the space and think “Oh wow! It’s like I’m really there.” In reality, Paris is full of a lot of ornamentation but not a great deal of architecture that transports anyone that enters the space. The painted ceiling does not give the illusion of a cloudy sky above you. The ceiling is slightly above the building facades, casting shadows and making it even more apparent how low the ceiling actually is. Not to mention the mechanical equipment painted to “match” the sky.

www.m1key.me

www.gogobot.com

Aria- When I first entered the Aria several years ago, I was blown away. I remember my mom describing it to me before we went. We walked in the door and she immediately said “Oh my gosh, I’ve only ever been here at night. It’s completely different during the day.” Many years later, having spent a lot of time in the Aria, she’s exactly right. That hotel is an experience. And not only that, it’s an experience that changes. You are surrounded by design. The columns, the walls, the ceilings, the art, the floors, everything is something to look at. Not only that, the feeling of innovation and decadence is maintained throughout the entire building. The exterior, the entering process, the interior: it all creates an experience. You see the building from a distance and, as you near it, there is something that keeps you moving until you’ve seen all you can see. When you return at night, you get an entirely new experience.

www.mosheblog.com

Even without a multi-layered, ornate geometry, this dining space is beautiful and cohesive.
www.arialasvegas.com

Wynn- Another of my favorite hotels in the Wynn. The treatment of the building is entirely different than any other (except for the Encore, perhaps), but the experience is there. My favorite place in all of Las Vegas is housed inside the Wynn. The Lake of Dreams is a relaxing, invigorating location. The design- down to the lighting and the sculptures in the water – is entirely thought out. A photo does not do the spot justice. It was not about creating something that would look cool in pictures or from a helicopter while on a tour of Las Vegas. It was clearly designed for the people that are there experiencing it.

www.frankbaiamonte.blogspot.com

www.kelly.cybr.org

Palazzo- When googling photos of the Palazzo, a high number of photos featured the atrium with the waterfall. 

Because when you look up, this is what you see.
www.vivaboo.com

It is clear that this all comes down to an issue of money. If you have higher funds, you can put more into the design of features that may not be seen as necessary. But it is my belief that much of the interest of design comes from taking constraints and figuring out a creative way to work within them. But even if the architect does this, it doesn't mean it will be built. How do we convince clients that it's worth it to do these things? Easier said than done, I realize. But the goal should be there.

I’ve been looking at this idea of theme in architecture. How do you measure the success of a space that takes an idea and uses the built environment to convey this idea or feeling to the user? What constitutes a theme? I’ve been attempting to make connections to other forms of art: books, movies, tv. There is nothing more fragile than a movie that starts out one way and throws in a theme shift halfway through. If done well, the story can be hugely successful. But what if the audience leaves the theater disappointed because it wasn’t what they expected? What happens when people leave the Strip disappointed because Paris didn’t look like Paris? Maybe they weren’t truly expecting to be transported. Maybe it’s a waste of time to take an enclosed building and make people think they’re in Paris. Maybe it’s not possible. But how do you take that feeling and infuse it into a space. A feeling that you can only get in this one place. A feeling you can’t even find in Paris. 

Not all themed architecture has to be warm and fuzzy. People want to feel things that have an impact. People want to feel excited, scared, full of wonder, etc. If themes were only for fairy tales, Breaking Bad wouldn't have  been the most popular tv show in years. I want to take my adoration for movies, tv, literature.. and infuse it into design.