This project is the result of a semester-long exploration developed during the Taller de Integración I, a design studio that invites students to engage with architecture through a sensorial and experiential lens. Rather than starting from program or form, we approached architecture through light, sound, and water—three elemental forces that shape how we feel, move, and dwell within space. Together with Brenda Cohen, we constructed a multi-layered reflection on how architecture can heighten our perception and create atmospheres that go beyond visual aesthetics. Drawing from philosophical texts, historical references, and contemporary examples, we translated intangible sensations into architectural expression. The workshop encouraged us to look at architecture as a sensitive instrument: a tool for slowing down, for inviting contemplation, and for designing spaces that respond to both nature and human emotion.

NATURAL LIGHT

“Light is not something we see. It is the very condition that allows us to see.”

In this first chapter, we immersed ourselves in the poetics of natural light, taking inspiration from Junichiro Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows and traditional Japanese architecture. Through the soft texture of washi paper, the shifting glow of shoji panels, and the gentle modulation of shadows, we explored how light can evoke tranquility, warmth, and intimacy.

We studied how Eastern architectural traditions embrace indirect and filtered light, in contrast to the harsh, direct lighting typical of Western spaces. This approach allowed us to design atmospheres where light is not simply a technical parameter, but a material in itself—one that reveals textures, shapes perception, and transforms the mood of a space.

The result was a spatial proposal that invites introspection, where light is diffused, never imposed, and time is felt through the changing tone of illumination.

DARKNESS & SOUND

“Architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world, and this mediation takes place through the senses.” – Juhani Pallasmaa

The second theme led us into the auditory and tactile realm of architecture—where silence becomes space, and sound gives shape to the unseen. Guided by the writings of Pallasmaa and the concepts of aurality and soundscape, we examined how materials, geometry, and spatial enclosures affect the way we perceive and inhabit sound.

Architecture, we discovered, is not only about what we see, but also about what we feel through vibration and resonance. By designing a performative space as both an acoustic shell and a musical instrument, we proposed an environment that reflects, absorbs, and amplifies sound in meaningful ways.

This phase of the project taught us to listen to architecture—to consider how quietude, echo, and reverberation shape emotional and spatial experience just as powerfully as light or form.

WATER

“Water is the element of life, memory, and flow.”

The final part of our investigation centered around water—as a symbolic, spatial, and ecological element. Drawing from Feng Shui principles, ancient water systems, and contemporary sustainable projects, we reflected on water’s ability to bring balance, movement, and serenity to architectural space.

Inspired by projects like the Bosco Verticale in Milan and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, we studied how water can be harvested, reused, and celebrated—not only as a resource but as a sensorial experience. We linked this with the Amazon Rainforest, highlighting the urgent need to protect its botanical diversity and natural cycles.

Our final design included a water-collection system integrated into a preservation-oriented architecture—a space where climate, humidity, and life are actively monitored and sustained. Here, architecture becomes a living system, embracing nature as a co-creator.

SYNTHESIS - A SPACIAL COMPOSITION OF SENSATIONS

“Architecture is the art of weaving the immaterial into the material—where light, sound, and water become structure, memory, and emotion.”

This final stage brings together the three explored elements—light, sound, and water—into a single, unified spatial concept. Inspired by Rasmussen’s idea of architecture as an orchestration of sensations, we designed a space where atmosphere becomes structure.

Soft light, acoustic resonance, and flowing water interact to create an immersive experience—a sanctuary that appeals to the senses. This synthesis is a reflection on how architecture can be both performative and poetic, rooted in emotion as much as in material.