Stimmung

Buildings transmit a psychological ‘temperature’ known by the German 19th century concept of ‘stimmung’ meaning atmospheric mood, often associated with music. 

Atmosphere, as it relates to architecture, is a harder concept to wrap ones arms around, due to its nature of being nebulas and of the moment – understood to be invisible, intangible and different for each individual – and often described through metaphors. 

Atmosphere is the sign impressed on our senses by the experience of the architectural space either consciously or more often unconsciously. 

Atmosphere is something hard to defined -not because it is rare and unusual but because it is omnipresent – even thought at times we don’t consciously notice it.

The study of Neuroscience as it relates to architectural space is shining new light on how our minds – and bodies – interpret and respond to the places we live, work, learn, play and heal, and how enriched environments can create the conditions where we can flourish.