Juhani Pallasmaa: Empathic Imagination, Neuroscience and Architecture

Empathic Imagination, Neuroscience and Architecture

This public lecture by Finnish Architect and Professor Emeritus Juhani Pallasmaa will explore the relationship between neuroscience and architecture. The lecture, which will be followed by a drinks reception, is free and open to everyone, but preregistration is required through Eventbrite.

Apart from his built work, including the Kamppi centre in Helsinki and the SIIDA Museum in Inari, Pallasmaa is widely known for his writings on architectural theory, such as The Eyes of the Skin (Wiley, 2005), The Thinking Hand (Wiley, 2009) and The Embodied Image (Wiley, 2011). Developing insights from phenomenology and, more recently, neuroscience, Pallasmaa seeks to “re-sensualise” (2005, 37) architectural experience and practice through an exploration of the affective and multisensory qualities of the built environment. For Pallasmaa, architecture is primarily a means whereby humanity negotiates its relationality with the world by creating a shared arena for experiencing, imagining and remembering: “Architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world” (2005, 72).

This event is sponsored by the European Research Council funded project, Universalism, Universal Design and Equitable Access to the Designed Environment. The project is based in the Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR) at Goldsmiths, and is led by Professor Rob Imrie.