Architecture is about experience: not only visual but also what

Host: The soft light of the afternoon filtered through the window, casting long shadows across the room. Jack sat at the desk, his fingers absently tracing the edge of a book, but his mind seemed elsewhere. Jeeny, sitting on the couch, looked over at him, sensing he was lost in thought. She set her cup down gently, breaking the quiet in the room.

Jeeny: (gently) “You seem deep in thought. What’s going on?”

Jack: (looking up, a slight smile playing on his lips) “I was just reading something by Ma Yansong. He said, ‘Architecture is about experience: not only visual but also what you can touch, what you can feel.’ It made me think about how we often focus on the aesthetics of a space, but there’s so much more to it than just how it looks.”

Host: Jeeny tilts her head slightly, her curiosity piqued by the idea. The quiet of the room feels a little deeper now, as if the words have already started to settle in the space between them.

Jeeny: “It’s interesting, isn’t it? When we think about architecture, we usually think about the visual — the design, the shapes, the colors. But Ma Yansong is talking about how a space is something you experience with your whole body, not just your eyes. How the textures, the light, the flow of space can make you feel something — it’s like the architecture becomes a part of you.”

Jack: (nodding) “Exactly. It’s about the experience, the way a building or a space interacts with you on multiple levels. It’s not just something you look at; it’s something you feel and touch. Think about walking into a space — the way it feels to stand in a large open room versus a cozy, intimate corner. The materials, the sound of your footsteps, the way the light changes as you move through it — those things affect your mood, your perception. That’s the true power of architecture.”

Host: Jeeny takes a deep breath, clearly processing the idea, her fingers lightly tracing the rim of her cup. The room feels almost alive now, as if the conversation itself has added a new layer of depth to their understanding of space.

Jeeny: “It’s fascinating to think about how a space can shape our emotions, our thoughts. A well-designed space can make you feel calm, inspired, or energized. It’s not just about functionality; it’s about creating an environment that speaks to your senses, that encourages a certain type of feeling or reaction.”

Jack: (softly, his voice thoughtful) “Yeah, and I think that’s why certain places stay with us long after we leave them. The way a building makes you feel, the texture of the walls, the way the light filters through the windows — it all combines to create an experience that stays in your memory. It’s like the space becomes part of your story, part of your experience of the world.”

Host: The room falls into a comfortable silence, the idea hanging between them. Outside, the world continues on, but in this moment, their conversation has shifted something, a quiet realization that architecture is more than just visual design — it’s about how we interact with the world around us, how a space makes us feel, and how those feelings become part of our lives.

Jeeny: (softly) “I think we forget sometimes how much our environment affects us. We focus so much on how things look, but it’s the way they make us feel that really matters. Architecture is like an unspoken language, shaping how we move through the world, how we connect with a place.”

Jack: (smiling) “Exactly. It’s about more than just buildings. It’s about experience, about how a space can become part of who we are, without us even realizing it.”

Host: The air in the room feels lighter now, the quiet understanding that the spaces we inhabit shape us as much as we shape them. Architecture is not just about what we see; it’s about the entire experience — the feelings, the senses, the way a space moves through us. And in that, we find connection — not just with the environment, but with ourselves.