Sensory Stimulation

Texture of materials might also be included as part of the experiential character of the architecture. I think the sound of a space, not music brought into the building, but the change in sound from an enclosed area to one that is very open can be interesting to the experience of a building.

I love this idea of sensory stimulation. On our High School Project, we used sea level data along the way as a both stimulation and a learning tool to give context of how high students were climbing, as they also climbed the grand staircase.- VMDO Architects

That sounds like a great example Joseph. Do you have any photos or renderings you could share? Thank you!

I love the sea level data display in the staircase, what a great idea!

I think that sensory stimulation is an important part of designing a space. Whether it be from the use of texture in materials, the play of light and shadow or the sounds a space creates.This use of sensory stimulation helps spark the imagination and more easily relate the occupant to a space through his/her past experiences. It seems that today, a lot of architecture is based more on the visual perception of a space, overpowering use of our other senses. Full sensory stimulation creates a positive mood/stimmung and allows the occupant to become completely immersed in the experience of the space.

We have also used the sense of smell to promote movement up the stairs as we have placed a kitchen and coffee stand at the top of the stair to encourage vertical movement of staff upwards.

On our project, we have an interactive, 2-story video wall that is programmed to display Wii-like games. At the moment, I don't see a way to count this feature as a contributor to active occupants. I think there is room in this credit for less common strategies like ours.

Has anyone had difficult achieving this credit by claiming the design, geometry, and materiality of the stair itself as the element of sensory stimulation? In our project, the stair is adjacent to an exterior glass curtainwall. But, there is no opportunity for wall mounted artwork. And, the nature of the activity in adjacent open workspaces would prohibit music. How does one judge whether the architectural design of the stair is sufficiently aesthetically stimulating?

We are getting ready to submit for our project, and are claiming the main stair design as the element of sensory stimulation. The design of the stair definitely isn't a typical stair though, and was created in conjunction with a designer who does "intervention" art. You can check it out here http://amorphis-la.com/Afterglow

All excellent points. Our understanding is that the goal of this requirement would be to attract occupants to the stair and that the term ‘sensory stimulation’ appropriately leaves the door open to a variety of ways to accomplish that (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile). In our project, the stairs are an integral part of a vibrant atrium at the heart of the building which features a cafeteria (olfactory stimulation), event space (auditory stimulation), vegetation (visual stimulation), and lots of natural light from a feature skylight (visual stimulation, which ties in with feature #7).

Unlike most people, I object to having music piped at me where ever I go in most public spaces. What ever happens to just being able to hear what's going on as part of the experience?
I love the Sense of Smell used to get people up a stairs as a means of advertising something you can't see.

Could not agree more Bach. My husband and I refer to it as TSO, total sensory overload.