INTRODUCTION

People are different, and so do the ways in which they relate to the world.
Something to someone is something else to someone else. One person's cozy warmth is
another person's scorching heat. Someone else's glaring light is another person's bright
illumination. Someone else's delicious snack can make someone else queasy, and
someone else's crushing boredom can be someone else's delightful relaxation. This is also
true when it comes to architecture. When you put two people in the same room, one does
not perceive the room the same as the other. There may be similarities, but it’s not
completely identical. That’s why when designing a house for your client, it is important
to know what they want their house to be like and how you design your building all
depends on the client’s requirements, but also considering other important factors as well.
A book by Edward T. Hall is a must-read when it comes to getting to know more
about the underlying ideas of architecture through “Hidden Dimensions” a title that
accurately describes the perceptual world, such as environmental, social, cultural, and
similar influences on behavior that are not physical or visible to the human eye. It talks
about the spatial environment and how every person has a different perception in this
three-dimensional world we live in. The Hidden Dimension is a study providing a
detailed evolutionary progression of the use of space, as well as the difficulties man, have
wrought by the lack of understanding of what space means to all cultural groups on the
planet.
In the previous synthesis report, the researcher conducted a circulation analysis on
their home dwelling (Magdamit Residence). In this study, the researcher will be digging
deeper into the hidden dimensions of their home dwelling and perceive the said dwelling
through the use of senses and other methods. They will determine the impact or
influences it provides to the researcher in terms of visual, auditory, olfactory, thermal,
kinesthetics, and other related issues. The researcher will discuss what was observed and
present recommendations to the house for future renovations.

OBJECTIVES
This study aims to do the following:
1. Discuss and analyze the researcher’s home dwelling using different perceptual
interpretations of space (visual, olfactory, auditory, thermal, kinesthetics, etc.)
2. Present a written report with supporting illustrations, images, and the like with
potential recommendations.
3. Develop an understanding and deeper appreciation of the course.
 METHODOLOGY
This study explores the several unnoticed elements that go into a building or
home design. It focuses on comprehending how one's culture affects their perceptual
perception of space, which includes visual, auditory, olfactory, thermal, and other senses
The book "The Hidden Dimension" by Edward T. Hall is the primary information
source for this study. It includes insightful justifications with reference to studies on the
physical, physiological, and psychological effects of using our senses that have cultural
influences on how we see space. This book offered a good overview and understanding
of how space is interpreted perceptually which emerged as the dominant basis for this
research. A floor plan of the researcher's home dwelling at a scale of 1:100 was designed
for the visual representation of the space. The subsequent step included observation
of many areas, both inside and out, documentation of the areas, and analysis. The
inhabitants' characteristics (culture, behavior, religion, practices, etc.) in the residential
house were also considered.
All these steps will allow the researcher to discuss the influences and impacts of
the house in terms of visual, auditory, olfactory, thermal, and kinesthetic and connect
these applications to the occupant’s culture and practices. Through the use of these
methods, the researcher will be able to reach a conclusion and also provide future
recommendations for the researcher’s home dwelling.
 DISCUSSIONS
The Magdamit Residence is a two-
story house that has been standing for 30
years. It is a concrete home owned by the
researcher’s grandmother and currently it
also serves as a second home for her
grandchildren who are studying college and
senior high school. The house in terms of
its design is quite outdated with concrete
vintage forms and elements. This is because
the architect who designed this house
followed the wants of the clients, which are
Figure 1. Magdamit Residence
the researcher’s grandparents. They also wanted to have their
house big enough to fit their whole family, so the house has an overall 6 bedrooms, 1
master’s bedroom, 2 toilet and baths, a living room big enough to host small parties, a
dirty kitchen, and a kitchen just beside the dining room.
Visually speaking, the interior spaces and
furniture are pleasing to the eye. The color
of the walls which is milky white fill the
rooms with warmth. It leaves a gentle,
comforting impression making the
occupants feel at home. The traditional
steel framed glass frosted windows also
added to this comforting impression along
with curtains that adjust the lighting of the
spaces.
Figure 2. living room

However, since the house is quite old, there have

been minor cracks within the ceilings and walls,
cobwebs, and some of the paint on the walls started
to peel, some already peeled even. Debris from the
concrete ceiling of the second floor also falls which
makes the occupants feel unsafe because debris
could hit them anytime resulting in an injury.
Overall, the visual sense of the house in terms of
anthropometric standards is adequate. The rooms
are spacious and comfy, and the front yard has trees
and plants that help complement the house’s
concrete aesthetic. The researcher’s only concern

Figure 3. cracks in the researcher's rooms

with it is the unstable safety measures of the house. Someone could get hurt if the cracks
won’t be repaired.
In terms of the house’s
auditory impression, the spaces in
the house are wide enough and the
walls are thick enough to not hear
soft sounds from occupants. Since
one of the occupants (the
researcher’s other grandmother) has a
loud voice, their voice can be heard
from across the room making other
occupants in the house feel
uncomfortable.
Figure 4. hallway of the second floor

Sounds from outside the residence like

footsteps, music from large speakers, and dogs barking
can be heard from the researcher’s room on the second
floor. The sound, however, can be minimized by closing
the door and windows, but it makes the thermal
condition unfavorable.

Figure 5. window of the researcher's

room

Speaking of the
thermal condition of the
house, it is quite hot and
humid. The roof is
composed of concrete slabs
which is a durable and cost-
efficient material. However,
the house has no insulation
whatsoever, the heat from
the rooftop is absorbed by
the concrete slab making the
rooms on the second floor
warm. When it rains,
rainwater from the rooftop Figure 6. rooftop
build up and leak to the second floor.
 To add, the east part of the
residence is covered with an
adjacent neighboring house
which makes it even hotter
since the whole eastern
portion of the house doesn’t
have windows utilizing
natural ventilation.

Figure 7. magdamit residence with its neighboring house

Speaking of natural
ventilation, the windows are
properly placed to utilize
natural ventilation, and
concrete canopy roofs are
attached to the windows of
the first floor to obstruct the
sun’s rays from passing
through the rooms. However,
the ceiling insulation plan of
the house really play an
important part in making the
house cool, so it is safe to
say that the house’s thermal
Figure 8. window of the first floor with canopy
planning is quite poor.
Moving on, the olfactory impression of a building
is one of the most important factors to consider
because personally, the smell leaves a huge
influence and impact on the researcher.
Considering this, the Magdamit residence has no
foul smell whatsoever. The front yard is filled
with trees and plants which is a great smell
freshener for the environment. However, one of
Figure 9. dog
the occupants has a pet dog locked in a
cage outside the house. From time to
time when the dog excretes waste, the
unpleasant scent produced by the dog
(feces and urine) causes discomfort to
the occupants. So, it is solved by
moderately cleaning up the dog’s cage.
In addition, one of the occupants in the
house has a barbeque business just in
front of the residence so the smoke
along with its smell produced from the
Figure 10. the pet owner cleaning the cage
barbeque grill sometimes goes into the
house, leaving the researcher a slight discomfort. Moreover, these issues are things that
the researcher doesn’t really mind since they are kind of used to it.

Aside from senses, the researcher

also used a different approach to
perceive the residence, and that is by
observing the movement of the
occupants (kinesthetics). Since some of
the occupants are student boarders
staying on the second floor of the
room, a stairway was made in front of
the house to let boarders directly go to
their rooms and not disturb the
occupants staying on the first floor.
There is still a stairway inside going to
Figure 11. stairway to the balcony of the second floor the second floor though.

The religion of the researcher’s family is catholic, so altars were created in the living
room and also in the front yard.

Figure 12. altar in the front yard Figure 13. altar in the living room
 CONCLUSION
After gathering data from the researcher’s home dwelling, the researcher concluded the
following:

1. Culture plays an important role in designing a building. These created behaviors,

beliefs, and traditions that are ingrained in our culture, which then serve as a
foundation for our design.
2. To consider a house adequate, one must not base it on the visuals of the house or
what is pleasing to the eye. One must consider factors that can be perceived using
olfactory senses, auditory senses, and thermal senses. Does the house have proper
ventilation and insulation? Does it have a good auditory impression? Or does it
have a fresh scent and no unpleasant smell?
The Magdamit residence is a home filled with memories and serves as a foundation for
the family’s love. However, seeing the house as it is with its issues weakens the family.
To strengthen the foundation, the researcher offers a few recommendations to repair and
maintain the house’s strong foundation. These recommendations are the following:
1. Repair the cracks in the ceiling and walls
2. Attach canopies to the window on the second floor
3. Waterproof the rooftop
4. Repaint the walls and ceilings
 REFERENCES
 Hall, E. T. (1990). The Hidden Dimension (Anchor Books a Doubleday Anchor
Book) (Edition Unstated). Anchor.
 National Eye Institute. (2022, April 20). How the Eyes Work. Retrieved on
November 27, 2022 from https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/healthy-
vision/how-eyeswork#:~:text=When%20light%20hits%20the%20retina,into
%20the%20images%20y
 Fidanci, E. A. (2022, March 25). Hearing Architecture. Illustrarch. Retrieved on
November 27, 2022 from https://illustrarch.com/articles/9192-hearing-
architecture.html
 National Library of Medicine (October 2011). How does the Ear Work? Retrieved
on November 28, 2022 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279191
 Beyda, E. (2022, January 6). Designed for the Nose: The Art of Scent in
Architecture. Built | the Bluebeam Blog. Retrieved on November 29, 2022 from
https://blog.bluebeam.com/smell-in
 Stouhi, D. (2022, October 18). How to Design for Optimal Thermal Comfort
(And Why it Matters). ArchDaily. Retrieved on November 30 from
 https://www.archdaily.com/908320/howto-design-for-optimal-thermal-comfort-
and-why-it-matters
 STUDENT PROFILE

Name: Dante M. Llorente Jr.

Permanent Address: 722 A. Estonilo St. Poblacion,
Placer, Masbate
Temporary Address: 158 Rizal St., Brgy. 17, Legazpi
City, Albay
Contact No.: 09093323987
E-mail: djml2022-6580-12776@bicol-u.edu.ph