O Espaço Arquitetónico e o Cérebro: A produção do espaço de percepção

Abstract

his dissertation intends to study the relationship between the self and its "space". It is proposed an approach to the concept of space and the implications of the interaction between individual and object. This approach implies a connection between philosophy and science, and thus the understanding of the multidisciplinarity of Architecture. In a first moment, approaching spatial variations, it is intended to introduce the body (as object and biological system) in order to clarify the way space is read by the individual and its sensory systems. Thus, following the sequence of biological events in our physical system, it is necessary to address the brain's responses to the reception of exterior stimuli and its underlying behavior regarding spatial experience. In a second phase, it is intended to understand how "space" and its "architectural organization" are read by our cognitive processes. It is important to pay special attention to the understanding of the "subjective construction of space", through the responsible mental processes, that may have a stronger connection with the significance of Architecture. It is also intended to address the transition of the perceived spatial information to mental data, and to emphasize the importance of our bodily functions in building conscious space. In the final stage of this dissertation, it is intended to link the beginning and end of the chain of physical and mental processes that provide the subjective phenomenon of being in space. This connection becomes critical for the awareness of what really is the "subjective space" of Architecture, and how it is due to the existence of various states of human physical and psychological development that we are allowed to build it and therefore to experience it.