The Eyes of the Skin

Explore the relationship between architecture and the sensory experience with the fourth edition of this groundbreaking work.

First published in 1996, The Eyes of the Skin is a classic of architectural theory. It asks the far-reaching question why, when there are five senses, is one single sense―sight―so predominant in architectural culture and design? With the ascendancy of the digital and the all-pervasive use of the image electronically, the subject is all the more pressing and topical since the first edition’s publication. Juhani Pallasmaa argues that the suppression of the other four sensory realms has led to the overall impoverishment of our built environment, often diminishing the emphasis on the spatial experience of a building and architecture’s ability to inspire, engage and be wholly life enhancing.

For a student reading this text for the first time, The Eyes of the Skin is a revelation. It provides a fresh, compelling insight into architectural culture which continues to inspire more than a quarter-century after its initial publication.

The fourth edition of The Eyes of the Skin also features:

• The author’s latest views on the emphasis of place, unfocused perception and existential experience
• Updates and clarifications throughout, to reinforce how our sense of self in the world remains our most important sense with the greatest architectural impact
• An updated Foreword that touches on the current understanding of the seminal importance of the existential sense

The Eyes of the Skin is a must-read for all architecture students, who will find its insights transformative.

This augmented spoken-word version was originally developed for neurodivergent audiences who may be challenged by the written word. However, as the project developed, it became clear that audiences such as those for whom English is a second language, those with visual challenges and others for whom the spoken word is preferred to the written word would also appreciate such a translation.

This audio version is narrated by significant architects and creative practitioners and those narrations are augmented by an evocative soundscape designed to amplify particular elements of the narrative through reimagining the Sami people’s tradition of ‘yoiking’, simultaneously providing a cultural reference to the author’s biography.

(Hearing) The Eyes of the Skin shifts the paradigm of architectural education and communication, acknowledging that we need diverse means of communication as we enter into what might be termed ‘a new age of orality’.

(Hearing) The Eyes of the Skin is now a must-listen for all architecture students, who will find its insights transformative.