ABSTRACT
Human beings are physical organisms, and whether we like it or not, we are affected by the physical surroundings we are in. The profession of architecture is based on this fact, but physical surroundings affect us in more ways than aesthetic pleasure. At the extremes, actual discomfort clearly makes any sort of mental activity virtually impossible. True, we can continue to think in remarkably unpleasant circumstances, but only for short periods, and only when we are highly motivated. For most purposes, intellectual curiosity, general attention to matters which are not immediately important, and the normal rules of courteous attention, disappear very quickly as discomfort rises.
