ABSTRACT
However appropriately we match sensory qualities to the needs of a place and its users, these can’t be considered in isolation. Most, although they work upon us anyway, we consciously notice only by contrast. We notice warmth when we come into a warm room from the cold, move closer to a fire or step into sunlight. We notice the smell of a city, industry or house when we first arrive there; the next day we don’t. If sensory qualities, however appropriate, are to bring joy and refreshment to the soul, we need variety – not endlessly the exact correct temperature, lighting level, the same view, the same sort of shapes, space, or movement through space.
