Australian studio Sibling Architecture has created an exhibition that explores sensory design in architecture for Melbourne Design Week.
The Deep Calm exhibition, which will run from 15 to 25 May during Melbourne Design Week, features custom rugs and a series of weighted soft forms in a warm pink room.
Visitors are invited to lay on the rugs, and place the soft form over their body or be fully engulfed by it.
This exhibition is part of an ongoing research project by Sibling Architecture looking at different aspects of sensory design in architecture.
The research stems from one of the studio’s projects – The Wangaratta District Specialist School – a school that caters to students with neurodiversities and varying physical abilities.
As part of this project, Sibling Architecture designed a range of different spaces that were intended to engage with the senses of the body including touch, proprioception, sight and sound.
“We found that the sensory spaces that were most loved by the students were the ones that enabled students to interact in a way that encouraged a cause-and-effect understanding of their bodies in space – where a certain action such as squeezing through a tight space produced a certain feeling,” Sibling Architecture told Dezeen.
“We began looking into this more and started researching deep pressure therapy,” it continued.
Deep pressure therapy is a therapeutic technique that involves applying gentle but firm pressure to the body to help calm the nervous system. It’s often described as feeling like a hug, a squeeze, or being gently held.
The firm and gentle pressure promotes stillness and quietness of both mind and body, as well as the production of the “happy hormones” such as dopamine and serotonin.
“Architecture often exists in mediums that primarily engage our visual receptors,” said Sibling Architecture. “From initial sketches to archival photography, the dominance of the image often trumps the desire to consider design from a multi-sensory perspective,” it continued.
“There is currently an increased awareness of how people experience architecture and public spaces in very diverse ways. But sight is just a small part of the equation amounting to the total atmosphere of architecture.”
In the exhibition, the rug was developed according to where a body will lay down and the pattern draws from acupressure mats. Varying pile heights deployed across the patterns further enhance the tactile nature of the rug.
The weighted soft forms were made from custom printed velvet, which are soft to touch. They are filled with recycled foam and contain pockets of recycled HDPE pellets which are sometimes used to fill stress balls.
The adjustable arms of the soft forms are designed to be controlled by the users, who can place them where they want on their body to receive a heavy hug.
Sustainable materials studio Other Matter designed scented glazing film to reduce the direct sunlight in the space, while composer Jeanette Little created the soundscape that aims to help visitors relax and get into a state of calmness.
Founded in 2012, Sibling Architecture works across architecture, urbanism and cultural analysis. It previously designed a pop-up creative hub in a soon-to-be demolished building in Melbourne.
The photography is by Christine Francis.
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