Atmospheres Design

Dear Colleauges,

Atmospheres design is a design discipline that focuses on the creation and conceptualization of sensory and emotional atmospheres in both physical and digital spaces. It is a multidimensional approach that integrates elements such as light, color, sound, temperature, texture, materials, and scents to influence perceptual experience and individual well-being within a given environment. This discipline aims to design not only the esthetic or functional aspects of a space but also its emotional, social, and psychological impact. It is applied in various contexts, including architecture, interior design, events, retail spaces, and workplaces, with the goal of creating immersive, engaging, and memorable experiences.

The spaces we inhabit are undergoing an unprecedented transformation. The digital revolution has introduced not only new technologies but also new ways of living, different behaviors, and new temporal dynamics. Therefore, a profound rethinking of spatial design is required, not only from a functional and typological perspective but also from a perceptual and emotional one.

Atmospheres Design is a design field pioneered by scholars such as David Howes, an anthropologist and founder of the Sensory Studies research group at Concordia University; and Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, who authored the book Atmospheres (2006), in which he explores how architectural space and materials create emotional and sensory experiences. Zumthor highlights the importance of atmosphere in evoking emotions through elements such as light, materials, sound, and touch.

Gernot Böhme, a German philosopher, was among the first to theorize atmosphere from the perspective of esthetic philosophy. In his book Atmospheric Architectures, Böhme examines how design influences spatial and emotional perception, conceptualizing atmosphere as a central element in human spatial experience. Finnish architect and theorist Juhani Pallasmaa has addressed the theme of atmosphere in spaces in works such as The Eyes of the Skin, where he emphasizes the importance of the senses and bodily experience in the perception of the built environment.

Other designers and theorists who have contributed to the theory of atmosphere include Markus Gabriel and Tonino Griffero, both philosophers who have explored esthetics and spatial perception, linking them to emotional and cognitive phenomena. Architect Steven Holl and artist Philippe Rahm have also made significant contributions, with Rahm focusing on physiological and environmental architecture studies.

This Special Issue dedicated to atmospheres design explores its role in the design of spaces and architecture. It brings together contributions to a discipline that integrates and synthesizes architecture, design, landscape design, scenography, and related fields:

• DESIGNING ATMOSPHERES: theories, masters and boundaries;
• PEOPLE: humans and post humans, perception and neuroscience;
• NOTATIONS: storytelling, semantics, diagrams and maps;
• PROJECTS: case studies and realized projects and experimentations (architecture, interiors, scenography, exhibitions design, events, etc.);
• TIME: rhythms, dramaturgies, ephemerality;
• TECHNOLOGIES: devices, UX, phygitalization;
• SENSORY APPROACHES: sound, scents, lighting, colors, etc.

Dr. Anna Barbara
Dr. Barbara Camocini
Guest Editors

Dr. Reejy Mikhail
Dr. Yuemei Ma
Guest Editor Assistants

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Architecture is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• atmospheres
• senses
• time
• ephemeral
• design
• architecture
• interior design
• exhibitions and event design