John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 2005; originally published 1996, English
Nonfiction, Architecture
ISBN: 9780470015797

From the Publisher. First published in 1996, The Eyes of the Skin has become a classic of architectural theory and is required reading on courses in schools of architecture around the world. It consists of two extended essays. The first surveys the historical development of the ocularcentric paradigm in western culture since the Greeks, and its impact on the experience of the world and the nature of architecture. The second examines the role of the other senses in authentic architectural experiences, and points the way towards a multi-sensory architecture which facilitates a sense of belonging and integration. Since the book's first publication, interest in the role of the body and the senses has been emerging in both architectural philosophy and teaching.

On 3 book lists
Peter Bohlin

I am a great admirer of Juhani Pallasmaa’s thinking and writing. The work of a wonderful man, who has several fine books, The Eyes of the Skin is particularly valuable and appropriate now. Not many people talk about what he talks about—not many people could—and even fewer can put that into actual practice.

Ian Ritchie

I can recall meeting Juhani Pallasmaa accidentally for the first time near Imperial College, London. He was with Peter Buchanan, architecture critic and writer, who wanted to show Juhani a building there. We spoke and we agreed to exchange a few writings. The Eyes of the Skin is a shining example of how prose can clarify the essentials of architecture by referring to its secrets, the need to investigate to find the mystery of why architecture touches our emotions and soul. It reminded me of my own investigations in the early 1990s to define and to reveal the haptic qualities in our built work when I began by writing a text for a conference on “touch” at the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn.

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