transcript
show notes
Start from a phenomenon we all know: the dulling of the senses. Do the same thing daily and the sensation fades. Bathing in a river is the opposite — touch, smell, taste, sight and sound arriving at once, grounding and thrilling, though for some it would be overload. Then look at how most of us actually live: car park, lift, corridor, unit. Neutral by design, because the unit is speculative and has to sell to anyone. What the developer sells you instead is sensation somewhere else — the advert with a woman jogging beneath the trees, shot from above; the pool, the pocket park, the family and the elderly together outdoors.
So I want to make the case for sensory design as a set of principles in its own right, sitting alongside universal design — useful to architects and urban designers, and to UI/UX and product designers too. It matters for everyone, and particularly for people with cognitive, sensory or physical disabilities, for neurodivergent people who cannot take extreme sensations, for elderly people and for people living with dementia. I offer one principle to begin with: proximity to nature. No part of a space should sit more than six metres from daylight and planting, and at least two spaces should have direct access to nature. In a high-rise that raises real questions about soil, balconies and maintenance — but the technology has moved on since green building began in the nineties. Sensory design is more than thermal comfort and a Green Building Index score.
© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image 'Nurture' in acrylics on paper by Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.
Do subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere!
