Design studio through the subtle revelations of phenomenology

Architecture does not stand in isolation from its surroundings or humanity; its integration of interiority makes it valuable to our existential circumstance. In the words of Eugen Fink, phenomenology is “wonder in the face of the world.” ¹ It is an attitude of subtle revelation, of sensing by doing which permeates all aspects of working toward and through design. A motivation for exploring this philosophy in teaching design studio is to combine these two synergistic and seemingly complementary modes of engagement - the “integration” of interior architecture with the “being” of phenomenology. This makes phenomenology not simply a methodology, but an approach to being of the world.