The Eyes of the Skin Architecture and the Senses

First published in 1996, The Eyes of the Skin has become a classic of architectural theory. It is required reading on courses of architecture around the world. It asks the far-reaching question why when there are five senses has one single sense sight become so predominant in architectural culture and design? With the ascendancy of the digital and the all-pervasive communication through images, it is a subject that has become all the more pressing and topical since the first edition's publication in the mid 90s. Juhani Pallasmaa argues that the suppression of the other four sensory realms in adherence to the visual since classical times has led to the overall impoverishment of our built environment, often diminishing the emphasis on the spatial experience of a building and architecture's ability to inspire, engage and be wholly life enhancing. For every new intake of students studying Pallasmaa's classic text, The Eyes of the Skin provides a totally fresh understanding of architecture and a new set of insights. The author receives correspondence everyday from students around the world communicating to him what a revelation his book has been. This third edition is intended to meet students' desire for a further understanding of the context of Pallasmaa's thinking by providing a new essay by architectural author and educator Peter MacKeith. This text combines both a biographical portrait of Pallasmaa and an outline of his architectural thinking, its origins and its relationship to a larger context of Nordic and European thought, past and present. The focus of the essay will be on the fundamental humanity, insight and sensitivity of Pallasmaa's approach to architecture, bringing Pallasmaa closer to the reader. This will be illustrated by photographs of Pallasmaa and his own sketches. The new edition will also provide a revised preface by the internationally renowned architect Steven Holl and a revised introduction by Pallasmaa himself.

Juhani Pallasmaa is one of Finland’s most distinguished architects and architectural thinkers. His previous positions include: Rector of the Institute of Industrial Arts, Helsinki; Director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki; and Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Helsinki University of Technology. He has also held visiting professorships at several universities worldwide. Pallasmaa is the author/editor of over thirty books, including The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses (Academy, 1995 and John Wiley & Sons, 2005), The Thinking Hand: Existential and Embodied Wisdom in Architecture (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) and The Embodied Image: Imagination and Imagery in Architecture (John Wiley & Sons, 2011).

Peter MacKeith is Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, Washington University in St Louis. He has held academic positions and worked in design practices in both Finland and the United States, and has written and lectured extensively on Finnish and Nordic architecture.