The 3m distance model

Very recently I assisted to a lecture of the philosopher Hein van Dongen at a symposium “Vision on philosophy in architecture” in Rotterdam, organized by the architectural firm DJGA known for their excellence in conceiving healthcare buildings.

The title of his lecture was “The tactile dimension of architecture”. He mentioned the different senses among which he “developed” the tactile one. At a certain moment he used an example, or rather a model, of the human being’s notion of space based upon the 3m displacement. While explaining he made a few steps sideways of the pupitre. As we could all witness it was very easy for him to reach a point 3 meters from the micro, but he said that one could not reach a point 3m above the floor on which stands the microphone, without a tool like a chair. Although we can measure the same distance of 3 meters in the horizontal and the vertical direction, we experience the vertical 3m distance totally different from the horizontal 3m distance. Therefore our way of apprehending the height of a building is so much different from the length of a building. After the lectures he told me that he was not familiar with the architectural creation/production, but that he was very much aware of the notion of space linked to the limitation of reach. He used the example the conception of a car in which it is primordial to take in account the driver’s spatial reach limitation.

Unlike urban planners architects and landscape architects deal both with the “bigger scale” see height/length item and the “smaller scale” reach/tactile item. Interior architects do often have a notion of the first, but are very familiar with the second.

Mr van Dongen told me he was not involved in the conception of healthcare buildings, but that he is involved in the “organization building” of the directors team of the Radboud university hospital in the city of Nijmegen.

Within our up speeded way of living a philosopher like Van Dongen “tells” us indirectly that it is still wise to think before acting instead of the other way around.