Spazio, corpo e percezione. Il disegno come strumento di rappresentazione e analisi dell’immisurabile in architettura

Paper presented at the 3rd symposium IDEA “Drawing as a Tool to Investigate, Communicate, and Express Emotions” (Genoa: May 23, 2025). Architecture provides a unique perspective in the study of human emotions through the representation of the invisible and immeasurable interplay of space, body, and perception. Architectural drawings serve a dual purpose: they convey the multisensory complexity of our spatial experiences — encompassing smells, sounds, temperatures, tactile sensations, and sensorimotor affordances — and simulate the anticipated atmosphere of a building. This paper explores how space and the body shape perception, delves into the multidimensional nature of affective processes (distinguishing between emotions, feelings, and moods), presents first-person techniques for expressing subjective emotional states, reviews architectural drawing projects that engage with affective, situated experiences, and emphasizes the critical role of architectural expertise in designing affect-based stimuli specifically tailored for spatial analysis to advance emotion research.