NODEM 2014 Proceedings

Materials Story of Sir John Soane’s Life
Xinglin Sun, Dr. Kevin Walker
Information Experience Design, Royal College of Art, United Kingdom
Abstract: Based on research about cognitive architecture in mental and physical space, the project mapped phases of Sir John
Soane’s life story onto particular building materials relevant to both the museum space and his life. This piece was acquired by the
museum for its handling collection, and there is follow-up research being conducted about visitors’ experience using the piece,
in order to understand the relationship between Soane’s life and the museum architecture. The piece uses materials relevant to
different periods of his life.
Keywords: material, emotion, architecture, cognition
Project background
Sir John Soane’s Museum is the former home of the neo-classical architect Sir John Soane. It was established in
1837 and is located in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London. The Museum has a complex interior design and hundreds
of exhibits. Soane designed the space himself, and stories are everywhere. This project aimed to investigate
the semantic qualities of materials related to Soane’s life, and how they could serve the museum experience.
Several building materials were used, trying to convey different emotions through the sense of touch.
Figure 1. A visitor holding a piece of brick, 2014, Photo by Xinglin Sun
NODEM 2014 Conference & Expo
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