Feel the atmosphere: a qualitative study on spatial experiences in contemporary Muße architecture

ABSTRACT

In an ever-accelerating world, experiences free of outcome expectancy and time pressure for the pursuit of intrinsic activities are increasingly rare. Such moments are described by the German term ‘Muße’. This qualitative study focused on prototypical objects of contemporary Muße architecture. The aim was to investigate empirically how individuals experience such spaces via their ambient atmosphere using semi-structured interviews. By Grounded Theory Methodology, a typology of spatial experiences was developed. The analysis revealed specific and general experience patterns, as well as conducive architectural means. The results are interpreted in terms of theories of Muße, restoration, aesthetic absorption and time experience.

KEYWORDS:

• Muße
• architecture
• experience
• atmosphere
• qualitative study

Acknowledgments

We thank Nicola Nuecken and Valerie Drach for assistance with conducting and transcribing the interviews. We thank Lorenz Orendi for selecting the Muße spaces based on theories of contemporary architecture. We thank the Skyspace Piz Uter in Zuoz, the Therme Vals, the Saint Benedict Chapel in Sumvitg, the Maria-Magdalena Church in Freiburg and the Place of Contemplation in Erstfeld for their courtesy and support of the study. We thank Patrice Frenkel and Sofie Elisabeth Minkel for assistance with qualitatively analyzing the interviews.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data are available upon request from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the German Research Foundation within the Collaborative Research Center 1015 ‘Otium. Boundaries, Chronotopes, Practices’ in project R5 ‘Waiting and Expecting in Spaces of Otium: An Empirical Study on the Connection Between Expectation, Atmosphere and Sense of Time’ under Grant number [197396619–SFB 1015].