is a technique I started using in the Sensing the Urban Interior project to investigate the qualitative dimensions of environmental experience. It’s a way of capturing the feelings, sensations, and atmospheres we encounter in the public environments we inhabit temporarily, and reflect on how we respond to these emotionally. By tuning into how the body senses the world, I can identify what stands out emotionally, why certain features of a place feel rewarding and meaningful, and why others may noxt. This method helps me ‘read’ the emotional and sensory character of an environment.
While the mapping begins with immediate, lived experiences, direct sensations in the present, it also brings to light the mental images those experiences leave behind. These mental impressions are shaped by what we notice, what stays with us, and what matters to us personally.
Together, our bodily sensations and the mental images they spark shape how we understand the world and our place within it. We don’t consciously register everything we sense, there’s simply too much going on. Our perception naturally filters information, drawing attention to what feels significant. These are the moments that stay with us. And often, the mental images that emerge from them, though less detailed than the original experience, hold a deeper emotional weight. They help connect us to a place, sometimes long after we’ve left it. In that sense, mental imagery becomes a powerful source of insight.
Sensory-emotional map
Sensory-emotional map
Sensory-emotional map
Sensory-emotional map
Sensory-emotional map
Sensory-emotional map
Unlike architectural drawings, sensory-emotional maps don’t always show exact layouts or fixed boundaries. They’re akin to layers of phenomena, traces of sensory and emotional experiences collected over time to reveal the dynamic relationship between people and place. The way I structure these maps is inspired by a framework developed by environmental psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan (1981). This is how their ideas shape my mapping approach:
- Generality – Highlights recurring patterns and filters out one-off experiences.
- Simplicity – Strips away clutter to focus on what matters.
- Economy – Encodes the information to make it easy to read and remember.
- Essence – Keeps the most critical, emotionally resonant details.
- Connectedness – Uses symbols or features to link elements together.
- Directness – Organises experiences into clear categories.
- Unity – Ensures the whole map feels coherent and legible.
The examples shown in the slideshow span various projects I completed between 2014 and 2022. I often use annotated sketches to build these maps, but I also experiment with materials and 3D approaches.
The project shown in the video, looked at how people experienced Elephant Park in Elephant and Castle, London, during the early stages of its redesign. We etched a bird’s-eye view of the park onto a tabletop, and participants used coloured threads to trace their individual sensory-emotional journeys. This participatory piece was created in collaboration with scenographer and UAL Senior Lecturer Lucy Thornett for the London Design Festival and London College of Communication’s public programme.
Reference
Kaplan, S. and Kaplan, R. (1981) Cognition and Environment: Functioning in an Uncertain World. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Ulrich’s Books.