Biophilic design was the topic that sparked my area of interest for my thesis topic and my research and process has consistently driven me to zoom in and out. I have realized that it is all about understanding how we relate to the world around us- whether it is a natural environment or a built one. Our senses play a major role in this, and much of the research done on biophilic design is also rooted in our sensory responses to our environment and their physiological and psychological impacts. I believe that in understanding our sensory responses, design decisions can be made in a more comprehensive and holistic manner that not only impact the design effect, but also building design and performance.

It is amazing how the quickly design can transform your environment. It can transform your mood and your being within seconds…. It is a powerful thing.

While in Riga I visited the Zanis Lipke Memorial located in Kipsala, an old fisherman and sailor’s settlement protected by the UNESCO World Heritage. You find the museum through small signs that direct you down a cobblestone street looking into the backyards of houses. At the end of the alley you are met with a dark wooden gate and little shed, with a simple buzzer that contacts museum staff to unlock the door. Once opening the door and stepping in you are transformed into a completely dark space- a sliver of light runs along the ground edge and cracks of light come through the wooden planked walls. You are no longer in Riga- a bustling city or even on the banks of the Daugava River. This is like no other entry to a museum or memorial that I have ever been to and a feeling of uncertainty is quickly evoked.

Your vision being limited, your other senses are heightened—you smell the tar on the wood siding and hear the wood planking creaking under your feet. The path leads you around the corner to another closed door that in the darkness you are to open. Waiting on the other side of the door is a member of the museum staff waiting to welcome you to the site where Latvian worker Zanis Lipke and his family risked their lives to save the lives of Jews during World War II by hiding them in a bunker they built under a shed in their backyard. The more recognized history of Jews in Latvia during World War II are the atrocities and negative history. The founders of the foundation and the museum want to make sure that the positive histories, stories of heroic deeds and those that survived thanks to them are also represented.

On Easter Day, 2000, revealing the memorial plaque by the house of Žanis Lipke, the Ex-President of Latvia Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga said:

“During the Second World War and the Nazi occupation the Jewish nation, as well as the Roma people and many others were stripped of their true worth as human beings. At the same time Žanis Lipke was guided by a different law, by a law that says to love thy neighbour as thyself. [..] It would be nice if this historical place could one day become a memorial place for the past generations with which we can be proud of, and if our children for generations to come as well as guests, could see, that evidence of a unique person, a unique event have remained here”.

The experience through the museum is self guided, through following your senses and listening to an audio guide for more information. It begins by asking you to look into the glass in front of the stacks of charred firewood piled in the entry room.. look at your reflection and ask yourself what would you have done? And with that your journey through the museum continues…