The common perception of luxury is that it’s an expression of wealth, even if it invokes bad taste. As much as we’d like to take on the “challenge” of designing buildings without a budget, we consider luxury architecture to be something else…
For me, architecture should be considered luxury when it addresses and supports, to the fullest extent possible, the full spectrum of human needs. If you look into the expanded list created by psychologist Abraham Maslow in the 1940s, or the prominent psychologists who worked on the subject after him, you’ll find that most, if not all, human needs are shaped or influenced by the surrounding built environment. We shape our environment, and later, it shapes us.
What are the Human Needs according to A. Maslow?
PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS
- Biological – air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
- Safety – protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, etc.
SPIRITUAL NEEDS
- Love and belongingness – friendship, intimacy, trust, and acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love. Affiliating, being part of a group (family, friends, work).
- Esteem needs – which Maslow classified into two categories:
- 4.1 Esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence)
- 4.2 The desire for reputation or respect from others (e.g., status, prestige)
- Cognitive needs – knowledge and understanding, curiosity, exploration, need for meaning and predictability.
- Aesthetic needs – appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.
- Self-actualization needs – realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
- Transcendence needs – A person is motivated by values that transcend beyond the personal self (e.g., mystical experiences and certain experiences with nature, aesthetic experiences, sexual experiences, service to others, the pursuit of science, religious faith, etc.).
In summary, luxury architecture is a high-quality built environment that acknowledges your specific human needs, emulates them in design solutions, and elevates your wellbeing while prolonging your lifespan.
… to be continued…