Definition of Genius Loci

 According to Christian Norberg-Schulz, a genius loci

was referred to by the Romans as a protective spirit
of a place in the classical period.

 Can be defined as the cognition of one’s

surroundings, often used in relation to the
characteristics that make an area unique.

 It also relates to the authenticity of human

attachment and belonging to a space.
 The Romans believed that there was a geist, that
would protect a place, and this spirit has certain
characteristics or a singular characteristic.
 Architecturally the genius loci is a distinctive
atmosphere or characteristic of a place.
 Certain places draw many onlookers and observers
while others may be desolate and empty.
 But both situations may contain a genius loci that is
it’s own distinctive characteristic, that could be
completely unrelated to its physical location.
 Light, sounds, form, or usage; the possibilities of the
distinctive atmosphere could be endless and as
complex or simple as you could define.
Tadao Ando has drawn from the architecture of phoenix island’s landscape to
create both ‘genius loci’ and ‘glass house’, two built works aimed at quiet
contemplation and meditation within the landscape. named for the protective spirits
of the land
 Genius loci

 Each city has a unique ‘spirit of place,’ or a

distinctive atmosphere, that goes beyond the built
environment.

 This urban context reflects how a city functions in

‘real time’ as people move through time and space.

 The architecture and physical infrastructure of a city

give way to the rhythms of the passing of the day and
transition of the seasons. This provides the ‘temporal
spectacles’ that define a city.
 Genius loci
 This context of a city is more formally known as
‘genius loci,’ or the genetic footprint of a place.

 One could logically apply 'sense of place' to an urban

high street; noting the architecture, the width of
the roads and pavements, the plantings, the style of
the shop-fronts, the street furniture.
Avebury neolithic henge village, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
 Gordon Cullen, transformed the Architectural
Review polemic into an analytical and design tool.
 Townscape was “the art of relationship”; it was
important to take all the elements that go to create
the environment:
 buildings,
 trees,
 nature,
 water,
 traffic, advertisements and so on, and to weave them
together in such a way that drama is released.
For a city is a dramatic event in the environment.