An Investigation Into Monumental Architecture

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Contents

[03] Introduction

[05] The perception of space

[08] The psychological impact of buildings

[13] The psychological impact of cities

[16] Hitlers use of monumental architecture

[21] Reich Chancellery

[27] Conclusion

[30] Bibliography


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Introduction

just as we think architecture with our bodies, we think our bodies through

architecture1

Architecture affects us on a subconscious level. The human brain has evolved

the ability to understand and react to our environment for survival. At some

point in our evolutionary history our brains developed consciousness. With the

advent of this new ability we lost the connection that many animals have with

the environment. Where we once were aware of our surroundings, these

reactions have been pushed to our subconscious. Often overlooked or

dismissed by rational thought these deep reactions still greatly affect us.

Architects may like to rationalize the variables of design, but people largely

perceive buildings emotionally through the senses. Moreover, in doing so they

employ those higher cognitive powers to only varying extents.2

The environment a creature lives in is what defines it, i.e. fish have gills to

breathe in water, and mammals have lungs to breathe air. This is an example

of a physical response to the environment but there are also psychological and

behavioural responses. The environment is our reality, if it changes our reality

changes with it. Therefore the ability to change the environment is also the

ability to influence how people perceive the world they live in. This dissertation

will investigate how architecture affects the mind and discuss how it can be

used to manipulate the behaviour of individuals and more importantly of

populations. One example of a time when architecture was used to great effect

to influence a group of people was during the Nazi rule of Germany. The

architecture of this period shall be explored as an example of how architecture

can be used in this way. This dissertation will look at how the processing of

1Marco Frascari, Monsters of Architecture Anthropomorphism in Architectural Theory, p.1

2 Harry Francis Mallgrave,Architects Brain: Neuroscience, Creativity and Architecture, p.188

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memory is an integral part of how we understand the environment. This

cognitive mechanism is a fundamental part of why architecture has such an

impact on us.

Monumental architecture [] refers to large man-made structures of stone or

earth. These generally are used as public buildings or spaces, such

as pyramids, large tombs, large mounds (but not single burials), plazas,

platform mounds, temples, standing stones, and the like. The defining

characteristic of monumental architecture is typically its public naturethe fact

that the structure or space was built by lots of people for lots of people to look

at or share in the use of, whether the labor was coerced or consensual. 3 This

paper considers how the act of being in a crowd affects the behaviour of an

individual. Therefore this paper explores how monumental architecture can be

used to influence how people behave in large groups. Hitler was a prime

example of a powerful figure that attempted to use monumental architecture to

influence a population. This paper will focus on one of Hitlers buildings, the

Reich Chancellery, as an example of the architecture that Hitler created for

this purpose.

3K. Kris Hurst, Monumental Architecture,

http://archaeology.about.com/cs/glossary/g/monumental.htm, accessed 2nd October 2010

3
http://archaeology.about.com/od/pterms/g/public_architec.htmhttp://archaeology.about.com/od/pterms/g/pyramid.htmhttp://archaeology.about.com/cs/glossary/g/mounds.htmhttp://archaeology.about.com/od/mayaarchaeology/a/inomata.htmhttp://archaeology.about.com/cs/glossary/g/monumental.htmhttp://archaeology.about.com/cs/glossary/g/monumental.htmhttp://archaeology.about.com/od/pterms/g/public_architec.htmhttp://archaeology.about.com/od/pterms/g/pyramid.htmhttp://archaeology.about.com/cs/glossary/g/mounds.htmhttp://archaeology.about.com/od/mayaarchaeology/a/inomata.htm


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The perception of space

Our perception is visceral. Reason plays a secondary role4

In 2004 Semir Zeki and Hideaki Kawabata conducted an experiment on 10

subjects. Each subject examined 300 paintings and, after classifying them as

ugly, neutral, beautiful, they were shown the same images when inside an

fMRI scanner. The results were both expected and surprising. The works

judged beautiful, as expected, produced the highest activity in the orbito-

frontal cortex, an area that is intimately linked with the emotional limbic centres

of the brain and known to be associated with such emotional states as

romantic love. The works judged ugly, quite unexpectedly, activated the motor

cortex, as if the subjects wanted to take evasive action. The architectural

translation is clear. Good buildings fill us emotionally with a sense of

happiness and gratification, while bad buildings cause us to take flight []. 5

This test shows the very real reaction our primal instincts have to our

environment. Humans have evolved to instantly analyse an environment, to

know if it is safe, or dangerous and take the appropriate action. This is called

the fight or flight instinct6and scientists are beginning to understand that we

respond to all encounters on a subconscious level prior to our conscious

rationalisation. This means that our brain reacts to all new experiences in the

same way, rapidly assessing the situation. It is our consciousness that later

allows us to choose which action to take. Viewing a new building elicits the

same autonomic response as every other new experience.

4Harry Francis Mallgrave,Architects Brain: Neuroscience, Creativity and Architecture, p.189

5 Ibid, p.1846

See Walter Bradford Cannon (1915). Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage: An

Account of Recent Researches into the Function of Emotional Excitement, for further readingon the fight or flight instinct

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To understand how the brain perceives space one must understand that we

approach every act of perception with a stored visual record of forms and

colors, which we have acquired over the course of a lifetime. These patterns,

as it were, interface with new perceptions and of course affect the way we

view new images.7 If this is applied to Nazi architecture one can see the

power that building in the neo-classical style has. Upon viewing one of Hitlers

neo-classical buildings the brain will be filtering through past experiences of

Roman architecture to classify this new experience, bringing with it thoughts of

stability, power and time that are associated with Rome. The following is an

example to explain more clearly the process, lets assume that you just

returned from a trip to Greece where you visited the Parthenon in Athens.

Figure 18

7 Harry Francis Mallgrave,Architects Brain: Neuroscience, Creativity and Architecture, p.1468The Parthenon, Greece, approx. 438 B.C.E.

http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth200/politics/parthenon.html, accessed 12December 2010

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The perceptions that you would have formed of this experience are myriad.9

all of these stimuli [] would be processed in different areas of the brain: the

Athenian heat in one area, the color of the marble in another, the brightness of

the sunlight in still another, the forms of the columns and entablature in other

areas.10

suppose that before you had viewed the Parthenon you had visited the

classical Temple of Hephaestus adjacent to the old Athenian agora. Here you

would have a similar perceptual event of a fifth-century Doric temple, and its

memory would have brought something to the new experience. For instance,

the smaller scale of the Hephaestus might have given you a better

appreciation of the scale of the Parthenon, and the relatively intact condition of

the Hephaestus might have allowed you better to imagine the former glory of

the ParthenonHence your perception of the Parthenon would have been

altered by this earlier experience.11

if you sit back in your living room a few months later and recall the image of

the Parthenon, you pretty much activate the same neural circuitry that you

excited when first viewing the monument. The neuroscientist Joaqun M.

Fuster concludes from this discovery two important results with regard to

memory: first, that all memory is in essence associative, or an act of

classification.12 What this example highlights is that our brain, when

confronted with new information, uses past experiences to classify it. Imagine

how the brain begins to react if instead of viewing the Parthenon and

9 Harry Francis Mallgrave,Architects Brain: Neuroscience, Creativity and Architecture, p.16110 Ibid, p.16211

Ibid, p.16312 Ibid, p.164

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Hephaestus, the brain is processing the image of one of Hitlers buildings such

as the Zeppelin fields or the Reich Chancellery. The neo-classical style

triggers images and memories of the Parthenon and Rome to be used in its

cerebral classification. Because neurons that fire together wire together13, with

those neural messages of Rome come thoughts of power, empire, and

agelessness. When it is taken into account that decisions made in the

prefrontal and parietal cortices can take place up to 10 seconds before they

enter our conscious awareness [] our judgments about buildings and other

things may take place long before we stand back and ponder their higher

meaning14

it is a powerful subliminal force. As Karl Marx noted, A commodity

appears at first sight an extremely obvious, trivial thing. But its analysis brings

out that it is a very strange thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and

theological niceties.15 The buildings we inhabit are such commodities. It is

only once we investigate them that we begin to consciously understand all the

qualities that they hold and effect us with.

The psychological impact of buildings

Architects and the people who hold the power to build have often changed the

environment we live in to affect the populations view of the person or people

in power. This technique is mostly used though monumental architecture of

which the Parthenon is an early example. It was a symbol of the power of

Rome and emphasised Romes ability to create grand structures. The building

itself speaks to the people of the manpower and finance needed to construct

13See D.O. Hebb, The organization of behavior, for further reading on the Hebbian theory of

how neurons may connect to become engrams14 Harry Francis Mallgrave,Architects Brain: Neuroscience, Creativity and Architecture, p.18415 Karl Marx, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/k/karlmarx157963.html, accessed 26th

September 2010

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it, but it also creates a space for huge crowds to assemble. The sheer size of

the building would have inspired awe in people and for many the effect would

be to make them feel insignificant. At a time when communication was

extremely slow bringing so many people together in one place would be a rare

event. The combination of the size of the building and the crowds would have

had an impact on crowd behaviour and made them more easily influenced.

According to Carl Jung, we synchronize our emotions and thoughts when we

come together in a group because we all share an identical "collective

unconscious", a universal framework of archetypes and motifs. It's as if, when

we get together, we all have the same subconscious script we're reading from,

written by our collective culture.16 This makes sense when combined with the

knowledge that our brain is constantly collecting experiences and using them

to categorise and respond to new experiences. If you take a group of people

from a geographical location the majority of them would have come into

contact with similar culture, architecture and politics. Therefore their brain

would be using similar archetypes to respond to new experiences.

The chameleon effect refers to nonconscious mimicry of the postures,

mannerisms, facial expressions and other behaviors of ones interaction

partners, such that ones behavior passively and unintentionally changes to

match that of others in ones current social environment. The authors suggest

that the [] mere perception of anothers behavior automatically increases the

likelihood of engaging in that behavior oneself.17 If you combine these two

16Gord, The Psychology of Entertainment Why We Love Watching in Crowds,

http://www.outofmygord.com/archive/2010/02/20/The-Psychology-of-Entertainment-Why-We-Love-Watching-in-Crowds.aspx, accessed 6th November 2010.17John A. Bargh and Tanya L. Chartrand, The Chameleon Effect: The Perception-Behavior

Link and Social Interaction, http://www.yale.edu/acmelab/articles/chartrand_bargh_1999.pdf,p. 893, accessed 7th November 2010.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscioushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscioushttp://www.outofmygord.com/archive/2010/02/20/The-Psychology-of-Entertainment-Why-We-Love-Watching-in-Crowds.aspxhttp://www.outofmygord.com/archive/2010/02/20/The-Psychology-of-Entertainment-Why-We-Love-Watching-in-Crowds.aspxhttp://www.yale.edu/acmelab/articles/chartrand_bargh_1999.pdfhttp://www.outofmygord.com/archive/2010/02/20/The-Psychology-of-Entertainment-Why-We-Love-Watching-in-Crowds.aspxhttp://www.outofmygord.com/archive/2010/02/20/The-Psychology-of-Entertainment-Why-We-Love-Watching-in-Crowds.aspxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscioushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscioushttp://www.yale.edu/acmelab/articles/chartrand_bargh_1999.pdf


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pieces of information about how the brain works one can begin to understand

how the behaviour of a crowd of people can be very different from the

behaviour of one of the individuals who make up the crowd. By creating places

that people could congregate in large numbers (Zeppelin Fields) Hitler was

using these innate neurological responses. Hitler built architecture where

people could gather which allowed him to create an environment where people

would feed off of each others responses. In this way he could affect a greater

number of people as the emotion spread and was magnified throughout the

crowd. An additional effect is that any dissenters would be intimidated by the

crowds response, most would find it difficult to express opposition when faced

with the overwhelming unity of the crowd.

Monumental buildings also have a passive effect when not in use that

advertises their potential to be filled with people all with the same mindset.

This sends a signal to everyone of the latent power of the regime that built it.

The structure is broadcasting that it will be filled with thousands of people all

part of the power that commissioned it.

If architecture depicts the nature of reality, then new ideas about reality can

be demonstrated through manipulation of architectural symbolism.18 A person

or institution can influence how the population views them by what they build.

They can also use building to communicate their views, for example Labour

governments have traditionally built housing for the workforce as a way of

demonstrating that they care for the working population. Leaders manipulate

the architectural vocabulary of a specific culture to make the people think []

whatever [] it is that they are attempting to convey. Though they do not

18Molly Glenn, Architecture Demonstrates Power

http://thesis.haverford.edu/dspace/bitstream/10066/714/7/2003GlennM(Abridged).pdf, p.12,accessed 28th September 2010.

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manipulate the actual cosmos, they manipulate the peoples understanding of

that cosmos, the peoples cosmology, to make the people think that what they

state architecturally is real.19 This shows how architecture can affect us at the

subconscious, pre-rational level. Our brains interpret our environment before

our consciousness registers what it has seen. Our brains are designed to see

our environment as lines, colour and as associations with previous memories.

After our initial unconscious responses we tap into our instinct to rationalise

and our consciousness adds to our initial reaction with an assessment of the

value of the building. This assessment could include the cultural, political and

economic forces involved.

It is architecture that allows a structured view of society to form. Architecture

is a physical manifestation of structure since it must itself stand.20 To create a

building one must comprehend what is required for it to stand. From this

understanding Architecture allows structured thinking about reality in general,

leading society to create a structured cosmology [] a societys cosmology is

intricately linked to its architecture since its architecture provides the model for

thinking about it.21

Monumental architecture embodies the leaders ability to control and affect his

followers. It both shows the group his actual power and demonstrates his

worthiness and capacity to possess that power. Architecture is a sign pointing

to a leaders power.22 Upon viewing a piece of monumental architecture the

viewer is able to recognise the power of the person who commissioned the

19 Molly Glenn, Architecture Demonstrates Power

http://thesis.haverford.edu/dspace/bitstream/10066/714/7/2003GlennM(Abridged).pdf, p.13,

accessed 28th September 2010.20 Ibid, p.921Ibid, p.10

22 Ibid, p.18

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building in the building itself. It is clear by the scale alone that the person who

commissioned the building has significant wealth or resources in order to do

so. The thought occurs to the viewer that only someone who wields power and

deserves it could muster the resources needed to build on that scale. The

pharaohs of ancient Egypt were masters of this concept. They ordered the

population to create mountains of stone (pyramids Fig. 2) in honour of their

status as gods. Not only were they creating architecture that enhanced their

status among the people, but also the act of building their monuments

reinforced in the work force the sense of their worthiness to rule. It is self-

supporting; I build because I am powerful, only the powerful could build what I

have built.

Figure 223

23The Pyramids, Giza, approx 2700-2500 B.C. http://www.travlang.com/blog/pyramids-of-giza-

a-landmark-in-the-history-of-architecture/, accessed on 28th November 2010.

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The psychological impact of cities

A societys organisation can also be read through its architecture, whether it is

democratic or totalitarian. A pattern exists wherein axial buildings and cities

are created by authoritarian powers concentrated in a single ruling figure []

furthermore, this correspondence between building orientation and power

scheme results directly from differing ideals about the nature of the world and

power.24 Different cities demonstrate this phenomenon. For example London

being based in a culture that is democratic has resulted in a city that has been

allowed to grow organically (Fig. 3). This has created a network of intertwining

streets that are mazelike. The range of architectural styles reflects the organic

growth of the city.

Figure 325

24Molly Glenn, Architecture Demonstrates Powerhttp://thesis.haverford.edu/dspace/bitstream/10066/714/7/2003GlennM(Abridged).pdf, p.24,

accessed 28th September 2010.25Aerial view of London, 1851, http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/issues/091007/flow3.html,

accessed 28th September 2010.

12
http://thesis.haverford.edu/dspace/bitstream/10066/714/7/2003GlennM(Abridged).pdfhttp://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/issues/091007/flow3.htmlhttp://thesis.haverford.edu/dspace/bitstream/10066/714/7/2003GlennM(Abridged).pdfhttp://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/issues/091007/flow3.html


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In France the oppressive nature of the government created revolution.These

were particularly prevalent in Paris. On being elected president of the Republic

of France in 1848 Napoleon III decided to modernize Paris. In response to the

street revolutions he changed the architecture to reduce the ability for

revolutionists to hide on the narrow streets. Under the instruction ofGeorges

Eugne Haussmann they tore down the old Paris that had grown organically

like London and rebuilt it with straight roads that could be policed more easily

(Fig. 4). Streets were wide enough for mounted police and the lack of nooks

and crannies meant less places for people to hide.

Figure 426

26Paris and the Arc de Triomphe, 1852, https://marinacarlson.wordpress.com/category/dorky-

things-that-make-me-happy/, accessed 13th December 2010.

13
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Eug%C3%A8ne_Haussmannhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Eug%C3%A8ne_Haussmannhttps://marinacarlson.wordpress.com/category/dorky-things-that-make-me-happy/https://marinacarlson.wordpress.com/category/dorky-things-that-make-me-happy/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Eug%C3%A8ne_Haussmannhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Eug%C3%A8ne_Haussmannhttps://marinacarlson.wordpress.com/category/dorky-things-that-make-me-happy/https://marinacarlson.wordpress.com/category/dorky-things-that-make-me-happy/


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Interestingly New York (Fig. 5) has a similar grid pattern to Paris but for

completely different reasons. The ideology of the grid in New York was to

ensure that every building was perceived as equal. Each building is on route to

something else as apposed to a focal point. This feeds into and supports the

American belief that everyone is born equal.

Figure 527

27Aerial view of New York City, approx. present day,

http://www.ektopia.co.uk/ektopia/2009/10/29/karen-o%E2%80%99leary%E2%80%99s-new-york-city-and-paris-map-cut-outs/, accessed 2nd December 2010

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http://www.ektopia.co.uk/ektopia/2009/10/29/karen-o%E2%80%99leary%E2%80%99s-new-york-city-and-paris-map-cut-outs/http://www.ektopia.co.uk/ektopia/2009/10/29/karen-o%E2%80%99leary%E2%80%99s-new-york-city-and-paris-map-cut-outs/http://www.ektopia.co.uk/ektopia/2009/10/29/karen-o%E2%80%99leary%E2%80%99s-new-york-city-and-paris-map-cut-outs/http://www.ektopia.co.uk/ektopia/2009/10/29/karen-o%E2%80%99leary%E2%80%99s-new-york-city-and-paris-map-cut-outs/


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Hitlers use of monumental architecture

Nazism was a totalitarian regime and as discussed leaders of these regimes

tend to build axial buildings and cities. Hitlers ideology was clearly visible in

his plans for Berlin, which was a blueprint for a totalitarian city (Fig. 6).

Figure 628

Nazi supporters thought that the circular plan [] was (un-Aryan) and

belonged to the matriarchal society of the Etruscans29, [] this reappeared

later in the central (or circular) type of church plan (versus the basilica, or

rectilinear plan). These architectural forms, the circular plan and the round

arch, had always been foreign to the Germans, said Rosenberg. The circular

form limits the view on all sides. It is directionless; it is, in plan, at the same

time free on all sides; in the deepest sense of the three-dimensional, a round

building cannot communicate a real sense of space, no matter how strong the

28Proposed model of Germania,

http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/holoprelude/speer.html, accessed 2nd December2010

29 See Sybille Haynes, Etruscan Civilization: A Cultural History, for further reading on theEtruscans.

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artists hand that formed it.30 In contrast to this was the German appreciation

of the axial design of Catholic Churches. Hitler admired the organisation of the

Catholic Church and recognised the influence that its architecture has.

The Catholic Church is an example of a hierarchal body that employs

architecture to great affect to warp the perception of reality. The places of

worship constructed by their followers use material and scale to propagate the

leaders view of the world, the doctrine employed by its priests and the

standing of the pope. Hitler wanted to mimic the power that the Church is able

to convey through its architecture. Hitlers model [] was the Roman Catholic

Church. The mysticism of Christianity, he said, created buildings with a

mysterious gloom which made men more ready to submit to the renunciation

of self. Hitler was deeply impressed by the organisation, ritual, and

architecture of the church. In writing of the spell which an orator can weave

over an audience, he said, The same purpose is served by the artificial and

yet mysterious twilight in Catholic churches.31 Architecture was one of Hitlers

weapons in Germanys political battles.32

Hitlers love of architecture [] was intense.33 He thought of architecture as

an art, and although he worked closely with the architects to whom he gave

commissions, he allowed the chosen few a remarkable freedom [] not only

did Hitler rarely intervene in the plans of his leading architect (Albert Speer

1905-1981), but he treated him with unusual respect, refused to allow him to

enlist, and concerned himself with the wellbeing of Speers family. When

Speer [] contravened Hitlers scorched earth orders in 1945 [] Speer

30 Robert R. Taylor, The Word in Stone: The Role of Architecture in the National Socialist

Ideology, p.57/5831Ibid, p.33

32Ibid, p.33

33 Ibid, p 29

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quotes him as saying, if you were not my architect I would have to take the

steps necessary in these cases.34 Hitler had an innate understanding of the

power of architecture that he enhanced through years of reading on the

subject. He demonstrated an understanding of the impact that architecture has

on people through the buildings he commissioned while in power. Hitler

wanted his buildings to inspire the German people and he understood what

properties a building needed to have this effect. Much of what he was

attempting to do through architecture is now being described by research into

the neuroscience of how we perceive space. Hitler said that, [] good

(German) architecture would have both a therapeutic and propaganda

function. I am convinced, said Hitler, that art, since it forms the most

uncorrupted, the most immediate reflection of the peoples soul, exercises

unconsciously by far the greatest direct influence upon the masses of the

people. Of the power of building, Hitler declared that everyone was influenced

by the buildings in which work and recreation took place. Architecture, then,

could be used to improve the spiritual and psychological condition of the

German people. Appropriately designed buildings would help the German

community to rid itself of its inferiority complex, and would inspire patriotism

the architecture of the Third Reich would give people a strong sense of unity

and a limitless self-confidence.35 Through constant interaction with architects

and architectural theory Hitlers secretary reports that he could discourse on a

staggering number of details in the building style of churches, abbeys, and

castles.36 What is interesting is that all these types of structure are built to

represent power. He is focusing in on the architecture he could use to serve

the purpose he intended it for. Hitlers eclectic reading could have included

34Robert R. Taylor, The Word in Stone: The Role of Architecture in the National Socialist

Ideology, p.29/p.3035

Ibid, p.31/3236Ibid, p.21/22

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Gottfried von Sempers Uber Baustyle (1869), in which the Viennese architect

maintained that monumental architecture served those in power, and helped to

direct and control the apathetic, restless masses. If he did read von Semper,

it is possible that he remembered this advice later when he inaugurated the

Third Reichs monumental building program.37

Hitler wanted his monumental buildings to be in a certain style, interested in

simple horizontal and vertical lines, his favourite styles were the neo-classical.

This didactic architecture, then, had an important role to play in proclaiming

the National Socialist ideology.

There are recurrent motifs which, in large representative structures,

characterise the architecture of the Third Reich. These buildings have neo-

classical colonnades (of columns or, more often, pillars), severe porticos,

horizontal lines and a rectilinear appearance emphasised by heavy cornices

and rows of thickly framed windows. The traditional elaboration of columns

with bases or capitols was simplified and the quality of the stone itself was

stressed. Both these trends suggest that the Nazi architects were aware of

the avant-garde drive for simplicity and for stress on the texture of building

materials.

In general, a heavy neo-classicism was the most obvious characteristic of the

monumental style of the Third Reich.38 It is important to note here how the

brain perceives space and form. Each part of our environment is broken down

and processed in different parts of the brain. Single cells or columns of cells

in the visual cortex, as we noted, might respond only to lines, but some even

37Robert R. Taylor, The Word in Stone: The Role of Architecture in the National Socialist

Ideology, p20/2138

Ibid, p.12/13

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more selectively to just horizontal lines, others to vertical or diagonal lines.

Similarly, some respond only to one color or to one color placed against a

specific background. If we extend this principle to the realm of art, we begin to

see visual perception from a different perspective. The horizontal line of a

gable on a Greek temple, for example, might be processed in one part of the

visual cortex, while the diagonal sides of the gable are read in a another part,

the vertical columns in a third part. In no one part of the brain are the results of

these different processing stations joined again.39 This is a technique used

by the brain so that if there is wear and tear over time, or damage due to

trauma then we can still recall old memories so they can be used for further

categorisation. Our perceptions are deeply ingrained into our memories; this is

in part why architecture can have such an effect.

By building in a style that maximised the horizontal and vertical and stressed

the materials used Hitler was imprinting the form of his buildings into the most

basic parts of the brain. The effect of using a simple form was that when

viewed for the first time the classifications that the brain used to recognise this

form would be far broader. Making the task of associative recognition quicker.

This means that the image would spark more memories and create a visceral

reaction. By using a style that maximizes on the horizontal and vertical Hitler

had inadvertently tapped into the process described above that the brain uses

to safeguard against the loss of memory. So Hitlers buildings had a significant

and prolonged impact on those who saw them.

Reich Chancellery

39Harry Francis Mallgrave,Architects Brain: Neuroscience, Creativity and Architecture, p.145

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Figure 740

The Reich chancellery was the nerve centre of the Nazi party. Hitler wanted it

to be a representation and symbol of the Nazi ideals. It was to be impressive

and intimidating to visiting officials so that it proclaimed the strength of the new

Germany. An example shown below is the Voss-Strasse entrance. The scale

of the design is vast compared to a person. One would pass between tall

pillars before entering through two massive doors. It literally dwarfs any visitor

making them feel insignificant in the presence of such power. The windows

are placed at such a height that people in the street could not see into the

building but those inside could see out onto the street. A passer by would

never know if they are being watched. The windows also add to the symmetry

of the exterior. They are positioned in evenly aligned rows with small stone

ridges running along them. Except for an eagle above the door this was the

40Hitler stands over a proposed model with Albert Speer and other Nazi officials, no date,

http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/holoprelude/speer.html, accessed 2nd December2010

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only decoration. The faade is a homage to order, no decoration interrupts the

lines of the pillars and windows. This is an echo of how Hitler wished the Nazi

ideals to be perceived, nothing would disrupt the order of the Nazi way.

Figure 8shows the Voss-Strasse entrance of the Reich Chancellery designed

by Albert Speer. The high columns and massive doors were used to create an

intimidating entrance to the centre of Nazi power.

Figure 841

Through the entrance is the Ehrenplatz(Fig. 9), or court of honor. Here there

41Voss-Strasse entrance to the Reich Chancellery, Germany, 1939,

http://www.rjkoehler.com/travelog/2010/10/into-the-past-old-keijo-imperial-university/,accessed 2nd December 2010

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is a continuation of an aesthetic of order. The courtyard is symmetrical, again

with very little decoration. This space had no other function but to intimidate.

Figure 942

It was a transitional area that was both inside and outside, preparing the visitor

to enter deeper into the heart of the Nazi court.

Once past the Ehrenplatz a visitor would be confronted with the mosaic hall

42 The Ehrenplatz, Germany, 1939, http://sitemaker.umich.edu/artunderfascism/architecture,

accessed 2nd December 2010

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(Fig. 10).

Figure 1043

This was a room created almost entirely from red granite. On viewing, the

brain is being confronted with a bold environment.

The viewer is first impressed by the overpowering nature of the exterior then

moves into a stark courtyard, which then leads into a room full of red granite.

In turn this then leads into the rotunda, a circular room that allows for the odd

twist of the original plan. Up until this point the visitor would have seen only

squares, rectangles and straight lines and the brain would have been

anticipating this pattern to continue. Just as the visitor would be getting used

to the addition of red marble they enter a round room. The rotunda is markedly

43 The Mosaic Hall, Germany, 1939, http://sitemaker.umich.edu/artunderfascism/architecture,

accessed 2nd December 2010

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smaller than the previous spaces but again the visitor would only have a brief

moment to adjust to this before they are confronted by the marble gallery (Fig.

11), which was a vast space that stretched off into the distance.

Figure 1144

The movement through these spaces would not allow the visitor to anticipate

what is coming next and this would have thrown people off balance and left

them disorientated by the time they arrived at Hitlers office (Fig. 12).

44The Marble Gallery, Germany, 1939,

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/album/general/p12963-the-reich-chancellerythe-marble-hall.html, accessed 2nd December 2010

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Figure 1245

It is a procession that assaults the minds ability to react to the environment. In

the middle of the marble gallery is the entrance to Hitlers study, which is itself

large in scale. Hitler said of this procession "The diplomats sitting in front of

me . . . [will] learn to shiver and shake,"46 In reality it did more than to cause

diplomats to merely shiver and shake. The political leader of Czechoslovakia

at the time was Dr. Emil Hcha. He experienced first hand the procession

through the Reich Chancellery on Tuesday March 14th 1939. During the

meeting with Hitler, which took place in his office, Hcha collapsed,

unconscious on the floor. It was only until after being seen by a physician that

he awoke. On Wednesday, March 15th, 1939 at 3.55am Hcha, the Czech

President, signed the document stating he had "confidently placed the fate of

the Czech people and country in the hands of the Fhrer of the German

45

Hitlers Office, Germany, 1939, http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/album/general/p12961-hitlers-office-in-the-reich-chancellery.html, accessed 2nd December 201046Steven Lehrer, The Reich Chancellery and Fhrerbunker Complex: An Illustrated History of

the Seat of the Nazi Regime. Quote taken fromhttp://sitemaker.umich.edu/artunderfascism/architecture, accessed 3rd November 2010

25
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/album/general/p12961-hitlers-office-in-the-reich-chancellery.htmlhttp://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/album/general/p12961-hitlers-office-in-the-reich-chancellery.htmlhttp://sitemaker.umich.edu/artunderfascism/architecturehttp://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/album/general/p12961-hitlers-office-in-the-reich-chancellery.htmlhttp://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/album/general/p12961-hitlers-office-in-the-reich-chancellery.htmlhttp://sitemaker.umich.edu/artunderfascism/architecture


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Reich." This is an incredible account of the power of an environment to have

an effect on an individual. One could argue that the highly stressful point in

history influenced Hcha. Or perhaps the age or personality of Hcha played a

part. However, it seems highly likely that the physical environment that Hcha

found himself in was a significant contributory factor. This argument is

supported by the theories discussed in this paper which points to information

that suggests the environment influenced Hchas response.

Conclusion

comforting or disturbing, the fact is we are basically dreaming machines that

construct virtual models of the real world47

Western society continues to rely on architecture as a symbol of power. This

is demonstrated by the continued use of monumental architecture. For

example the media televises views of Westminster during times of crisis or

significant events. This is because it represents the power of Great Britain as a

whole and can be used to reassure the public. The public recognise that the

building holds the people in power. Whether the leaders change over time

does not matter it is the building that represents or symbolises the power.

This dissertation has looked at the information behind the theory of how all

architecture can affect the mind. The paper explored how the brain processes

memory through classification and how this can be manipulated through

architecture. The way we perceive reality is influenced by our environment and

therefore the architecture we are surrounded by will determine how we view

47 Rodolfo R. Llins, I of the vortex: From Neurons to Self, p.168

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education, healthcare, and rehabilitation. The combination of fields could not

only lead to better community structures, but also to the houses we spend our

lives in.

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