Observations: water and the perception of air

On a hot summer day, a body of water makes the air cooler, heavier, carrying a faint mineral, damp-stone smell that dry air never has. This is atmosphere in the literal sense. Absorbing heat as it evaporates, water creates a different microclimate in its immediate surroundings.
Spaces that incorporate even a modestly-sized water presence do something that has no equal: they change the air itself in a way the body perceives as a sensory shift: coolness on the skin, weight in the breath, and a distinctive smell.

The Observations grow from a daily habit of noticing details in nature and drawing design insights from them. A habit behind A Biophilic Year and the studio’s work. Collected in a monthly digest as part of anooi’s newsletter.