164-179 p.

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doi.org: https://doi.org/10.22378/he.2026-11-1.164-179
EDN: https://elibrary.ru/MEBDPX

Abstract. Contemporary architectural practice increasingly turns to the aspects of the environment that define not so much its form as it defines the experience it produces – bodily perception, acoustic structure, and the rhythms of light and landscape. In multicultural cities, the need to work with local identity makes it essential to employ tools that allow culture to manifest not through direct visual citation but through the atmosphere and emotional memory of the place. The article examines the evolution of the authors’ design approach – from spatial event and symbolic form toward a methodology in which the focus shifts from formal expression to sensory perception and the experience of presence. The aim of the study is to describe the formation of a phenomenologically oriented method and to demonstrate its application in the landscape design of the residential complex Frisson. The methods include a generalised analysis of the design practice of the architectural bureau ZARF, semantic interpretation of architectural imagery, spatial and landscape analysis, as well as the modelling of user scenarios and sensory transitions with attention to acoustic contexts. Earlier projects – the Festivalnyy Boulevard and the competition concept for the G. Kamal Theatre – are interpreted as stages in the development of the method and refinement of its tools. The results show that shifting from visual codes to atmospheric design enables the creation of inclusive environments where identity is perceived through rhythm, light, sound, materiality, and the seasonal dynamics of the landscape. In the Frisson project, this approach is articulated through emotional sequencing, gradations of privacy, and the integration of acoustic and landscape elements. The study concludes that this method has practical relevance for the design of residential and public spaces, as well as for further research in architectural ethnology and urban studies.

Keywords: architecture of environment; cultural identity; local identity; architecture of emotions; landscape; perception; contemporary courtyard

For citation: Davletyanova K.R., Davletshin G.N. (2026) From urban rhythm to personal silence: the evolution of emotional architecture (the case of projects in Kazan). Istoricheskaya etnologiya [Historical Ethnology]. Vol. 11. No. 1: 164–179. https://doi.org/10.22378/he.2026-11-1.164-179 (In Russ.)

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About the authors: Karina R. Davletyanova, architect, co-founder of the architectural bureau ZARF (Kazan, Russian Federation), author and co-author of projects in the field of public spaces and landscape design; https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1444-4426; e-mail: karina.davletyanova@gmail.com
Grigoriy N. Davletshin, architect, co-founder of the architectural bureau ZARF (Kazan, Russian Federation), author and co-author of projects in the field of public spaces and landscape design; https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2259-0059; e-mail: zarf.arch@gmail.com

Received 02.09.2025 Revised 17.10.2025   Accepted for publication 31.10.2025

Published Online 02.03.2026