The ocular-centric approach predominant in the field of design, particularly textile and spatial design, focuses on visual aesthetics and visually mediated interactions. Whereas the non-visual materialities of a space, such as smells, are ignored in the design process, meaning that interior spaces with homogenously odourless environments lack interactions with the olfactory. However, multi-sensorial experiences are crucial to creating a holistic perception of an environment. The aim of this thesis is to investigate smell as a design material for spatial design. This research has been carried out using experimental design research methods, with the theoretical framework connecting smell as a design material to textiles and spatial and interaction design. Addition, modulation and subtraction of smells through textile surfaces and micro-climatic spatial zones have been investigated. Interactions with smells were explored through different modes of activation and dispersion of smells on two different scales; spatially near to body and far from body. The research findings show that atmospheric parameters play an important role in the detectability of smells, in that air flow carries smells and distributes them in a space. Humidity holds smell molecules in the air, and at higher temperatures smell molecules are extremely volatile and dynamic in their movements. Textiles have demonstrated to be good absorber of smells, and are breathable materials with regard to designing with plants and synthetic micro-encapsulated smells to create an olfactive dimension in spaces.These results have an implication for the design of spatial olfactive diversity and olfactory interactions, in that it is possible to disperse smells that are designed to transition from discrete to ambient, or vice versa. Interior textiles can be designed with the expressions of smells that add an olfactive dimension in addition to colours, patterns, and textures. The research presented in this thesis opens up for further interdisciplinary research with regard to developing the novel material systems proposed in this thesis – smell absorbers, dividers, and reflectors – which are responsive to existing smells and atmospheric parameters. Olfactory interactions have important applications from two perspectives: firstly, in relation to subjective and individual connections to people, places, and events; secondly, with regard to providing information about the near environment that is comprehended through the olfactory, in addition to being perceived by the other senses. Therefore, spatial olfactory interactions are essential to (re)connect human to the environment in which they live and work. These interactions in the real physical world are slow and analogue in nature, in comparison to fast digital lifestyles; smells can improve feelings of social connectedness, improving wellbeing.

This paper explores design strategies to use smells as a medium of interaction between the body and the space. In a living environment, encounters and experience of smells creates and manifests connections to the space. Along with the other sensory stimuli, smells communicates information about the space. Olfactory interactions can be expressed through its experiential relationship with the body. Design examples as discussed in this paper, express the aesthetics ofinteractionwith smells that are dynamic and temporal.Human perception connects through the patterns and weave the fluid movements across the soft boundaries of smells. Over a range from discrete to ambient presence of smells, this paper discusses tangible and intangible interaction with smells in the design examples. Through active or passive actuation of smells, designing for smell diversity in a living environment would create interactions at many different levels and will add to experiencing spaces in a multisensorial way.

This research paper discusses dimension of smell for designing spatial interactions through textiles. The focus in these design examples is combining the sense of touch to actuate the smells. Sense of touch is explored in terms of different tactile sensations that include pressing, rubbing and movement of the body. Through these tactile interactions smells embedded in the textile objects are released. The temporal textile expressions of smells open up for further investigations for designing spaces, as these design examples bring forward the olfactory expressions and proposes frameworks for future research in potential human-computer interactions through our everyday objects and surroundings. The proposal of textile interactions that engage sense of smell and create slow interactions with objects and situations from our daily lives opens up the opportunity to encourage more social interactions within the physical world. These interactions will include computational things, however, in a discreet manner, helping build deep bonds between human to human and human to environment.

A built space directs the movements in the space, as such a building is experienced in relation to body and movement. This text questions the role of smells in defining the space and movement through it in terms of spatial continuity. In a dialectic approach between the textiles and the smells, the materiality of textiles is transformative not only in its tangible and physical presence, but also in the language of textiles. Textiles as design materials in spatial design communicate through different sensory stimuli to create an aesthetic atmosphere. Such as creating soft boundaries for a space that define movement and transitions within it . When applying these textile concepts to smells, however, new meanings and forms emerge due to the experiential quality of smells that are invisible to the eyes but perceptible to the olfactory. The dynamic expressions of smells can be articulated through design variables such as patterns, layers, textures, rhythm, volume, fluidity, temporality, and boundaries. Smells could be understood as a design material and can been applied in many scales.Investigating textiles and architectural spaces as containers of smells, the design explorations examine the material as a matter and performance in relation to the body and space. While exploring olfactive interactions one focuses on tactile senses as beyond visualperception and representation. Through the sense of touch, triggered by bespoke textile objects, smells had been revealed, activated, and disseminated in a space. Performanceand movement as design methodsareused to investigate spatial continuity in relation to the smells. Through the improvisations of movement, created expressions of smells in a space bring in the conscious dynamic state of smells into being. Designing with non-visual attributes challenges traditional ways of perception andrepresentation in architecture and textile design. This research opens up the field of design within architecture, textiles and interaction design to explore further the dimension of smells firstly at a material level, nature and processes of the materials and expressions in relation to the inherent or added smells. Secondly, developing new and adapting existing methods for designing with the invisible materiality of smells. Thirdly, further investigations on the interactions with smell and body in space at different scales and including this sense in designing the digital platforms for human interactions is a proposal for new ways of living.

Given the cultural conditioning of the senses, the smellscapes of everyday life (in homes, neighbourhoods, workplaces and cities) play an important part ineveryday experiences, emotions and encounters. Increased global mobility and climate change mean that unfamiliar smells are met more frequently, integrating with and altering the taken for granted smellscapes of our lives.

How do people of different cultures negotiate unfamiliar smells in a variety of settings? What emotions do scents 'in and out of place' evoke? What memories, knowledge and moral judgements are used to understand smells? What vocabulary is used to describe these experiences?

Everyday materialities are visible and invisible. Our visible research artefact (the charm bracelet) produces invisible research artefacts (the smells). Controlled remotely by an app, the smells enter different spaces and social contexts, at different times, for different durations. The object's mobility is integral to the question which it poses.

The exploration of material is in a performance, that is investigating how human interactions develop when spaces are designed using smell as a design material. In the digital world, the touch and the sensation to the physical materials are lacking in everyday life. However, at the same time, the need to be connected to ourselves through our body is ever growing. This however is quite unlike to our affinity of moving fast in all aspects of life. As Juhani Pallasmaa (2012) points out that a haptic architecture brings about slowness and intimacy which is understood and appreciated only gradually with time. Also, written by Ezio Manzini (1989) touch being the most analytic of all the human senses, can help us explore the shapes and surfaces of a material better than the eyes.

In an attempt to re-initiate the experience through the sense of smell and touch, this paper aims to question how can smells be used as a design material in our living environments. Speculating buildings and interior spaces, using invisible immaterial, this research is focusing on ways of designing interactions with smells and how these interactions open or close architectural spaces without having physical boundaries. In this paper, the design experiments are investigating how we will respond and interact with smell in architectural spaces.