A beautiful and often inspiring aspect of architectural design is its ability to connect with people on a deeper level, to inspire awe at just the right moment so that occupants can transcend the physical spatial elements by taking them on a more spiritual journey. For this reason, I always find it a good practice to ask what it is about architecture that can touch people in this way. How does it work? And why does it work?

Architectural scale, balance, color, and yes, geometry are all important factors that synergize to evoke the sense of awe in its observers. And as you will see in the following slideshow, geometry can be used in a multitude of ways to “move” people — whether that be to give them a moment of surprise, spark of inspiration, or even space for contemplation. Geometry is an element that cannot be overlooked in terms of its power to help architecture connect more deeply with its occupants.

Thus, each photograph within the slideshow below represents an answer to the following question:

How does geometry within architecture invoke a sense of awe?

Image Credits (in order of appearance): Flickr —Alicia-Lee-07, dysturb, seier+seier, Ishmael Orendain, IK’s World Trip, quapan.