Week 8 Spatial Expression

I wanted the form to dictate the spatial experience. And I wanted the formal areas of the building to have a minimal direct connection with the exterior in terms of what is seen. There are large openings in the design but they are high up - these flood the space with daylight, direct sunlight however will not be able to reach these formal spaces without the use of skylights, lightshelves or other creative means.

But with that said the formal areas would still have one face or wall where there would be a connection with the exterior.

Christopher Alexander Pattern Language - writes that a successful space should have more than one source of light - I believe he was speaking about the effects of direct light in the space, but the light distribution in the room will still be pleasant and uniform because no one section of the room will receive direct sunlight (possibly) causing glare and discomfort. I wanted to create a conflict and influence the user in terms of the sensory experience. So try to create a scene where they would opt for a direct articulation of the site or conform to the rooms suggested layout.

Here the focal point is marked 'X' and in this instance people are not conforming to the focal point but facing themselves and the area that is open to the site. Maybe giving this option to people, they will develop a natural process of understanding the site as a crucial element in their spatial understanding. They are not simply looking at the site but filtering the site through the building.

With the high openings and concave walls, the corners of the room will be darker and the central part of the room will be brighter. Here the seating arrangement is focusing on these corners. 

The next point I was investigating and I think the most critical aspect of this study in the design progression is creating this condition in the formal areas and then linking it with the spatial perception in the informal areas.

I guess for me what really makes this Tabula Rasa is that I aimed for my project to be an isolated context, it wasn't devoid of the site - it engages with the site but at the same time it filters it. 

When people have the type of overwhelming feeling they get in the formal areas - I term it has  'Concentration'

The red section (Informal) is an area where the user releases ideas that they have been dictated or revealed to in the formal areas (yellow). 

I think an aspect I will consider is some form of inspiring art that helps guide this process in the informal areas

Unknown Artist