Research: Interior spaces

The built environment creates a specific mood and atmosphere for the users. In general, museums are vast spaces that allow free flow of visitors amongst the displays. I researched a variety of museums and discovered these can be designed in various forms. Either using curved lines or straight, in a more sculptural style.

I looked at a few examples of different museum interiors to gather ideas on their layout and displays. I realised that the height of each floor is quite towering high above the flooring. Sometimes creating the feeling you are inside a cathedral that celebrates artwork.

In the drawings at the bottom, I researched an interior space that features organic forms as pillars. I was interested to see this because I have not seen something of this sort anywhere before. Here trees and the pattern of a bee hive on the wall have been used successfully to create a space that emanates light.

It appears like the branches of the trees support the ceiling and connect the floor with it.

The three images to the left display fluid forms of architecture inspired by either sea waves or undulating sand dunes. This creates a sense of cosy and intimate atmosphere, but does not take away from the amount of space available – this is extremely important when designing public spaces such as concert halls, art galleries or museums. I like the idea of movement given by the curved lines used to build the walls and the ceilings here.

These images illustrate the interior aspect of the gift shop at the National Museum of Qatar in Doha. Here, the architect brought in elements from the outside world and used them to give the sense of continuity or flow. The shop is securely grounded onto the base but the space above seems to be floating freely due to the undulating lines used in its design.

Moreover, the overlaying technique gives consistency and recreates the appearance of either moving sand dunes or repetitive gentle waves. I find this more interesting and appealing to the eye than the straight lines used in other interior spaces. Throughout the research, I looked at a variety of styles, materials and colours used are equally important. For example, in these drawings shades of brown and cream remind the viewer of sandy areas or dunes.

The Gherkin boasts a spectacular viewing area right at the top. Here the pattern used by the designers is clearly visible from the inside. Intersecting lines form triangles or rhombuses depending on how you look at them. This dazzled me because it seems to be so complex and yet it is so simple. Usually people think the building is extremely complicated in its design, but at a closer look you understand simple geometric patterns are repeated all over. Circular horizontal lines help divide the rhombuses into triangles and add another layer of detail to the framework.