[TRANSITIONAL & CONTEMPLATIVE ARCHITECTURE]
LOKE HAU YEE
Transitional & Contemplative Architecture By Loke Hau Yee
ABSTRACT Transitional architecture considers as potential elements within a building and consider as the recipe for maintain the dynamic of the building. If successfully rises, where the users‟ senses come alive with anticipation, the transition senses for the circulatory spaces will lead the users travel through the spaces within a building lively. Desolately, transitional architecture always a part that easily to abandon or being ignored by the architects or designer, the creators do not aware the transitional space can actually implant psychological effect on the human brain. There is a visibly potential and attention which need to pay to the circulatory spaces within, realising that the movement around the building takes on a special and spiritual dimension. Along with the transitional path, contemplative practice is able to be engendered. By exploring contemplative practices and spirituality, the transitional spaces will embody in societal values and aspirations and connecting the architecture to the occupants in deeper ways. The discussion focusing on discovers the thoughtful articulation and celebration of the transitional architecture, also called as „unassignable‟ or non –programmed spaces within a building, a space that need for the circulation in the inclusive environment.
Figure 1.0: Transitional architecture. Well-designed transitional spaces in the building provide rich experience along the journey, and achieving contemplative practice with the enhancement of psychonautic elements. The important of contemplative practices reflected, which the occupants have rooms to breathe – to digest what they had just experienced and to ready for what is to come. To be clearer, transitional spaces are the gaps which preventing occupants from having sudden shock but implementing contemplative practice. If a design is all about „surprise, surprise, surprise‟, the spatial will lose influence possibility as it do not allowing occupants to process what those „surprises‟ mean to them. They do not receiving the message of the space, and by the end, they do not „heard‟ the architecture that „speak‟ to them .
Keywords – Transitional Architecture,Contemplative Architecture, Human Psychology, User‟s Experience, Movement, Spatial Design.
1.0 Introduction Wherever there is mere building, there is architecture. It is the architects‟ job to create a line, bonding building with „real‟ architecture which also name as the action for upgrading the level of the quality of the experience. Great architecture, regardless of its typology, can always be humbly designed and planned on its spatial design. In some case, a simple architecture form or element providing the richest experience through careful and considered design. On the other hand, we have many highly visible buildings built around, but it is a fail marvel that most of their design lost the opportunity to delight and enrich their surroundings. In logic explanation, those buildings are merely „construction‟ which serving a utilitarian purpose, fulfilling in terms of functional and usage, however without a single concern on the style, ratio or senses responding. Stated by Philip Johnson, “all architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space”. It is not the purpose of a certain building, but the quality of it where it can reach a standard deserves to call as „architecture‟. Function is not the only requirement of the spatial design, but the users‟ psychological respond are related intimately to the architecture. In a human body, the circulation refers to blood that carries life-giving oxygen. While in term of architectural, we can relate the circulation spaces in the similar way they are critical.
Figure 2.0: Contemplative architecture.
Background Study “Architecture can‟t force people to connect, it can only plan the crossing points, remove barriers, and make meeting places useful and attractive.” Denise Scott Brown
The important of transitional architecture in inclusive environment
In 1994, Kisho Kurokawa, one of the leading members of the Metabolist movement in 1960s and 70s, emphasized the need to provide intermediating elements and spaces in our spaces. According to his explanation, the transitional spaces, also serves as the intermediating elements and spaces, they do not always perform in a physical form. It is some kind of relationship and communication that connecting people together and does not necessary to have walls to define it. Some researchers narrowed on studying certain characteristics of transitional architecture as an alignment, which simply can explain by a physical connection, such as atriums, plazas, urban corridors, gathering spaces, courtyard and similar. For the non-physical explanation, transitional architecture can be define by having their function on
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LOKE HAU YEE
providing for an individual instead of a sudden change from personal space to the public space and open to close, a range of intermediary spaces fall in between the two extremes. Transitional architecture are ready for us to face uncertain changes when we step into a new neighbouring or setting, it is named as transitional since the cognizance is the in-between area among particular mind and the existential field of individual.
Figure 4.0: Stefan Behling emphasized the relationship between spaces and human senses. Explained by Charles Eisenstein (2017), we do not afraid of the empty place. It is the sources we must return to if we are to be free of the stories and habits that entrap us. There is an empty space between the old and the new. During the travelling process, there will be some elements, but form in a simple solution. However, if the transitional space designs for people focusing on generating long term experiences, it will form better memories by setting up the human behaviour. Transitional architecture should be concerns on human experiences and builds on social and physical aspects of the place (Calderon & Chelleri, 2013). Figure 3.0: The diagram of transitional explained by Edward T.Hall (1966). As a space designer, we have faith in celebrating the architecture elements that related to circulation and human movement, which means the stairs and corridor to be celebrating with, and if possible, giving them a three dimension form and purpose, with the intention of merging those spaces become part of the overall, lived experience of the building that houses them along with the vertical connection. Theses spaces usually play an important role in passively tempering a building and subsidizing to its dynamism routine.
The needs of transitional architecture responds to human psychology
Stated by Stefan Behling, it is interesting to understand that human transit do often in our daily life, however we do not notice of that kind of spaces being there. The end users experience the spaces from macro to micro levels, while being completely unaware of its presence. Also, there are numbers of user do not realise the needs of the transitional architecture responding to humanity. He explained the situation by highlighting the innovation for spacecraft‟s window design. At the beginning, the designer did not have a deeper understanding about the prominence to oblige users with rich experience. The position changed when they instigated to comprehend the relationship between spaces and human sensibility.
Figure 5.0: Complex journey which generating experiences create long-term memory for the end users.
Problem Statement • Performance criteria for current transitional architecture The overall argument is that while architects, designers and guides are powerful in framing experiences they do not determine how experiences actually take place. For years, we discussed the ways spatial design in the physical environments that provide experiences and guide people‟s movements and interactions. Sadly, architects, designers and planners do not entirely decide how and whether such design actually works. Users experience designs and illustration not as the outcome from an odd design but also endorsed engagements with the mix medium on design, its intentions, forces and wills between people and architecture. Many of us do not put ourselves focusing on the messy interconnectedness of the environment with users and narrow our mind subjectivism or traps our thinking only on social, technological or material selection (Latour, 2005). In opposite, the focus must locate on the developing relations between hybridized people and specific physical environments. The relationships on experience and psychology responds should be studied. The architecture voyage shows occupants about themselves and connecting with the worlds surrounding them. Mostly, it is difficult to encourage the space users to engage, develop and respond within the architecture journey, and it is hard to
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creating a design that truly „listen‟ to both party – building and users.
Figure 6.0: The gaps of current transitional spaces on psychological responds.
2.0 Literature Review
The Role of Human Body in Architecture
We shape our buildings: therefore they shape us (Winston Churchill, 1943). Rather that directive, utilizes the element of the built atmosphere to appease and lead people. This is a humble form of power in a space (Allen, 2006). Allen‟s research that focuses on the way a space can work through variance, seduction and experience. As a result of the experiment, he pressures on „ambient power‟ and combined events for the users are a successful and inspire design. We have been discussed how the design at the transitional spaces afford experiences and guide people‟s movement, the „journeying‟. The journey between spaces is more magical than the destinations. It is the period where the transition that present encounters occur, the spaces where one‟s sense of arrival and departure is generated.
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and spiritually. The point is what a building does instead of what is its typology. According to Klingmann, the surrounding is created to be experiences by senses, follow by the generation on affective and emotional effect. The architects put themselves as the choreographers of dynamic themes and situation, and the transitional and performativity powers of architecture are dominant. The author then pressures that a building do not simply solely by its representational value, but by its capability to convert the sensation of the subject. Meanwhile, emotional respond is linked with the certain pattern of expression (Ekman 1994; Mauss and Robinson 2009). Physically, the surrounding environment strongly affects the mental features of occupants. Discussing about sensation, the human senses are shaped in large part by intangibles. „The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between‟, stated by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Let‟s think that the stairwells and hallways are „the silence gaps‟ improvement the potential effect of these design elements within a building. These are the spaces, in which, if successfully rise on the sense of expectation, where the senses come alive, where the mind is unprogrammed, and create a freedom of thoughts in a way that mimics its body‟s circulation between spaces.
Architecture & Experience
When we discussing on „experience‟, it is not „experience in the theoretical‟, to be specific, it is the enactments of it. It is an element „engaged out‟ from the users and overextended as a relational existence organized in the conjoint engagements of miscellaneous body (Crang and Thrift, 2000). The experience does not belong to us, it is not located within our body, but it can be explained as a relational achievement. It is a process where individual endures the influence of the surrounding, situations and events around, while ranges of materials as the mediators of experience (Svabo and Strandvad, forthcoming). Urry and Larsen (2011) made a reflection on The Trafford Centre. The centre is virtually enhanced and it is nothing but a trick on surface effect, decorations, ornaments and images. It is a polished visual feast, opens another dimension to an ecstasy of eyeing. The architecture language is vicariously from historic formulae. It is not even have the qualifications to sort as „architecture as art‟, simply a storytelling, telling about the world as nothing but only as the „tourist‟s oyster‟. They highlights that, the architects had been gone out to design a building, where we feel warm, feel protected and feel we are part of it within. It is not about architecture style: contemporary, or modern, or clinical. Allen (2006) describes that when individual locate in a certain atmosphere, a specific mood and a particular feeling forming inside and effecting the way he experience, in which it pursues to induce certain stance.
Figure 7.0: Example of human movement in a building.
Emotions & Behaviour Response
The modern architecture is mainly concerned on its forms and function. Klingmann (2007) claims that when the design focuses on experiences and stimulates sensations; it does not longer categories according to the typical design of a building that defines its value, but rather its powers of effecting and pleasing the end-users, emotionally, physically
The Experience Connector – The role of the visitors
From the study of Allen (2006) and Rose et al. (2010), they both make a clarification that the affective power if the building in effecting users‟ emotion and experiences is not consistent. The strength of various affection of a space is disturbed by other sentimental patterns, including: talk, laughter, children, food and others. In another words, the sensory stimuli elements (street furniture, windows, music and etc.) acting as the background, while the children running around, the geography transform into sometimes dangerous but fun playground, the mind and feeling will then away from the space. At the moment, the author focuses on the live action of the surrounding; the parents experience the spaces as comprehensive sensory engagement, linked with
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the locomotive capabilities of the children (Degen et al., 2008). 4. Similarly, Rose et al. (2010) points how experiences develop in practices of routine, that is, how individuals actually „do‟ these places, here-and-now and over time. The statement supported by Pratt and Rafaeli (2006), the experience influents by spatial design, which is stretchable and mutilated in practices of use. It‟s transformed and revised continuous. At the early stage, the „real‟ version presented as its intended meaning. Slowly, people exploring how the interaction and relationship taking place is and what kind of actions they propose to carry out with. At the moment, we understand how spatial design works in outstanding method. According to Pratt and Rafeali (2006), with such explorations, we have to be emphasising on the standpoint of the „sensegiver‟ to the „sensemaker‟. We can always argue that it is impossible to create experiences for the users since they would never be fully forecast or controlled human senses. The experiences are regarding on co-creating the reaction of the visitors. However, yet, it is possible to design for actual experiences, where the space users are explored with the spatial design, together with the social conditions that ritualize and outline the experiences. The points also highlighted clearly on the role of the space users, since the experiences of spatial design is not provided or programmed for all ranges, the outcome depends on the practice of use, reshaping and memorizing.
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space) to absorb what they just experienced? How these spaces help? What are the architecture languages of the transitional space in my design which could use as the climactic moment and embolden contemplative practice?
The architecture language in the transitional spaces should be more focusing on spiritual realms. Wondering, what are the architecture languages which we for the particular our space? Is it an indoor greenery oasis? Or is that a way we compose the height, size and location of opening? The final purpose of the choices will enable the occupants to think, behave and feel themselves and process the journey to the fullest. 3.0 Scholars‟ Philosophy, Methodology or Manifesto on Transitional Architecture & Contemplative Practice There are four scholars selected and analysed with their thinking and ideas on spaces and circulation. Bernard Tschumi, who quotes with „there is no architecture without events‟; he believes the space is design according to the human body movement. The statement similar with Dr. John Gamble, who discusses about a single form could be explore with different types of pattern related to the human situation in a spatial design. The indication of Bernard Tschumi is more to fantasy to active the sensation of a space, where the uses of forms combined together to blur the boundary of reality and imagination. Meanwhile, the lesson from Dr. John Gamble is a way to satisfy different types of individual in a single form. He maximizes many possible potential on how a simple planned space could serve diverse people. Meanwhile, Vito Acconci‟s perception on „architecture is about time‟, expresses on the needs of providing multiple choice for the space users. Lastly, Chiristian Kerez experiments and investigates different pattern of the staircase as transitional space in the projects.
Figure 8.0: Different designs on transitional space generate different experience.
Bernard Tschumi
Bernard Tschumi is an architect insisted with „there is no architecture without events, without actions or activity‟. He believes that there is no way to present architecture in a book with words and drawings, but the architecture has to experience within the real space. Bernard Tschumi exploit the relationship of space, event and movement.
The Contemplative Practices Which Generate Along With Transitional Spaces
Regarding with any building typology, transitional and contemplative spaces exist. However, contemplative spaces are not isolated building typologies, such as churches or sanctuaries, but as combined accessories for transitional spaces. A space where benefit with the healing improvement of patients in a hospital, a space where help students learning in a school or even a space where promote productive employees at the workplace. When designing with any specific building type, as the spatial planner, we have to question ourselves: 1. 2.
3.
Where are the excitements within the users‟ journey in my architecture? How I going to prepare my occupants to experience those exciting and climatic moment? And how would the contemplative space help to maximum the potential benefits for the occupants? After experiencing with lots of excitement, would there a „breathing space‟ (transitional
Image 9.0: The Manhattan Transcripts (1976-1981) series by Bernard Tschumi. From the sketches, Bernard Tschumi explores the transitional path referring to the human events. These are the counterpoint, where lay between movement and space.
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Marco De Michelis has emphasized that Tschumi‟s thought of space has been multifaceted in the sense that „it isn‟t space as a geometrical component but rather as it is linked with usage, movement, and dynamics. With Goldberg, Tschumi reinforces the architecture with the reality of spatial experience, his stated with „the reduction of space to a mere reflection of other modes of thought was overlooking the fact that space was‟. In 1978, he argued that architecture is „the tension between the concept and experience of space‟. Traditionally, architecture perceived by space and form. However, Bernard Tschumi‟s employed different kind of perspective views in The Manhattan Transcripts (1976-1981) series. The drawing in the series are not a completed proposal, but fall between the reality and imagination.
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Mur Island is a multifunctional platform, clearly demarcate two zones while intertwine. Visitors at the theatre delight with the playground in the background, while the courtyard becomes part of the cover when in the cafeteria. Although the spaces having different event, Vito Acconci merges the space functions and blurs the interior and exterior.
Dr. John Gamble
Dr. John Gamble is an architect and lecturer in Sydney, Australia and completed his PhD thesis „Alvar Aalto: Formal structure and a methodical development of an inclusive architecture‟ in 2014. For his statement, it is possible for a single architecture form to respond to many different patterns of human situations through the inner structural logic (relational pattern) of the architecture‟s material and spatial design (Susanne Langer, 2019). Dr. John Gamble mentioned on multiple co-spatial patterns. Given out an example, our bodies consider as a single form, structuring the surrounding with ever-changing circumstances with four different ways, up and down, front and back, left and right, inside and outside, and the ways are the spatial patterns in architecture.
Image 10.0: The Manhattan Transcripts (1976-1981) series by Bernard Tschumi. „There is no architecture without movement‟, stated by Bernard. In the series, Bernard challenged the traditional architectural drawings by encouraged the observers to adopt a viewpoint, active the sensation of movement in the observer‟s mind.
Vito Acconci
Vito Acconci is an artist and architect, in which he believes that „architecture is not about space but about time‟. Vito Acconci expressed his thought on movement in architecture, everyone knows about architecture, because there is nobody who never walks through architecture. However, some people do not admit that because they do not realise they are going through a building is the starting of architecture. He reminds that a lot of architects obsessed with the nation that when we designing a space, we are necessarily designing the human behaviour in that space. For his projects, he gives people multiple choices and liberates users. One of his projects about human circulation is Mur Island, which celebrate the new public space for communication, adventure and artistic creation.
Image 12.0: The exploration of the spatial patterns by Dr. John Gamble on Gehry House and Villa Mairea. From a simple single form architecture plan, Dr. John Gamble explored ranges of pattern for the spatial design and the relationship of the spaces. The outcome is variability responding to the human situation and the site.
Image 11.0: The Mur Island designed by Vito Acconci.
Christian Kerez
Christian Kerez is a Swiss architect, who designed House with One Wall. The walls in the building are varying from level to level, and links by the staircases, which is the transitional spaces that lead the occupants through the entire height if the house. In this design, the transitional spaces
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(staircases) are the most important architecture element to highlight spatial clarity and the expansiveness from a simple setting.
Image 13.0: The exploration of the staircase as transitional space by Christian Kerez. Studied by Christian Kerez on University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Muttenz, Switzerland with structural model and cascading stairways as an ornament, his studies clearly illuminate the connection of the transitional spaces at the middle of the building. The design of the spatial circulation encourage appreciation from the occupants for the quality of interior, the transitional spaces become the more emphasized architecture elements with a contrast of simple gridded concrete columns and beams around them. 4.0 Psychonautic Enhancements – The Recipes „Experimenting. I hung the moon on various branches of the pine‟ Hokushi According to Ian Robinson and Kai Chan (1983), they preferred to a list of „space ingredients‟ for contemplative architecture. For them, designing a space is like a non-stop experimental, playing and testing with all possible outcomes,
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resulting in different experience for the journey. To achieve transitional architecture with contemplative practice effect, one‟s must sensitive in challenging the boundary of ordinary spatial perception.
A BRIEF LISTING OF INGREDIENTS by Ian Robinson & Kai Chen Accurate in exact conformity to truth performed with care Appetite an inherent or habitual desire or propensity for gratification or satisfaction Attention steady application of consciousness Beauty perfection of form Capacity power of mind Centre point of origin Clarity directness, precision of thought Conception the capacity of forming abstractions or grasping the meaning of symbols Consciousness intuitive perceived knowledge Consumption the act of consuming or destroying Cosmos the universe conceived as an orderly and harmonious system Death absence of growth Dignity intrinsic worth Distortion perverting that essentially real Down towards or below the horizon Earth the third planet in order from the Sun Economy conciseness in realisation Elegance e = mc2 Enclosure the act of delineating, surrounding or enveloping Energy the realised state of potentialities Fantasy formation of images or representations in perception or memory Form the basis constituting the condition for the existence of any given nature or quality Growth to advance towards maturity Horizon the great circle in which the earth meets the heavens Horizontal parallel to the horizon Humanity the totality of attributes distinguishing man from other beings Humour that quality in a happening, an action, a situation, or an expression of ideas which appeals to a sense of the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous Infinity that which is not only without determinate bounds, but which cannot possibly admit of bound or limit Intent clear and definite singleness of purpose Knowledge the condition of appreciating reality Light something that makes vision possible Mind the complex of man's faculties involved in perceiving remembering, considering, evaluating and deciding in contrast variously with body, heart, soul and spirit Nature essence or ultimate form Order the way the world works Origin point of ultimate beginning whence something rises, flows or emanates Penetrate permeate Perception apprehension of any modification of consciousness Place In the world. I filled up a place which may be better supplied when I have made it empty Reality actual existence Scale bigness - small ness, distance Space the unlimited room or place extending in all directions and in which all things exists Strength clarity of definition Structure interrelation of parts Symbol an object or act that represents a repressed complex through unconscious association rather than through objective resemblance or conscious substitution
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Texture Time Up Value Vertical Volume Wisdom
a basic scheme or structure time present and time past / are both perhaps present in time future yours; towards a higher place, level or state by the existence of things we profit / by the non-existence of things we are served line or direction rising upward toward a zenith mould clay into a vessel / from its not being / arises the utility of the vessel ability to discern inner qualities and essential relationships
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deep study and with clear messages, it tells stories for the people.
Image 14.0: The psychonautic enhancements listed by Ian Robinson and Kai Chan (1983). A research did by Guopeng Li (2019), the approaches for architecture design and planning can be category into senses, experience and behaviours. Which focusing into transitional architecture, what type of effect the spaces given out for their occupants? Do you want the occupants having scrutinize on their senses, which enlarging their stimulation which they are travelling through the transitional spaces? Or, enjoying the journey experiences either long-term or shortterm memory, such as the taste after having passion fruit, where the scent of it still lingering around? Or, just with certain purpose, where you aim to change the users‟ behaviours along the transitional spaces with contemplative aspect, not by force but in unknown situation, but in a way where the users do not feel any uncomfortable or do not realise that they are guiding by the architecture? The psychological context: emotion, memory and behaviours are the keys to design with the transitional architecture with contemplative practice. Forms and styles are shallow talking, and only a surface layers for architecture. Good designers aware on the people who using the spaces and how they influence within, and observe on their psychological responses and behaviour reactions, by the end develop methods to improve the spatial quality.
Image 15.0: Tadao Ando‟s Church of Light. Tadao Ando‟s Church of Light has a deep sensitivity of the spaces, particularly the light and shadow. The architecture is it by means of memory, physical experience or perhaps the shell of his inner thought.
Spatial Design for Senses
The surrounding environment is complex, around us, there are millions of input signals for us to aware with, including motion, sound, temperature, and colour. However, we can only receive small portion of them (Monice Malnar and Frank Vodvarka, 2004: p. 151, p. 152). If we need to strengthen the certain feeling for a space, we need to have sensory components. It might be the forms which we focus on, a place for induce activities, such as smelling, hearing and touching, where the space encourage people to involve themselves into the planned activities, and eventually connect nature and built–environment through informationcommunicating enhancement and enrich senses experiences. The Perception and Experience Generate by Senses Through the senses within a space, we understand the architecture much better. The architecture presents should strengthen the users‟ sense of the real, frames experiences and projects horizon perception and clarification but not create fantasy (Juhani Pallasmaa, 2005). Multi-sensory methods constantly apply as offering psychological involvements and multi-sensory reactions which explore the characteristics of these spaces. Follow with a few example of architecture that emphasising specific sense, especially the senses of touch and sign. With the leading projects – The Church of Light (visual sense), Civil Rights Memorial (sense of touch) and National September 11 Memorial Museum (void as symbolic-the sense of lose), the spaces contribute rich sensory experiences to the users through careful design. The elements introduced should be concern seriously with a
Image 16.0: Maya Kin‟s Civil Right Memorial. Civil Rights Memorial is created by Maya Lin in 1989, inspired by the healing effect of the water, craved with the named of 41 people who are scarified in the civil rights movement between 1954 and 1968. The memorial is a fountain of an asymmetric inverted black granite cone. A film water flows over the names, once touched, the water surface alter temporarily, and quickly returns to its smoothness, represents the ambitions of the civil rights movement to end legal racial segregation
Image 17.0: The 9/11 Memorial and Museum by Michael Arad and Peter Walker.
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The 9/11 memorial and museum, designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, was brought to life and opened on September 11, 2011.The pools giving a sense of calm, it representing the idea of bringing together the separated lives into one. With the secondary drop, the water flows down 30 feet, and people are impossible to see the bottom. That‟s the language of void, emptiness when lose someone loved. The white oak trees representing life and rebirth.
Image 19.0: The sense of void in Gothic cathedral. The void of the high ceiling of Gothic cathedral, either feeling pressured, or feeling peaceful from its emptiness, depends on ones. The Experiences Generate by Elements
Image 18.0: The sense of void representing emptiness. From the outside, the 9/11 memorial and museum has a constructivism design, mirrors the collapsed Twin Towers. Through the sense of void, the Museum‟s culminating space whose sheer scale conveys a sense of the enormity of the site and reinforces awareness of the absence of what once was there.
Spatial Design For Experiences
All human has Inbred capabilities to perceive the surrounding environment. We are naturally reacting to the subtleties changes in texture, forms and ratios. Thus, we are physiologically receiving the hits from surrounding, either consciously or unconsciously, and influencing our behaviours when we working, studying, living or playing in a space. There are investigations on this topic for the likely effects on human behaviours, but still not surely confirm why and how human behave in a spaces.
The architecture is a body, where materials, colour, structure, light and shadow representing the blood, muscle, skin and bones (Donald Judd, 1994). Meanwhile, the ambient environment, for example, water, temperature and sound are completing the built environment. Users are experiencing the architecture through their senses, not only by visual sense but also with touch, taste, hear and smell. The transitional spaces are where people will pause and taste the architecture. Space users putting in their intention on human inventions, such as vertical and horizontal, human ratio, symmetry or asymmetry, straight or curvy, order or disorder, positive or negative shapes. The elements are not tangible, however observable measureable.
Given here an example, the huge void interior space, such as Gothic cathedral, where the huge structure creates an overwhelmed feeling that might causes psychological pressure for certain groups of person. However, some of them might feel peaceful from the void emptiness and high ceiling level. The answers and responds are different and not fixed. However, when the spaces, the psychonautic elements and places taken into account separately, they become clear instead having a complex direction. However, if the psychonautic enhancements cannot match with the personal‟s needs, they might overwhelm on mental health. Thus, before apply any psychonautic element into the transitional space, we got to have a deep understanding on the definition of each element in the space, and reapply it with the combination with client‟s requests. Too much, or too many will cause discomfort or it do not effecting as we want it to be. It is intelligible but to prevent negative consequences, architects suggest using the simplest architecture forms to shape the spaces, however it also depends to the typology of the building itself. For example, memorable architecture, including museums, temples, memorials and cathedrals, need to be enhancing more than the other typology. Particularly focusing on the light that create sense if mystery and wonder, vertical high columns to express the power and solemn when transit human flow.
Image 20.0: Ranges of senses (Malnar & Vodvarka, 2004). Positive and Negative Forms Positive shapes are the preliminary choice planned by the architects, while negative shapes are those non-functional and empty spaces.
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Radial direction can be form with the beam and columns, also with the openings to create movement.
Image 24.0: The linear illusion. Image 21.0: Conceptual models by Christian Kerez, showing the relationship between void and solid, negative and positive space.
Other type of linear illusion with contributes to raise the natural curiosity human and direct the movement for exploration throughout the transitional space. Corridors with repeating linear element create a perception of depth.
Direction and Linear Perspective Direction and linear create movement and way finding for the occupants. Some architect illustrate of three-dimensional movement with linear, provide an illusion of moving forward or backward on the axis or in and out of the picture plane.
Image 22.0: The horizontal direction. The horizontal direction directs occupants to adore the transitional space. Image 25.0: The Diagonal direction. The diagonal direction for transitional space form with linear element, occupants feel with the dynamic design of it. Curve surface all along with the transitional space providing a large surface connection with inner and outer spaces. Proportion or Human Scale in Transitional Architecture Typically, in a same framing, larger characters advance into the foreground while smaller objects recede near the background. The oversize which seem ridicules compare to human size create the self-suspicion on ourselves, if design successfully, the transitional spaces appear to be peculiar, but somehow complex senses of miscellaneous. Introduce with two examples of architecture on transitional spaces which are out of human scale but match harmony, Sala Ayutthaya by Onion, and Elephant Museum by Bangkok Project Studio.
Image 23.0: The radial direction.
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The Elephant Museum, designed by Bangkok Project Studio, the curved walls along the transitional pathway, at varying heights rise form the ground, welcoming the visitors not by human dwelling but as elephants habitat. Along the transitional paths, the walls slope overlapping each other, illuminating gaps which guiding the visitors to the inside. Overlapping Shapes or Forms The overlapping forms or the composition of different shapes provide a perception of depth, the objects on top appear to be closer to the viewer. It also can relate to the interlocking spaces for transitional. It can be a contract if curve and straight line, or same shapes but different in thickness.
Image 28.0: The Odunpazari Modern Art Museum.
Image 26.0: The Sala Ayutthaya. Sala Ayutthaya is a twenty-six room boutique hotel located in Thailand. The transitional pathway narrowed by the paralleled brick walls of multi-curved geometrics, frame the image of the sky. The oversize height is out of human scale but dynamic and unique.
Design by Kengo Kuma, the Odunpazari Modern Art Museum built with the linear and square elements for walking through unique and unexpected experience the overlapping shapes form a depth and vibrant form for the spatial attention to guide the movement of the visitors and visual framing to the skylight.
Image 29.0: The contract between the overlapping of curve and straight linear. The contract between the overlapping of curve and straight linear at the transitional space explore the potential of adventure and different perspective for the occupants. Experiencing Time through Transitional Architecture and Contemplative Practice „Time‟ is linked with built environment. A place for waiting is a direct sense for experiencing time. Studies show occupants approximate their time depend on the design of the space. For example, narrow space without direct sign into a distance, either a window for a natural outdoor view, or a picture on wall; we most likely concentrate back to ourselves about the space we are in and pay more attention to the elapsing of time. On the other hands, for contemplative practice, which enable people to forget with the problems there are facing, tend to provide with large space. Large void space for spatial authorizing perspectives, people feels safe and stress reduction with the healing potential happening on them.
Image 27.0: The Elephant Museum.
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References
Image 30.0: Self-concentrating in a confined space, compare to a space which have sign to the outdoor.
Spatial Design for Human Behaviours
Human behaviours tied close with human psychologies that influent with the space, emotion and the memory they generate while passing through transitional path. To design a transitional space that gain positive responds, the architect should start with the understanding on how occupants notice the environment surrounding. Control of Access to the Self To design the circulation for human behaviours affection, understand where the transitional paths leading the occupants to. Are they going to their personal space, gathering, or crowding place? To provide a better behavioural environment, according to Cassidy (1997), “control of access to the self”. For deeper explanation, each individual have two faces: one face appear when he or she wants to be in participation of social interactions, maybe seeking for opportunity through communication and social provision; the other meanwhile, is when he or she need to pause from busy lifestyle, away from noisy conditions and enjoying their space just belongs to themselves. “Control of access to the self”, providing a transitional space where people can have to power to make their own choices, either they need to be alone or participating in the social activities. This method works in gathering spaces and crowded environment, such as foyers, café and the spaces where dealing with the communities. It is recommended when a person feels comfortable and having his or her good personal space even situated in an open public area.
Image 31.0: Control of access to the self.
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