THE WINDOW

Framing Views And Prospecting What Is Seen

The window is akin to the eye of a three-dimensional object. Through its opening, the user becomes aware of what lies outside and where she is located inside. The window thus serves as an interface framing the inside and outside. The exterior can be framed by orienting the window with regards to the user’s body. A continuous, horizontal strip provides an expansive view of the landscape, while a vertical window frames the user’s standing body in relation to the exterior.

Read as an aperture, different levels of opacity and transparency can be controlled in a window to portray varying visibility. This can be achieved layering multiple screens of varied materials and texture to shape the user’s perception of what lies outside. The result of this is a pictorial snapshot of what lies outside, which some parts of it may be obscured in the viewer’s eye.

The Floor Guiding And Limiting Space Through Its Expression

Beyond a planar interface, layers of depth can exist in a window, where it may be protruded or sunken out from the envelope. In the case of a protruded window, the in-between spaces can be designed or assembled with multiple elements to serve the user in terms of light, ventilation and thermal comfort.

Depending on the context, a window can be oriented and distorted from its usual linearity to capture desirable views and conditions from the exterior to the interior. The user is thus able to prospect these attributes and be exposed to the exterior conditions unfolding within the interior.

A floor can be broken down into two layers - surface and mass. The surface above serves as the actual plane for the user to walk and a part guiding movement. While the mass below is firm and solid, where it can provide an overall feeling of security. Qualities of mass can be expressed through how its weight, motion (rise and sink) and its own constituent substance. The surface above is thus affected by how the mass is expressed.

The floor firstly provides directional qualities, where its form emphasizes certain motions and connect one place to another. Slopes, steps and landings can frame and guide movement along the floor. Movements on a floor can be registered within the space and outside the space either as a path or as a surface.

The floor also offers delimiting qualities in how the user is centralized and contained in a position. A small portion may be separated from the floor by rising, sinking or have the portion accented differently from the rest if lying on the same level. The result of this is a demarcation of a significant space within the boundary.

Expression of weight and substance plays a role in how the entire floor is supported. Besides the usual floor firmly attached to the ground, the floor can respond differently from the ground by either being detached, sunken or layered in various operations. These expressions implicate the sense of security one feels when anchored onto the floor.