Fundamental Concepts of Architecture : The Vocabulary of Spatial Situations

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> staircase, but also by the political influence through the pro-
verbial power of the lobbyists.
Architecture assumes the task of articulating the in-be-
tween in spatial terms, of shaping places and spaces of tran-
sition in a differentiated way. We continually move through
transitional spaces or linger there, in entrance areas, in thresh-
old and intermediate spaces. In fundamental ways, architec-
ture is an art of intermediate spaces.
Literature: Alexander et al. 1977; Nitschke 1989; Stalder
2009; Waldenfels 1990

> accessibility and exclusivity, furnishing, interior, light, per-
sonal space, view into/out of

A spatial intimation calls attention to locations in a space that
are initially out of range, but which can as a rule be attained
in the course of movement through a space.
Views through, as well as > views into or views out of
a space, and perhaps acoustic intimations as well, guide our
attention towards something that is concealed behind a wall
or around a corner. Or an > interior becomes visible through
gaps in a > screening element, whose material permeability
allows structures situated behind it to be surmised. A barrier
that blocks our view, one whose placement at the same time
indicates the direction of its overcoming, for example a front
viewed obliquely, or the convex form of a building’s curved
wall, which guides the gaze around it and towards the rear,
are variants of this simultaneous play of deceleration and of
anticipation. At times, that which is intimated remains en-
tirely concealed from view. The indication of a continuation
at the end of a path, of something present around the corner,
or the way in which a light at the end of a dark alley awakens
indefinite expectations; all of these makes us curious, while in
extreme cases leaving everything in a state of uncertainty.

Intimacy


Intimation

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