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gather, disperse, align or enclose, in particular as dynamic
qualities of architectural > gesture. These include > invitation
characters that suggest specific modes of behaviour or atti-
tudes, and the > appeals that convey moods, awaken expecta-
tions, or summon specific reactions. Such expressive values do
not simply designate objects, but also play undeniable roles
for the respective situation itself. The functional organization
need not be conveyed by signs and read, for instance, distinc-
tions between various spatial uses by means of special mark-
ers on access doors, orientation via coloured signatures for
the levels of parking garages, or the identification of sanitary
facilities by pictograms, but can also be rendered evident via
the form, arrangement or atmosphere of the various rooms.
In many instances, interconnections or fluid transitions
exist between meanings conveyed by signs and unmediated
expression. This is particularly the case for > symbols, meta-
phors, and > images, which, although they represent some-
thing that is found outside the given situation, they also con-
tribute to the concrete spatial experience through their forms.
When the form of a vault resembles a sail, or is reminiscent
of a grove of palm trees, it alludes to something extra-archi-
tectural, but may at the same time convey an intended spatial
sensation. Rudolf Arnheim spoke of the double task of ar-
chitecture, to be simultaneously ‘self-image’ and an image of
something else. Through their forms, buildings refer to them-
selves, that is to say, to their concrete use, while making sym-
bolic statements about their general relationship to the world,
to the local or historical context, expressing a particular no-
tion of habitation, a specific lifestyle, an attitude, or perhaps a
social status.
However, conflict may arise between these two types of
meaning, for example when an additional meaning is super-
imposed upon an unmediated expression of the spatial form,
and when this divergent statement falsifies the architecture’s
primary impact. An example might be the setting of a pyra-
mid on top of a conference room, which ought simply to in-