203Elementary modes of movement can be characterized
through (pre-)positions such as approaching, entering, be-
ing inside of, traversing and circumambulating, by means
of which we probe and grasp the fundamental structures
of spaces, in the process relating them to our own physical
disposition within space. The body’s symmetry, the forward
orientation of our sensory organs, and the mechanics of leg
movements prescribe the axis that links our bodies to a des-
tination in space as the predominant direction of movement.
A feel for spatial > depth is attained through the tension that
bridges depth distances, and through the virtual movement
that its overcoming demands. For our movements, which
are primarily horizontal in most works of architecture, and
which encounter walls that guide, arrest and surround us, the
ground plan is decisive. It directs movement, guides actors
and actions.
In order to avoid exercising compulsion, architecture
conveys suggestions for movement as we traverse it, and the
spectrum can be quite wide. By offering openings and passag-
es, it sets movement in motion. It directs via strict channelling,
or indicates further stages solely by means of guide walls or
prospects, prescribes changes of direction via axial panning,
turns or deformations, generates – in ways consistent with the
rules of flow – increases or reductions in pressure by narrow-
ing or widening. A > sequence is punctuated by the caesurae
of small passages or only by narrowings, which articulate a
flowing spatial continuum even in the absence of doors. A
route can be split up or branch out through bifurcation; di-
vergent orientations may enter into competition with one
another; lengthwise or lateral movements may become su-
perimposed. Finally, movements may be decelerated, arrested
or blocked by ‘friction’, for example by means of a sculp-
turally modelled accompanying wall, barriers or obstacles,
until it ends at a spatial terminus. Movements are not only
guided laterally by walls, but also oriented by sudden changes
of room height; they guide the gaze upwards, yielding, for