234
function to the empty space. Solid masses remain subordi-
nate, in the background, and support the form of the space.
The individual room tends to appear separate from the oth-
ers and from the larger plan, since interrelationships between
rooms are disrupted by discontinuities of spatial geometry
or unexpected changes of alignment, and the areas between
them only patched together in a formless way by poché. As a
consequence, the utilization of the poché makes possible the
free disposition of interior rooms with regard to shape, align-
ment and arrangement, yet without necessarily influencing
adjacent rooms with regard to position or form. It becomes
possible, for example, to shape > concavities by modelling
wall masses in adjacent rooms on both sides of an adjoining
wall. The deployment of poché strengthens the presence of
the individual room in relation to the unity of the overarch-
ing spatial structure. Poché can be regarded as a continuous
background, a kind of supporting tissue through which indi-
vidual rooms are packed together and connected, yet guaran-
teed independence and Prägnanz. Within a complex spatial
system, it makes cohesion possible between diverse forms and
alignments. Through the modelling of the mass of the facade,
the poché enables mediation between interior and exterior
space. As a consequence, this zone of interference is also a
resource for creating balance, one that allows responses on
each side in a differentiated way without any requirement to
establish correspondences between inner and outer contours,
as would be necessitated by uniform wall thicknesses.
The wall masses formed by poché generally appear as
irregular remainders, as secondary, negative imprints in rela-
tion to the primary spatial forms. Yet perception is capable
of inverting this relationship so that mass becomes figure, an
example being the pillars of Donato Bramante’s plan for St
Peter’s. Poché is for the most part effective in plan, but can
play a role in section as well, in particular as intermediate
zones between > ceiling and > roof. Through > porosity or as
> space-containing walls, architectural masses that function