Fundamental Concepts of Architecture : The Vocabulary of Spatial Situations

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of the > lights, through directive elements such as guide walls
and paths/lanes, supported by materials particularly of the
paving, and endowing walking or driving with various quali-
ties. At the same time, perception is dependent upon the vari-
ous velocities of walking or driving, and perhaps also on the
type of vehicle. Details, for example, are perceived only when
walking; at higher speeds, the route seems telescoped. When
travelling with a baby carriage or in a wheelchair, the path
betrays obstacles concerning which others remain unaware;
the skater experiences paths selectively relating to areas that
are navigable. In a system of routes, places, which take the
form of spaces, squares or centres, constitute points of rever-
sal between travel and arrival, between departure and disap-
pearance. The architecture articulates such reversals through
the formation of > joints and > intermediate spaces. Routes,
spaces, and places, however, are actualized through concrete
> movement. In the words of Michel de Certeau: β€˜The play
of steps is the shaping of spaces. It weaves together the basic
structure of places.’

When progressing uniformly, the row strides towards an
often unrecognizable destination. As the articulation of a
whole, in contrast, it represents a rigid order. Arranged along
a continuous line, whether straight, curved or circular, it is a
repetition of the same individual element or a subdivision of
the whole into equal parts. It can be grasped as the juxtaposi-
tion of elements in a static order, or successively in motion, as
monotonous uniformity or dynamic progress.
The alternating sequence of steps between right and left
we experience when walking appears abstracted in the simple
series. In architecture, this corresponds for example to the se-
quence of steps of a staircase. Rows of supports or > columns,
> arcades, > galleries, or the trees lining an avenue accompany
the action of walking with a uniform beat or pulse. But it is
only > rhythm that transforms it into animated movement.

Row

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