Fundamental Concepts of Architecture : The Vocabulary of Spatial Situations

307

cilitated via an > orientation towards the total spatial situ-

ation. As a consequence, the architectural features of such

urban spaces advanced more strongly into the foreground.

In place of conventional signage, stopping places, zones of

movement, and directionality are indicated via the direct ex-

pression of their spatial gestalt.

Literature: Cullen 1961/1971; Janson/Bürklin 2002; Rauda

1957; Sitte 1889/1983

> layering, plane, tower

> entrance, image, scene, stairs

> depth, enfilade, facade, incorporation, inside and outside,

intermediate space, layering, stairs

> axis, entrance, experience, image, light, ritual, scene

In flights of stairs and staircases, architectural space devel-

ops towards high points. Like virtually no other elements, the

staircase conveys a feeling for space; it generates space and

guides us through it. Through the choice of the dimensions

of the stairs and the rise-tread ratio, the rhythm created by

the placement of landings and changes of direction, through

narrowing and widening, through views and lighting arrange-

ment, through sound and the sensations caused by contact

with surfaces, the simple act of ascending (> ascent) a stair-

case becomes an intense experience, one that becomes notice-

ably even when perceived in an incidental fashion. This act

merits our attentiveness all the more so when it is not per-

formed heedlessly, but instead enacted like a performance in

which the climber is the protagonist. In this way, architecture

creates scenic situations that may change as a staircase moves

from one level to the next.

A staircase functions as a threshold or joint within a spa-

tial structure (1), calls for a specific type of movement (2),

constitutes an autonomous space or stairway (stairwell) (3),

Stacking
Stage
Staggering

Staging

Stairs