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We are accustomed to defining an architectural space in terms
of its boundaries (walls, enclosure), as being delimited from
the continuous surrounding space and as deriving significance
from this fact. It is also possible, however, to conceive of a
space not in terms of boundaries, but as being conditioned by
a centre. In the most primitive instance, a space is articulated
by driving a post into the ground, becoming a centre that
defines the immediate vicinity, which it divides into the area
closest to it and the surrounding area. Rather than being an
object, a centre can be a room that is surrounded by other
rooms. The result is a centric > order of the > spatial structure,
and of the corresponding possibilities for movement.
The emphasis on the centre and its importance cor-
responds to our conception of the centring of our spatial
spheres around our own bodies (> body). We can experience a
room from the centre, and experience its centring force, how-
ever, even when we are not contained by it. Elmar Holenstein
has shown that the ‘zero point of orientation’ wanders with
the gaze. The centre of a room or of a public square as the
goal and centre of perception is also experienced as a cen-
tring force for one’s own experience of self. The centre does
not have to lie at the geometric centrepoint of the space; one
example of this is the sitting area or breakfast nook as a place
of > gathering.
Important alongside the centring of individual rooms is
the centring of hierarchical arrangements of architectural ele-
ments, in particular of facades, which allow the central build-
ing of a larger complex with wings or of an extensive layout
to emerge into special prominence, for example.
The experience of spatial situations, however, is particu-
larly affected by the centring of rooms. The interiors of build-
ings based on centralized plans, which Leon Battista Alberti
regarded as embodying ideal > beauty, are experienced in di-
vergent ways. Cruciform or star forms lead radially towards
the centre, while circles and octagons instead revolve around
the centre concentrically. As long as the centre remains empty,Centring