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directed traversal of space in order to conduct specific trans-
actions. It is oriented towards a network of routes, streets
and axes, is guided between nodes, foci and landmarks, which
take the form of the system orientation described by Kevin
Lynch, for example. Another typical form of movement in the
city is a leisurely strolling which carries the individual onward
aimlessly, and which actualize different possibilities of spa-
tial order through a kind of > roaming. In essence, individual
decisions concerning movement through the city open up a
broader spectrum of spatial possibilities than those that are
possible within an individual building.
Literature: Certeau 2011; Janson/Wolfrum 2008; Lynch
1960; Rossi 1966/1982; Rowe/Koetter 1978The specific ‘content’ of architectural forms is use. Accord-
ingly, a building is perceived variously depending on what it
is used for, such as whether it is habitable or not. Intended use
is among the primary motivations that defines a > situation.
Confronted with an empty room, we take in very different
features depending upon whether we plan to make it a work-
room or a child’s bedroom. One and the same landscape looks
very different when regarded as a park than it does when seen
as a building site. Advancing into the foreground depending
upon our perspective are characteristic features that are likely
to facilitate or interfere with its intended utilization. Even
ostensibly non-functional elements may offer themselves as
objects of use: a ledge as a storage shelf, or the base of the
column as a seat.
Regarded from the perspective of use, we perceive our
spatial surroundings as a ‘space of function’ or as a ‘space
of action’ (Dürckheim 2005). Neither forms nor dimensions
are primary features, but the accessibility and locatability of
objects within an ordered spatial context that is oriented
towards use. The nature of architecture that reveals itself
through use is not determined through function in the senseUse