The Concept of Space in Architecture

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preface. Modern architecture is all too often an exercise in sensationalist form making. The visual image occupies a tyrannical immediacy in modern life and this has been absorbed into the practice of architecture. Yet we spend the majority of our time within spaces - so what are the qualities of these spaces? If architecture is about our experience of space, then what are the important aspects of these spaces, and how can we learn lessons to help us design spaces of an appropriate quality - with memory and with meaning? poetry : ‘work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature’ (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013) The construction and composition of a space can be related back to poetry, by the use of similar methods and devices. By looking at these devices present in poetry, it is possible to begin to deconstruct how an atmosphere is created within spaces. Firstly, rhythm is a key identity of poetry and consequently space, defined as a harmonious sequence of elements (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013), which signals the need for coherence between the range of devices used. The idea of repetition is also fundamental in poetry, where poetical devices such as rhyme and assonance, contribute to the rhythm of the whole. Does this signal that order and regularity are crucial in the composition of spaces? It is interesting to analyse the use of similes and metaphors in poetry with relation to spaces, in the way they are descriptive devices used to represent ideas by comparison to something else. It is important for spaces to cohere with their historical/social context through the use of devices such as this. The way viewers pe... ... middle of paper ... ...t simply be lost. Just as ‘absence becomes presence’ in Whiteread’s work, the idea of working with a physical structure of the past encourages a more conscious attitude to compliment the characteristics of old by representations of the present. Lessons can be learnt from Whiteread and Matta-Clark about the importance of the past, and our perception of space. The fusion of new and old creates a powerful relationship, which affects the atmosphere, and the ability to evoke emotions. This relationship between past and present can often be lost in new builds, due to the freedom of materials and forms. The restrictions ‘offered’ by existing structures creates a necessity for sensitivity, which is reflected in the atmosphere of the spaces. Scarpa and Fehn’s work are illustrations of how a composition of past and present can work in harmony to create coherence in a space.

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