Interior-exterior connection in architectural design based on the incorporation of spatial in between layers. Study of four architectural projects

Abstract

Different spatial layers in the architectural structure of a building can create particular spatial relations and an architectural space that cannot be defined as an inner space or as an outer space, but one which has the characteristics of both. This space, which can be called “in between space”, appears as the result of a specific design concept in which the architectural composition is created by gradual insertion of volumes one inside another, like a box that is placed inside a box, inside of which is placed another smaller box and so on. The incorporation of various layers in the spatial arrangement of volumes in certain architectural compositions can be conceived as a possible approach in connecting the interior and exterior. This kind of conceptual design distinguishes itself from the common approach by its specific architecture that offers richness, variety, complexity and unique perception of space, thereby increasing its value. The paper investigates this particular concept through the analysis of four residential houses (Villa Le Lac by Le Corbusier, Solar House by Oswald Mathias Ungers, House N by Sou Fujimoto and Guerrero House by Alberto Campo Baeza), and it strives to find out the concept’s use and advantages, all with the aim of opening up new possibilities in the design of buildings and enriching the design process.