MANILA, Philippines - Architecture is not four walls and a roof; it is also, and above all, the air that remains within, the space that these enclose.’
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Space is fundamental to our understanding and enjoyment of architecture and interior design. Of the elements of minimalism in the grand style, none would appear to be more important a reference than the sense of space, its interpretation and context.
According to the early Chinese philosopher Lao-Tse, “architecture is not four walls and a roof; it is also, and above all, the air that remains within, the space that these enclose.†Surely every architect must identify with this philosophy: That the space between the ground, the walls and ceiling does not represent a void, but the fundamental context of a building.
Aristotle defined space as a container of things, a succession of all-inclusive envelopes, rather like a succession of rooms, an enfilade. He suggested that there is no such thing as empty space, rather that everything is positioned and placed within space. If his view is applied to architecture and interior design, then space is the way in which we see a room in terms of volume, proportion, orientation and distance. It is the interpretation of space that defines an architect or an interior designer.
The introduction of shape into a space, such as twisted columns, grand stairways, and high domes; a sense of perspective; application of color to exaggerate architectural form and symmetry: All represent acknowledged and recognizable signatures, in both historical and contemporary architecture.
Space is born from the relationship between objects and their boundaries. It is sometimes said that space is suggested by a painter, filled by a sculptor and contained by an architect. As if to illustrate the point, sculptor Andy Goldsworthy created a series of simple rectangular, square and circular sheepfolds out of stone. As outdoor sculptures, these were essentially empty structures, which suggested a need to enclose something — balancing on the boundary between sculpture and architecture,. The 19th-century art historian August Schmarsow, addressing this threshold from the other side, wrote that “architecture is an art when the design of space clearly takes precedence over the design of the object. Spatial intention is the living soul of architectural creation.â€
In one of several books that antiquarian Axel Vervoordt has produced over the last decade, he describes the influence of Oriental art, and the importance it places on a life of meditation, on his own practice. In architectural context, Vervoordt sees meditation as an empty space, which represents proportion, balance and harmony. When restoring a building, he will always allow the space to inspire him and, more than his ability to think or analyze, it is a paramount importance to him simply to spend time in rooms that he has designed in a deliberately sparse and pared-down fashion.
Whether it’s the beauty of the air between two adjoining rooms decorated by Nancy Lancaster, or the breadth between objects juxtaposed in a room setting, our sense and appreciation of space is strongly influenced by light. The diversity of light — natural and artificial — in an interior affects the perceived size and the context of a room, as well as its shape and definition. The perception of a space is directly connected to its interplay with light: depending on how it is used, qualities of light will always transform space.