Inhabiting the Skin

Abstract

Appreciation of the natural light, air, and scenery outside the built interior environment spurs the architect's desire to "bring the outside in". (Lately, floor-to-ceiling glazing is the most popular way of doing this.) Appreciation of what can be found "in the wall" also inspires the architect. Neither inside nor outside, being "in the wall" offers unique sensory experiences. Historically, the thick masonry walls of public buildings provided spaces (such as the arched vestibule of a library) within the walls' openings where people could gather to talk or wait out the rain. Another example of space within walls is the window seat, which is the architect's response to many peoples' desire to curl up inside a window to read a book or to watch what's going on outside. Modern materials and technologies have allowed us to build buildings taller and lighter than ever before but they also have led us to cease creating those special spaces, neither inside nor outside, that protect people from the elements without entirely cutting them off from them. It is this third space, neither inside nor outside, that I seek to reclaim in this thesis project. I hope to return to people space of fresh air, indirect, natural light, sense of protection, and openness; a place where stories are traded, secrets are whispered, and stars are wished on. With this project, I seek to develop a third space.