Selected Bibliography Architecture - Form Space and Order | Page 128

DE P RE S S E D B A S E P L A N E

The degree of spatial continuity between a
depressed field and the raised area surrounding
it depends on the scale of the level change.
• The depressed field can be an interruption
of the ground or floor plane and remain an
integral part of the surrounding space.
• Increasing the depth of the depressed field
weakens its visual relationship with the
surrounding space and strengthens its
definition as a distinct volume of space.
• Once the original base plane is above our eyelevel, the depressed field becomes a separate
and distinct room in itself.

Creating a stepped, terraced, or ramped
transition from one level to the next helps
promote continuity between a sunken space
and the area that rises around it.

Rock-cut churches of Lalibela, 13th century

Whereas the act of stepping up to an elevated
space might express the extroverted nature
or significance of the space, the lowering of a
space below its surroundings might allude to
its introverted nature or to its sheltering and
protective qualities.

FORM & SPACE / 1 1 3