Selected Bibliography Architecture - Form Space and Order | Page 201

SPACE WITH IN A SPACE

A large space can envelop and contain a smaller space
within its volume. Visual and spatial continuity between
the two spaces can be easily accommodated, but
the smaller, contained space depends on the larger,
enveloping space for its relationship to the exterior
environment.

In this type of spatial relationship, the larger, enveloping
space serves as a three-dimensional field for the smaller
space contained within it. For this concept to be perceived, a clear differentiation in size is necessary between
the two spaces. If the contained space were to increase
in size, the larger space would begin to lose its impact as
an enveloping form. If the contained space continued to
grow, the residual space around it would become too compressed to serve as an enveloping space. It would become
instead merely a thin layer or skin around the contained
space. The original notion would be destroyed.

To endow itself with a higher attention-value, the
contained space may share the form of the enveloping
shape, but be oriented in a different manner. This would
create a secondary grid and a set of dynamic, residual
spaces within the larger space.

The contained space may also differ in form from the
enveloping space in order to strengthen its image as a
freestanding volume. This contrast in form may indicate
a functional difference between the two spaces or the
symbolic importance of the contained space.

186 / A R C H I TE C TU R E : F O R M , S PA C E , & O R D E R