The Space Between Workshop
Course facts
- Payment: Free, no certificate
- Credits: Non Credit
- Learning style: Self-paced, start anytime
- Resources: Design Assignments; Image Gallery
MIT OpenCourseWare details
- As taught in: Fall 2004
- Department: Architecture
| Course Details | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||
| Outcomes | ||||||
|
||||||
| Price & Terms | ||||||
|
||||||
| Technical | ||||||
|
||||||
| Specification | ||||||
|
||||||
An architecture workshop that designs space first and objects second, through precedent studies, neighborhood surveys and models of space.
Buildings usually get the design energy, and the spaces they leave behind get whatever remains. This workshop reverses that order, considering space first and objects second. Students look for the idea in paintings, music and built precedent, study the public framework of a neighborhood, and build models of space itself to inform their own designs.
What You Will Achieve
- Diagram how a space relates to the objects around it
- Model the different kinds of space in a house and its community
- Survey a neighborhood’s paths and places by sketching or photographing them
- Represent transitions between outside and inside through large scale models
Program Overview
References and Precedent
The term opens by finding the idea in other art forms and in existing houses.
- References in the arts
- Built precedent
- Courtyard and shotgun houses
Public Space
Attention moves outward, treating streets and plazas as an extension of houses.
- Public space as an extension of houses
- North End exploration
- Paths and places
Space Between Models
The final part turns those studies into models for review.
- Models using experimental materials
- Detailed models of space and transitions
- Final review
Course Completion
Job Outlook
This way of thinking about space serves architectural design, urban design and work on neighborhoods and public places.
Good for: Architecture and urban design students who want a set of model-making exercises for thinking about space before form.
Keep in mind: Critiques, a field trip and guest lectures took place in person, and two assignments use Boston’s North End, so pick a neighborhood near you. There are no lecture notes.
Bottom line: A distinctive studio brief you can adapt: six assignments, two journal articles and sample student work on one clear design idea.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "the Space Between" mean?
It is the space between objects and buildings, treated as being as valuable as the buildings rather than as leftover or negative space. The workshop has been taught for more than ten years.
Which readings explain the approach?
Two articles from the journal Places are included. "The Space Between" (1993) gives the rationale and cites Siena, Oak Bluffs and San Juan, and "Exploring Prototypes" describes the workshop's first iteration step by step.
What do the six assignments ask you to make?
They ask for a diagram from an art reference, models of a house's space and its community, a neighborhood survey by sketch or photograph, a model of that area, and large scale models of transitions.
User Reviews
Write your review
You must be logged in to post a review.
Reviews can only be posted by registered learners. Log in or create a free account, then you will return here to post.
There are no reviews yet.