Space + the Room

PART 1

Picture 4 café museum friedrichstrasse (adolf loos)













I identify
the following as the solids:

~ Columns
~ Arch
~ Furniture (Tables, Chairs, etc)
~ Plant
~ pictures
~ mirrors
~ Roof
~ Wall
~ Floor
~ Human








the following as the voids:


~ spaces between the columns
~ middle empty space
~ Spaces between brass rails of the light bulbs
~ Virtual image spaces from the mirror
~ spaces between the tables












the following as the relationship between the solid +void:



















1. The mirrors are the solids, reflecting any images from the front view. Lights from outside the window or the lights inside the cafe will be reflected by the mirrors to the empty spaces(viod), brighting up the whole room.
2+3. In the 2nd relationship, the columns act as solids while spaces between the columns act as the void. The columns block lights outside the cafe from entering the cafe. Similarly, in the 3rd relationship, the 3 walls are solid without illumination, but the wall with windows can bright up the cafe by letting through the lights into the empty spaces(void) inside the cafe. In both cases, there are areas having illuminations while areas without illumination. This forms a contrast of dark and light inside different areas of the cafe, providing a feel of INDOOR, separating the outside from inside.
4. There are many tables and chairs (solids) inside the cafe, but in between those tables and chairs, there are free spaces (void). These free spaces provide a path for customers to walk through. Also, those spaces gives them an relaxing feeling, while may help improve their appetite.
5. The spaces between the columns (void) let through lights from outside. And there are many tables placed exactly behind the windows(solids), i.e. between the columns, therefore, light from outside the windows can illuminate those tables. In addition, customers sitting at those tables can have a good view of the areas outside.


the following as the key role in the form, and the relationship between the container and the void:

Key Role: Among the three parts, i.e. floor, wall, roof, roof plays the key role in this form. As this lighting system in this form, cafe room, is mainly located on the two sides of walls, the illumination in the middle path of the cafe will not be too strong. Thus, the shape of a dome of the roof provides a concave surface inside, to converge the light from everywhere, down to the middle path of the cafe. This anables full illumination of the whole cafe both at daytime and nighttime.

Relationship: The container of the cafe is approximately in a shape of trapezium, as it seems to be located at a corner of the crossroad. The middle part of the interior space is made into a trapezium shape as well, but the top part of it is made into a round shape one. Probably this makes a space(void), composed of two long rectangles, matching the shape of the crossroad. The space(void) is parallel to the roads, giving a relaxing manner to customers.

PART 2
picture taken from a Westrail station

I identify

the following as solids

~ station entering machine

~ glass separators

~ columns

~ signals

~ human

~ walls

~ windows

~ lanterns

~ roof

~ floor

~ aided floor lanes

the following as voids

~ empty spaces of the two sides of entering machines

~ spaces between the entering machines

~ spaces between the rails of the signals

relationship between solids and voids:

1. The entering machines (solids) are there for passengers to get through after paying the fee. So, the spaces (voids) between the machines give a path for passengers.

2. There are many glass separators and entering machines in the station, seperating the station into two areas, namely, the areas for passenger who paid the fee and the areas for passenger who haven't paid. Thus, this combination of solid and voids give us a clear decribption of the meaning of the area, e.g. to separate passengers and by-passers in the station.

Key Role :

The wall maybe the key role of the form, because it has the function of separating the two different areas and also the offices and shops in the station. Moreover, the windows at one of the sides of wall enable the lighting of the station by natural sunlight, reducing the light used inside the station.

Relationship between container and void :

The station container is probably a cube or rectangular structure. It is a geometric form, giving us a feeling that the form serves formal and useful functions, which is a characteristic of the train station.