Negative Space & the Architectonic

Negative space is not distracting. It provides a balance to positive space and gives the eye a place to rest. It is silence within a piece. It has the ability to give equal attention to positive and negative shapes, allowing more accurate understanding. Negative space allows the construct to be seen for what it is and not what we expect it to be; it breaks down familiar boundaries with spatial change. Negative space begins to inform the built environment. The thesis explores whether a greater focus on the negative leads to a more informed positive and what this can reveal about time and space.

Therese Noonan

Kay EdgeAki Ishida

photography studymass vs. void

the fleeting role of humanity in architecture

The process of making a photograph explores negative space through properties of light in two-dimensional form.

photography studyspatial light

properties of light give new insights into space

Photography provides insight through flattening three-dimensional space.

photography studylight painting

enlarger light through two film negatives

Negative space is only apparent to those who look for it. Can an idea be inhabited?

photography studydouble exposure

film exposed twice before developing

The positive space of one photograph fills the negative space in another. The resulting images portray spaces not actually in existence. They spark intrigue and imagination.

photogram seriestransparency

light from film enlarger through glass

Photograms juxtapose time and space. The same object exposed in different places for different lengths of time allows for varied results.

photogram seriesmotion

flashlight orbited around paper model

Boundary defines space and movement; it determines limits and separation.

rockite cube studymass vs. void

form vs. counter form

The transformation from mould to poured object is a translation of negative space into positive space.

rockite cube studyspacial conditions

iterative study of negative space

Negative space as insertion into a mass (top) and a formal break or pause (bottom).

rockite cube studyspacial conditions

iterative study of negative space

Negative space as a break or interval and the overlap of elements.

rockite cube studyspacial conditions

iterative study of negative space

Negative space as removal or hollowing (top) and carving (bottom).

spatial understandingsections through cubes & desk plan

arrangement through intuition

“Walls with windows and doors form the house, but the empty space within it is the essence of the house. Therefore just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the usefulness of what is not.”

--Lao Tse

spatial understandingsections through cubes

transcend scale and materiality

What separates space and line? Is it memory, past, process?

spatial understandingsections through cubes

sequential sections through a cube

In-depth investigation into one cube attempts to glean the intrigue of the shape. What is more appealing: the shape, the void, or the transition between the two?

spatial understandingfirst presentation layout

understanding subconscious layout

How much of one’s spatial understanding is intuitive?

spatial understandingcube collage

overlay of drawings and photographs

Negative space has an ability to speak to a past, either showing it (casting the cube, cutting the section) or hiding it (progression, time, transit).

What kind of feeling should space emit? Can an architectural construct inspire a similarly ambiguous and pleasurable experience?

spatial understandingcube collage

overlay of drawings and photographs

spatial understandingdiagrams of photographic overlays

distilling the positive and negative

Simplifying a complex image gives insight into the composition. What is real and what is imagined?

“There is so much action in New York one is sometimes perversely excited by those places where you are not part of it. Where nothing is happening. These places, in turn, become little air pockets of possibility. They are unidentified, off the grid, the staging areas for trysts, seductions, encounters.”

--Thomas Beller

the public stage

The Public Stage uses partial walls and screens to create a place secluded from what is outside of it. There are gaps in material between each element--the wall, the screen, the ground-- revealing the structure and past construction. The space is not entirely open, nor entirely secluded. It is permeable, yet allows one to pause or remain.

charette ithe public stage

overlay and collage

charette ithe public stage

top: perspectivebottom: plan

the hostel

The Hostel offers peace through complexity. The grid is regular, but individual rooms are offset, allowing for separation within confined areas. These moves create areas to sleep, rest, eat, observe, or encounter. The spaces are what the inhabitants make them to be; the interactions become the life of the space. The rhythm of the rooms and movement prevent them from becoming forgotten or inactive.

charette iithe hostel

overlay and collage

charette iithe hostel

top: sectionbottom: plan

the subway station

Transportation does not exist in one place or another. It is the negative space of the traverse, what is in between being here and there. The Station carves into the ground, opening up the experience. There is a gradual transition from light to dark and dark to light. The path winds, slowing down the moment between the bustle of the city street and the noise of the subway. The viewing platform is a place to wait for transportation, or simply to observe the coming and going of the cars.

charette iiithe subway station

overlay and collage

charette iiithe subway station

top: sectionbottom: plan

charette iiithe subway station

axonometric drawings

urban infill study

ground floor plan

The project focuses on exploring through construction of sectional space in hand drawing. The material is graphite and the site is the Bristol page. Construction decisions are made based on the interaction of these two elements—how graphite sits on the page, the density of line weight, the overlay of line and poche. Representation through orthographic drawings alters the experience of time. The building is only understood as a whole by the way the spaces interact in section and plan.

urban infill study

section perpendicular to street

An urban context allows contrast between negative space and the mass of surrounding buildings. Negative space shapes building and frames the city. The project is an infill building. It is multistory and multipurpose. The program is peace through complexity.

Light wells puncture through the entire vertical section of the building, drawing natural light into the space and giving purpose to voids in the building. There is a shift in floor levels from the street side to the alley side.

urban infill study

street elevation

Variable change in elevation calls attention to sectional differences. The elevation uses similar elements for structural and decorative purposes. They intersect and weave together, allowing one to question what is necessary and what is meant to visually balance the façade.

urban infill study

section parallel to street

There are two paths; one is public and one is private. They are distinct, but intersect frequently to allow points of interaction.

The strategy of study focuses on the order of decisions and the resulting effect on spatial perception. The absence of program challenges how one maintains architectonic thinking in a programmatic world.

urban infill study

light well exploration through drawing

urban infill study

light well exploration through modeling

urban infill study

elevation modelstudy of layering elements

This thesis exploration does not result in the design of an architectural construct. It is a focused study into a way of thinking and decision making that can be applied to various processes, including, but not limited to, architectural design. It is an attempt to take advantage of the freedom in education: a time to explore different media and design philosophies.

A special thanks to:

My wonderfully supportive family and friends.

James Bassett, Patrick Doan, Donna Dunay, Gene Egger, Lucy Ferrari, Michael Ermann, Shelley Martin, Margarita McGrath, Chris Pritchett, Erin Putalik, Heinrich Schnoedt, and Frank Weiner for their wisdom, guidance, and encouragement throughout this five year exploration.