Spatial Orientation

Touching the architectural elements by hand

Qing Yu
Matter Space and Structure

Tutor: Peter Christensson

Examiner: Morten Lund
 俞晴
Qing Yu

Spatial orientation
Touching the architectural elements by hand

Chalmers School of Architecture

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
Master program of Architecture and Urban Design
Master Thesis Spring 2019

Tutor: Peter Christensson

Examiner: Morten Lund
 CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION 02
a. Abstract
b. Workflow

II. CONTEXT 08
a. Discourse
b. Method

" The sun and the star are how nature help
people find the way, architectural element is
c. Texture

III. REASEARCH 36
the method buildings use to navigate human.
" a. Touching
b. Light
c. Interaction
d. Transition
e. Sequence
f. Situation

IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY 98

01
 I ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION WORKFLOW

Spatial
02 Orientation 03
 ABSTRACT

AIM

As we all know, if a man loses his way in nature, he can use the star and sun to guide
INSPIRATION
himself. What can we do if we lose our way in a building? In my project, touching the
wall and feeling the light could be possibilities to solve this problem. I aim at designing For architects, their task is "to make visible how the world touches us".
the spatial orientation system by feeling architectural elements which are the DNA of
buildings, representing the culture, history, climate and so on. "Every touching experience of architecture is multi-sensory; qualities of space, matter
and scale are measured equally by the eye, ear, nose, skin, tongue, skeleton and muscle.
In many situations, we will lose our own ways and have no sense of direction. It is why Architecture strengthens the existential experience, one's sense of being in the world, and
wayfinding is very important for buildings. For example, when you enter a long corridor, this is essentially a strengthened experience of self."
if you are not at the beginning or the end, you will feel very hard to find the correct
direction. The common method to navigate people's directions is by using signs, but Architects around the world today are attempting to re-sexualize architecture through a
not spatial characteristic. What I researching in my project is to help people know the strengthened sense of materiality and hapticity, texture and weight, the density of space
direction with their body feelings and spatial features when they can not easily find the and materialised light.
way.
An architectural work is not experienced as a series of isolated retinal pictures; it is
Eye is the main organ we use to identify direction. However, the hand has advantages touched and lived in its full and integrated material, embodied and spiritual essence. A
over the eye because it can observe the environment by means of touch, and having profound work is always a world and a complete microcosm. It offers pleasurable shapes
observed it, it can immediately proceed to do something about it. The hand has other and surfaces moulded for the touch of the eye, but it also incorporates and integrates
great advantages over the eye. If people are in the dark space, the hand can still feel the physical and mental structures, giving our existential experience of being a strengthened
way when the eye is invisible. coherence and significance. A great building enhances and articulates our understanding
of gravity and materiality, horizontality and verticality, the dimensions of above and
Touching the architectural elements is the starting point because it is a very common below, as well as the external enigmas of existence, light and silence.
situation happened in buildings. Light and action are the influencing factors. The route
people walk, they will feel the light and shadow change a little bit and their actions could ----Juhani Pallasmaa
also make shadow move. All events form the sequence of the orientation system in a
building. KEYWORDS
It is a pity that some architects think the orientation system is not their responsibility. Spatial Orientation, Texture, Light, Interaction, Touchable, Transition, Sequence, Situation
The spatial orientation should be one part of architecture and belongs to the the space we
stay.

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04 Orientation 05
 WORKFLOW
？
RESEARCH PART
Nature Building

Appearance

？ Texture Analysis
Tactile impression

Same material
On the wall
Different material
Handrail
Determine Concept Shape
In the wall
Spatial orientation Material
Determine Concept
Touching
Spatial orientation
Discourse / Method TEXTURE
Discourse / Method
Surface
DIRECTION
Texture, Light and Action

Texture, Light and Action

Model Test

Transition between situation / corridor Direction Shadow

Model Test
Sequence Model Test Light Interction
Research Situation 1 Situation 2
Transition between situation / corridor Shape Light

Sequence Model Test

Research Situation 1 Situation 2

Beginning

Sequence End
Transition
Door
……

Light
Transition Sequence
Situation
Touch Situation 1 Situation 2 Situation 3 ……

The content of my thesis is the research of spatial orientation. Investigation of light Corridor
and touch were carried out. Then using light and touch as the transition to form the
Space
sequence of space. In addition, touch and light could be the situation happened in
the space. They are activities of architecture.

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06 Orientation 07
 Discourse
II
Method
CONTEXT Texture

Discourse is the communication between architects and architectures.

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08 Orientation 09
 LITERATURE

WHY HAND ?

From pictures, we can see that the face and hands make up a large part of sensory area 1. The hand has advantages over the eye because it can observe the environment by
compared with the torso, arms and legs. The reason is the brain maps each sensory means of touch, and having observed it, it can immediately proceed to do something
receptor onto the cortex rather than considering the area of the body where the sensor is about it. The hand has other great advantages over the eye. It can see around corners and
located. The more receptors there are in a given area of skin, the larger that area’s map it can see in the dark.
will be represented on the surface of the cortex. As a result, the hand has more receptors
than arms and legs. The hand is as sensitive as the brain and more sensitive than other 2. The hands have one further important function: they are part of our communication
parts of body. Which means when people want to touch or feel something, the hand will system; and in the extent to which they are used to communicate, not only words but
be the best choice, giving them lots of feedbacks. also emotions and ideas, our hands are unique in the animal world.

Human feels things directly by eyes, but they need to use hand or leg to make actions. If 3. The hand, like the face, are prime areas for the expression of individuality.
one person is blind, the feeling through hand is more obvious. In conclusion, hand is the
most important sensory organ for people to feel objects.

Sensory Area The somatosensory Homunculus

Hands The Thinking Hand
John Napier Juhani Pallasmaa

4. A hand is not simply part of the body, but the expression and continuation of a thought
which must be captured and conveyed.
----Honoré de Balzac

5. Architecture is also a product of the knowing hand. The hand grasps the physicality
and materiality of thought and turns it into a concrete image.

SOURCE: https://www.brainfacts.org/~/media/Brainfacts/Article%20 6. In the arduous processes of designing, the hand often takes the lead in probing for a
Multimedia/Educator%20Section/Olson%20Handout.ashx vision, a vague inkling that it eventually turns into a sketch, a materialisation of an idea.

7. Hands can tell epic stories of entire lives; in fact, every epoch and culture has its
characteristic hands; just look at the varying hands of the countless portraits through the
HAND IS THE CARRIER OF TOUCHING history of painting.

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10 Orientation 11
 LITERATURE

WHY TOUCHING ?

<The Eyes of The Skin> ---- Juhani Pallasmaa

All the senses, including vision, are extensions of the tactile sense; the senses are
specialisations of skin tissue, and all sensory experiences are modes of touching and thus
related to tactility.

The hands want to see, the eyes want to caress

----Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Eyes of The Skin / Juhani Pallasmaa

The sense of self, strengthened by art and architecture, allows us to engage fully in the
mental dimensions of dream, imagination and desire.

The ultimate meaning of any building is beyond architecture; it directs our consciousness
back to the world and towards our own sense as complete embodied and spiritual beings.

The eye is the organ of distance and separation, whereas touch is the sense of nearness,
intimacy and affection. The eye surveys, controls and investigates, whereas touch
approached and caresses.

<The World of Perception> ---- Merleau Ponty

The world of perception, or in other words the world which is revealed to us by our
senses and in everyday life.

The World of Perception / Merleau Ponty The unity of the object will remain a mystery for as long as we think of its various
qualities (its colour and taste, for example) as just so many data belonging to the entirely
distinct worlds of sight, smell, touch and so on. rather than being absolutely separate, each
of these qualities has an affective meaning which establishes a correspondence between it
and the qualities associated with other senses.

We do not start out in life immersed in our own self-consciousness (or even in that of
things) but rather from the experience of other people. I never become aware of my own
existence until I have already made contact with others; my reflection always brings me
back to myself, yet for all that it owes much to my contacts with other people.

TOUCHING IS THE WAY TO FEEL THE HEART OF ARCHITECTURE

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12 Orientation 13
 CASE STUDY

Venice Biennale 2014: Elements of Architecture/ Rem Koolhaas

Elements of Architecture looks under a microscope at the fundamentals of our buildings,
used by any architect, anywhere, anytime: the floor, the wall, the ceiling, the roof, the
door, the window, the façade, the balcony, the corridor, the fireplace, the toilet, the stair,
the escalator, the elevator, the ramp. The exhibition is a selection of the most revealing,
surprising, and unknown moments from a new book, Elements of Architecture, that
reconstructs the global history of each element. It brings together ancient, past, current,
and future versions of the elements in rooms that are each dedicated to a single element.
Architecture is a profession trained to put things together, not to take them apart.

Just as science has recently shown that all of us carry “inner” Neanderthal genes, each
architectural element carries long strands of junk DNA that dates from time immemorial.

The fact that elements change independently of each other, according to different cycles
and economies, and for different reasons, turns each building into a complex collage
of the archaic and the current, the unique and the standard, of mechanical smoothness
and bricolage. Only by looking at the elements of architecture under a microscope can
we recognize the cultural preferences, forgotten symbolism, technological advances,
mutations triggered by intensifying global exchange, climatic adaptations, political
calculations, regulatory requirements, new digital regimes, and, somewhere in the mix,
the ideas of the architect that constitute the practice of architecture today.

At the point where the 21st century is beginning to reveal some of its likely essences, the
exhibition reconstructs, in stories, fables, anecdotes, scripts, inventories, how the 15 major
elements of architecture evolved across different cultures, where and when they collided with
modernity, and how they are starting to mutate in the digital age, delivering drastically
improved levels of control to feed an obsessive need for security and comfort.

SOURCE: https://oma.eu/projects/elements-of-architecture

ELEMENTS

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14 Orientation 15
 CONTEXT OVERVIEW

ARCHITECTURE

Architecture has two characteristics, physical and mental. It is a collaboration of

PHYSICAL MENTAL Materiality, Texture, Density, Light and so on. Those features we can know from
our eyes and brains. However, it should provide a domicile for the touch of our
bodies, memories and dreams. It also should be the bridge connecting imagination
and reality.
Orientation Architectural
System Materiality Imagination Elements The eye and the hand constantly collaborate, the eye carries the hand to a great
Texture Memory distance, and the hand informs the eye at the intimate scale.
Desity Dream
Light The touch of our body A great number of elements consist of an architecture. People's minds form a
... ... building through those elements with their bodies. The eye builds its structure
and the hand touches its soul. The soul makes each architecture become unique.
Through these specialities, people can distinguish different spaces, navigating
themselves.

EYE + HAND

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16 Orientation 17
 Discourse
II
Architects use methods to make their designs come ture. Method
Texture

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18 Orientation 19
 PHYSICAL MODEL VISITING

Light test Interior space

Space test Exterior space

An idea is most plainly expressed by a physical model. Unlike abstract architectural drawings which take some If architects only design projects in the company, they can not build so many amazing buildings in the world.
skill to decipher, a physical model is direct. It is, therefore, the most clear and concise way to understand a Definitely, designers can get inspiration from books and website, but those have already been created by
project. By building a physical model, an architect can test the strengths and limitations of a space. Because someone. If you want to create a totally unique project, you need to feel the world and touch the moment you
physical models interact with the user directly, they are a dynamic means of communication by which both the are interested in. Architecture provides the shelter for people, it is the place where our lives start and end.
architect and the user can realize the scope of a project.
In the past time, I visited some public buildings in Gothenburg to get the feeling of texture and saw how
Building a physical model is an indispensable learning tool. Before a model becomes a scaled example of the architects used them. For example, the concrete can be smooth or rough or mixed.
final product, it is a progression of many iterations. It is intuitive and free forming play that takes different
materials and establishes an understanding of their capacity. It tests the elasticity of a space. Through the The natural environment left my footprint as well. I have visited some parks and forests in Gothenburg. I knew
prototyping nature of model building, the architect can work through an idea and establish the order by which the original appearance of the material that I am planning to use.
that idea can be realized. All phases of the design process benefit from the feedback of a physical model. From
the basic layout of a space to the specification of more complex details, physical models show the user how a If you want to design life, you need to experience it firstly.
space works.

A model is a comprehensive way of realizing a project because it is the most direct way that an architect can bring
the process of creating place out of material and space directly into the hands of the user.

TESTSOURCE: https://www.msbarchitects.com/why-physical-models/

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20 Orientation 21
 Discourse
II
All the senses, including vision, are extensions of the tactile Method
sense; the senses are specialisations of skin tissue, and all sensory Texture
experiences are modes of touching and thus related to tactility.

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22 Orientation 23
 RELATION

PEOPLE ? TEXTURE

Built Environment
EMOTION

PROPERTY MATERIAL CONTEXT

Colour History

Geometry
Physical RE

F
TU
NA

R
Texture Surrounding

E
E
R
Sensorial Situation

D
E L
E M
O M

A X
TACTILITY

C O M
A T I O
Direction

O
Softness Warmth
EXPERIENCE PEOPLE

F O R T A B I
Density
PEOPLE

T
Perception Touch

N
Hardness Nature

I
Association Hear
Combination

O N

L
Emotion View

I
S M O
T Y
O T
M
AN
-M

H
AD
E

N
E S
FREEDOM

S
RELAXATION
PEOPLE COMFORTABILITY
SMOOTHNESS

Texture is one of the physical properties of material and personal emotion

is one of the sensorial features of material. Those two characteristics
are the most important parts of material. Material is a direct way that
architects explain their concepts. It is the reason why I want to find out
the relationship between texture and emotion.

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24 Orientation 25
 FEELING TEXTURE

Gothenburg City Library Gothenburg City Library

Sag Leather Rough Brick

The handrail in Gothenburg City Library is covered The surface of the brick is touched like the concrete.
by leather. The leather is wrapped around the pipe to You might hurt your hand if you touch hard. This
form a continuous texture. When I held the armrest, I surface is not smooth and always used as exterior wall
felt the warmth and the softness of leather. Moreover, material, but the designer used it as the interior wall
the gap between leather give me the feeling of ingeniously.
distance.

Protruding Leather Painted Wood

The door handle is also covered by leather, but it has Actully, the painted wood did not look like wood
protruding texture on the surface. It is easier for users from a distance. However, when I touched I could
to hold. Compared to the sag one, this has a stronger feel the wood texture and temperature. This method
feeling. It means that we could feel the difference release color restrictions.
clearly when we touch.

Leather Circular End Painted wood + Raw Wood

The end of the handle is also covered by leather, The painted wood put together with raw wood attract
but it has a circular shape to avoid hurting our skins. people's attention. In this situation, it showed that
Actually, this material is very suitable for senior it was the last step or the first step of the staircase.
people. The elderly are more vulnerable than young Attention!
people.

Wood Marble

When I saw the curve of wood, I though its surface The pattern of marble is very beautiful and unique. It
should be rough. However, it was smooth and Istill is a nice artistic painting for the eye. Touch feeling is
could feel the curve. The feeling was very slight, but smooth and cold.
it was very easy to see the texture line.

After visiting, I found that handrail was the most touchable architectural elements in the buildings. We touch
it when we are in the staircase; we touch it when we are the edge of the floor; we touch it when we need
something to hold ourselves.

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26 Orientation 27
 Museum of World Culture / Gothenburg Museum of World Culture / Gothenburg

Plastic Painted Concrete

This wall is more fragile than other walls. The Raw concrete and painted concrete give people
touching feeling of plastic is very obvious and the different feelings, even if you put them together, the
shape of people is pretty unique. painted one could be looked like metal. The touch
feelings are also different, but the difference is very
small, just the painted one is smoother.

Metal Rough concrete + Gap

The main difference between metal and wood is the It is very interesting to have the gap on the surface of
temperature. Even if it was cold, the temperature the same material. To some extent, the gap can show
difference between wood and body is not too big, but the direction of the way. Seeing or touching, you can
it became bigger when you touch the metal. It will be know the right way and where you go.
nice during summer time.

Concrete + Wood Rough + Smooth concrete

It mixed wood and concrete. When I look at it from The gap between two different texture surfaces could
a distance, it is like concrete. When I touch it, it feels tell people that you are changing the way and be
like wood. I am not sure if the main body is concrete careful. My hand and eyes give me a signal before I
and the surface is wood or the main body is wood and take next step.
surface is concrete.

Light wood Concrete

This wooden handrail has a different texture line as Rough concrete. When the surface is under sun, the
the others. Those lines are almost straight, they give touch feeling is so warm. However, the part on the
you a feeling of continuation. Smoother than others. shadow is very cold. Just like the sense we feel of cold
and warm color.

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 National museum / Stockholm

Oxidized Brass SUMMARY

The shimmering weave of oxidized brass is the
material for the facade of the elevator . The touching
feeling is cold, smooth and hard. CATEGORY CHARACTERISTIC

Leather Soft, warm, smooth, attracting people's attention

perfect for winter, unique, friendly

Linear Concrete Wood Warm, natural, environment-friendly, color-friendly

home-like feeling
The roughness of the concrete surface. The touching
feeling of protruding straight line is very obvious.
Your hand could follow the trend of line. Concrete Rough or smooth, hard, cold, easy to mold
could be painted with various colors

Metal Cold, smooth, hard, light

perfect for summer
Brick + Ceramic tile

The contrast between brick and ceramic tile is the Plastic Unique, warm, smooth, colorful
connection between the past time and the modern Combine with other materials
time. The corridor shows the sense of ancient time
and the vitality of modern life.
Marble Cold, smooth, hard, heavy
various color patterns

Marble Brick Heavy, sense of history, square, rough

keeping memory
This photo is a part of a marble lion and it is the
texture of hair. When I touched it without seeing,
I could feel the trend of texture's direction. It gave Ceramic tile Smooth, reflective, cold, hard
me the inspiration to have nicks on the surface to various shapes and patterns
highlight the tactile appeal.

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30 Orientation 31
 ITALY STUDY TRIP

The study trip to explore ancient and modern materils. The poet from old time to the future.

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32 Orientation 33
 TEXTURE

Taking wood as an example, from nature to Nature

man-made, it has so many different texture TEXTURE MAP WALKING
appearances.

Bark

Man-made

Wood

SMALL PIECE FROM WOOD

When you walk in my project, it is like a texture journey and you can touch the surface to know
the direction, navigating yourselves.
When I went deeply into the material, I found that even if the large trees were sliced
into small piece, it could still be a useful material. Numerous small pieces can build up
to be a big enough piece.

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34 Orientation 35
 Touching
Light
III Interaction

RESEARCH Transition
Sequence
Situation

To touch the soul of architecture.

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36 Orientation 37
 EXPERIMENT

Me: I made six different texture models, can you touch it and tell me your feelings? Which one do you
like best? Dose it can tell the way when you touch? What improvement can I do?

1: They all look interesting. The sawdust one attracts me a lot. (touching) It is soft, I
like it very much, but I did not get any information about direction. The bubble one
is so cute~~ Seeing those diagonal line, I can clearly know the way. When I touch it, I
think the protruding one navigate me obviously. However, it gave me a sharp feeling, the
straight one is more gentel.

2: The touching feelings are so different! But I like the diagonal cutting one, it is more
smooth, compared with the protruding one. The straight cutting one is not so obvious.

3: I prefer the bright color wood, it give me a pure feeling. In Sweden, it is very dark
during Winter, if the color of material is bright, people will feel better. I like the way you
combine bright material with dark material. The bright color one is the main part, the
dark one give me information. For me, the protruding and different color one is the best
way to guide not matter when I touch or see.

4: How did you do this one? It is so soft, I like it very much. It is very interesting actually.
However, it cannot tell anything about direction. I think if you cut some part of the
surface, it might give some related information. People always are not aware of the
importance of the wayfinding of buildings. Your master thesis could provide creative
ideas of orientation system.

5. Touching them like a game! The diagonal line is square, the feeling is not so nice if I
move quickly. However, this one is still the most obvious way not only from eyes, but also
from hand.

6. For me, the touching feeling of people is different. I think the protruding one with
different material is the most obvious one, but I prefer the more creative way. The bubble
one could be developed into a deeper level. It has the possibility to navigate people.
.....

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38 Orientation 39
 TEXTURE FEELING

After interviews, I tried to figure out the level of feeling direction and attraction through
their words.

Direction

0 10

0 10

Attraction

I did not find the best result in the end, but I provided the possibilities as many as I can for
the users to choose.

Attraction

Visible
Touchable

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40 Orientation 41
 DIRECTION WAY

Direction Density Hardness

Changing the distance between the lines could make people know not
only the direction but also where they are. In addition, the density and
hardness could tell us the orientation as well.

I divide the surface into two different parts, touchable and only visible.
DISTANCE
The touchable area is the part of the wall we can reach by our body.

Wide Narrow

DISTRIBUTION

Straight Curve

Visible

Touchable

Slash Polyline

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42 Orientation 43
 Touching
Light
III Interaction
Light interaction and material choice put together can create
Transition
an extraordinary experience of sight and touch at once.
Sequence
Situation

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44 Orientation 45
 MODEL

Indoor Wall

Square window Long narrow window Narrow long window Rectangle window
not obvious shadow small shadow gap big shadow gap small shadow gap

Facade

Triangle window Mixed windows Mixed windows Roof mixed window

angled shadow mixed shadows no enough light on surface enough light on surface

Making facade pieces to test light.

No enough light casts on the surface, it makes the shadow not so obvious.

Moreover, I found that the same light holes cannot give people information of direction, but if the shape of holes changes from
the beginning to the end, it can guide people the way. However, for architects, it is not a clever method to design the orientation
system so simply and rudely. For buildings, it might make them look crazy.

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46 Orientation 47
 PROTOTYPE MODEL

CORRIDOR CHANGEABLE

Example

3m
8m The size of facade, interior wall and roof are the same. It means I can change the roof to facade or
3m the interior wall to the roof in one model, so I make a rotated model and tested it. Those model
photos were the result that I got. Making pieces to change different walls and see possibilities. I can
test several conditions by one model, saving my time.

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48 Orientation 49
 MODEL PHOTO

No light hole Changing Changing Circle Curve Long narrow

Long narrow Changing Changing Circle Curve Changing

The hole shape

The changeable amount of
light inside the space can
give people information In conclusion, it is not the best
about direction as well. I way to orientate people by the
tried to control the light changing of light but it is helpful.
inside and change the For example, one direction
t r e n d . Wh e n t h e h o l e is dark and another is light,
becomes narrower, the definitely, the person can know
light did not change a lot where he wants to go.
on the wall. It does not
navigate people obviously.

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50 Orientation 51
 Touching
Light
III Interaction
The building is still, the person is active.
Transition
Sequence
Situation

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52 Orientation 53
 LIGHT DANCES

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 by Mark Webb

Interaction is the method to combine light and action
together. I got inspiration from a Japanese exhibition
photo and a movie " the amazing spider-man2 ". From
the picture, we can see that when the person touches
the wall, the light and shadow move and dance on her
hand. It means that action can affect light movement and
interaction can influence light as well.

Let light dances on the wall!

When the Spiderman fought with Electro at the power station in the movie,
the power generation columns light up with the melody. The light dances
like a song, attracting me a lot. I felt excited as the light had its own life, its
Source: http://torafu.com/works/min
movement was a super beautiful drawing in front of my eyes.

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54 Orientation 55
 MODEL PHOTO

It is a test model that I found when I moved the model, the light and shadow jumped and danced. It was just
like a game when I was a child, I was fond of touching the fence and running.

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56 Orientation 57
 MODEL PHOTO

Vertical Horizontal

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58 Orientation 59
 MODEL PHOTO

I chose the wooden stick as the material used for people to touch, because the surface of round sticks is smooth and
does not have hard corners, so it will not hurt people. You can press and pull those sticks like a game. The aim of this
design is to attract us to touch the surface to orientate ourselves, not only for the view.

Architecture has common things with art, they are about beauty and truth, about the happy moment. The navigation
system is functional-oriented in tradition. We always use it because it is useful, not interesting. In most projects, the
Straight navigation system could be solved by signs. However, architectural elements are the essence of spatial orientation.

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 Touching
Light
III Interaction
Architecture consists of situations and transitions.
Transition
Sequence
Situation

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62 Orientation 63
 TRANSITION

Light and interaction could be the transition part of one project. It is the stops between The combination between different corridors
different kinds of space.I choose the corridor as the research target. In the long gallery, you
can see a window, a door, a handrail or a man. And you can also touch the wall, see through
the window, enter a room, exit the gallery and talk with a man as well. I mixed all the
situations in a long gallery. There will be a lot of stops in the corridor. Using the light and There are three main ways to combine corridors: straightly, rotating in the same direction and in the
action to be the transitions of different situations and be the rhythm of orientation system. different direction.

The transitions between different situations are the keywords to form my orientation
system. People walk in the long corridor, when they feel the transition, they will know
something happens ahead.

Interaction
Straight
Out Situation
Corridor
Gallery
Sequence

Same rotating direction

In between
In
STOP

STOP

Different rotating direction

A door
Interior wall or not Exterior wall Volume interaction

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64 Orientation 65
 TRANSITION

TRANSITION METHOD EXAMPLE

Circle

Light holes
Light
Light line

Line

Polyline

Touch Interaction

As I said before, light and touch are the orientation system for me, meanwhile, they are transition methods for
the corridor. When the situation changes, you will at least receive one kinds of transition information. Light or
touch or light and touch.

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66 Orientation 67
 1:1 MODEL

Diagonal
Diagonal

Glass 6mm Wooden Stick

Jute string

Jute string
16mm Handrail

Straight Straight

Wooden wall

The touching theories could be applied in all the buildings by simplifying the
structure and material of the touching part. It will make more conducive to the
The texture lines of the handrail part have two types, diagonal and
promotion of my theories. In this case, I chose the jute string. You can also use yarn,
straight one. Which type will be applied to the project? It depends on
woollen or other common materials. The structure is also very easy to build.
people's preference.

Spatial
68 Orientation 69
 MODEL PHOTO

Spatial
70 Orientation 71
 MEASUREMENT

WHY THIS SIZE ？

16MM
I have been thought of the size of the handrail for a long time. From the case study, I As I said, I put three together, aiming at holding people. However, it seems not suitable
knew that round sticks are always used by people. How could I make a difference? When for everyone as the size of hands is different. My hand is small compared with my
I looked for the material in the workshop, I found the 16mm round sticks. This diameter friends. When I feel the size is suitable, they will feel not enough. Surprisingly, it creates
might be the minimum size for people to grip. It is not big enough for the handrail, but if something interesting. The size is enough for me to hold, while other people have a
I combine two or three or four of them, it could be a handrail as I imagine. feeling of touching more than holding.

Three 8MM
This size for children and small adult is handrail, for the big hand adult is a touchable As what my model shows, when you touch it, you will know the size of sticks is nice to be
guide line. The contact area of round sticks is larger for big hand adult, so the touch pressed and pushed. It is just a feeling from your heart directly.
feeling is more obvious.

Two 6MM
This size for children and small adult is a touchable guide line, for the big hand adult is I tested different diameter of round sticks to find which is the best size for people to move
only a touchable surface. It is not a reasonable size for the handrail. horizontally. The 6mm one is the best size for me. I can move it quickly and easily.

Spatial
72 Orientation 73
 Touching
Light
III Interaction
The sequence of architecture is space, event and movement.
Transition
Sequence
Situation

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74 Orientation 75
 PLAN

Corridor 1

A part of the room is in

the corridor

The room and windows

are on the same side

15°

Corridor 2

Wall and windows are

on the opposite side
compared with other
corridors

30°

15°
30°

Corridor 3

A door is on the wall

The room and windows

are on the different side

Light
SCALE 1:100 SCALE 1:200 Touch

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76 Orientation 77
 SEQUENCE

End End

1 2 10 3 9 8

Straight Start
Start
Flow 1 Flow 4

End End

11

12
5 10 3

Same rotating direction

Start Start
Flow 2 Flow 5

End
End

7 10 3
14

13
Mixed

Start
Start
Flow 3 Flow 6

The flows of orientation system are continued, seen from the direction of the arrow.

Spatial
78 Orientation 79
 SEQUENCE

3 3

2 5

1 4

Spatial
80 Orientation 81
 3 10

7 9

6 8

Spatial
82 Orientation 83
 10 10

12 14

11 13

Spatial
84 Orientation 85
 III

Touching
Light
Interaction
Transition
Sequence
Situation

Situation is our activities.

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86 Orientation 87
 PROTOTYPE

Light and touch could participate in people's activities. It is another branch of research of spatial orientation
and is parallel to the transition and sequence parts. SPACE PROTOTYPE FEATURE

Long
Narrow
Th o s e f o u r s p a c e c o u l d b e
MIDDLE High
organized by different ways. When
HIGH Window
we receive the related information
before we move, we could orientate
ourselves correctly.

Big
SMALL Window
COMMON

PLAN
Visible area

Narrow
Long
LARGE
Window
OPEN

SECTION
Common
Visible area LONG Window
TRANSITION

Those four prototype models have their own basic form and then they can be changed into other shapes. For example,
the cube can be cut into a polygon.

Spatial
88 Orientation 89
 ROOMS

The inner surface of corridor is

divided into four parts: touchable
Wooden stick
area, handrail, touchable area
and only visible area. The lower SOUND
touchable area is designed for ACTION

3m
children and the higher is for
adult. The handrail hides in HANDRAIL
the wall in case people need Plastic pipe + Small things
SOUND
something to support themselves. ACTION

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90 Orientation 91
 INTERACTION

SURFACE

When you are moving from one side to another side, you will see the window firstly and then see the
interior wall and the texture on the surface.

When you move yourself from one side to another side in a room, you will find the space, the light, the view changed.
Through this movement, you can get different information to navigate yourself.

Spatial
92 Orientation 93
 INTERACTION

SURFACE

When you moved from one side to another side, you only see the interior wall and the texture on the
surface, but you will view a door and know something happen behind the door.

Adding more surface to split space. The situations happened in different rooms will be changed as each
room will have its own topic, like vertical surface room or horizontal room.

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94 Orientation 95
 SECTIONS

Perpendicular Angled

0 1m 3m 7m 0 1m 3m 7m

Those four space are connected with each other. When you walk from different direction, you can see Rotated room makes the suitation happened in the room change, the thing you view is different . The
different things and enjoy different atmosphere. light and the touching change a little bit.

Spatial
96 Orientation 97
 1. Pallasmaa, Juhani(2005). The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses.
Academy Press

2. Pallasmaa, Juhani(2009). The Thinking Hand: Existential and Embodied

Wisdom in Architecture. John Wiley & Sons

3. Merleau-Ponty, Maurice(2008). The World of Perception. Routledge.

IV 4. Zumthor, Peter(2006). Atmospheres. Birkhäuser Architecture.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 5. Arnkil, H, Pyykkö, S. Color–light–space: An interdisciplinary course for

graduate and postgraduate students. Color Res Appl. 2018; 43: 857– 864.
https://doi.org/10.1002/col.22284

6. Michael Asgaard Andersen (2012). In Conversation: Peter Zumthor and

Juhani Pallasmaa. Architectural Design: Volume 82, Issue 6. https://doi.
org/10.1002/ad.1487

7.Holl, Steven(2012).Color, Light, Time. Lars Müller

Spatial
98 Orientation 99
" What I did is to show people the possibilities
to combine research of spatial orientation with
their projects. Hope others will be inspired by
Special thanks to Peter Christensson, Morten Lund, 熊少海 and 余慧敏

my article.
"
 Spatial Orientation
Touching the architectural elements by hand
Qing Yu