Redefining Architecture: Excessively Interior Design Project

Excessively Interior: Redefining Architecture through Layering and Manipulation of Space

Architectural design has long been dominated by the concept of the envelope, where the exterior shell of a building defines its form and function. However, a new design approach is challenging this traditional notion by prioritizing the creation of interior space through layering, carving, and hyper-articulation. The Aldo Van Eyck pavilion serves as a prime example, demonstrating how interior space can be distinguished without the presence of a physical envelope.

By favoring the interior over the envelope, architects have the opportunity to explore new realms of design and disrupt established conventions. Alejandro Zaera-Polo's "Politics of the Envelope" advocates for using the envelope as a design tool, while this thesis proposes a shift towards prioritizing interior space to unlock new possibilities for organizing and experiencing architecture.

To investigate this inverted design approach, the thesis adopts the tower typology as a starting point. Three distinct towers are created, each employing different techniques to achieve a layered interior condition. Boston's government center is chosen as the site for this exploration, as it also relies on a similar strategy.

Layering, carving, and hyper-articulation are the key techniques employed in this design approach. Each tower begins as a mass with three layered skins, each articulated differently – clean, corrupted, and paneled. Through a process of layering and carving, the interaction between these skins generates opportunities for spatial manifestation. By carving the skins, the innermost parts of the towers, such as the cores, are revealed to the exterior, dissolving the notion of an envelope. Various techniques, including de-lamination, inflation, and bulging, establish different hierarchies of spatial arrangements.

This process of carving serves as the foundation for a new mode of representation and design, utilizing animated carving to visualize, modify, and create complex spaces in ways that traditional plans and sections cannot achieve. In addition to reimagining the relationship between interior and exterior, working without an envelope allows for a new coherence between architectural elements. Columns can seamlessly transform into volumes, central cores can be carved or bulged, and floor plates can be staggered to differentiate program vertically and horizontally while maintaining spatial hierarchy.

Moreover, the inversion of the lobby typology adds another layer of innovation. In these towers, one does not enter the structure until they step into the elevator, echoing the unconventional approach seen in Boston's government center. The use of stilts elevates the upper floors, enabling movement beneath the building without ever entering it. On the ground floor, a forest of columns rises upward, transitioning into volumes that create elevated interior spaces.

Glass also plays a significant role in each tower, albeit in different ways. While one tower remains completely open to its environment, another utilizes glass as an inlay to separate different spaces while maintaining openness within the mass. The final tower employs glass as a shrink wrap around the exterior, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside.

Excessively Interior seeks to push the boundaries of architecture by utilizing non-conventional tools such as animated carving to produce new, hyper-articulated forms. By challenging the traditional reliance on the envelope and prioritizing the creation of interior space, this project offers a fresh perspective on architectural design. It invites architects to explore new possibilities, disrupt existing design approaches, and redefine the relationship between space, form, and function.

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