Scale II: on the House

Between Mass and Space
From space-cell to gallery and hall-space

I Between Mass and Space

Mutual Nearness

wall thickness : space of cell = 1:7

The space-cell, as the embodiment of the workspace, is the first intimate area in which the relationship between wall and space is defined. According to the idea of mutual nearness, the relationship between wall and cell is defined as 1:7.
It is important that the cell has openings, so that the thickness of the wall is revealed. As such, a column in one corner is sufficient to demarcate the spatial boundary.
The spatial cell equally can be seen as a convent cell, a space for one person. In order to place a bed with a bedside table or a desk with chair and wardrobe, 3 to 4.5 m is a functional measure.

Read more about ‘Scale 2 — The monastic cell’

Practice An Abbey in Belgium Design Analysis Scale 2 — The monastic cell

II From space-cell to gallery and hall-space

Space-cell

A gallery, as an ‘extended’ space-cell, still expresses the 1:7 relationship with the wall through its width.

III

In order to create bigger spaces that still relate to this human scale, Dom van der Laan applies a superposition with a gallery. The gallery and the larger ‘hall-space’ fuse into each other and relate through their superposition. Hereby the gallery is the basic unit of size for the hall.

Drawings: AS XII.2-10