Ann Petermans

Research in Interior Architecture: Interdisciplinary Viewpoints and Research Approaches

Until relatively recently, reflecting on interior environments was not regarded as a subject in its own right, but rather as an adjunct to architecture or an extension of decoration. During the last decades however, activities relating to interior architecture have become more visible, and have also become relevant topics for academic research. As the practice of designing interiors requires input from diverse areas of interest, ranging from humanities, social sciences to applied sciences, research in interior architecture and the construction of its body of theory should reflect this interdisciplinary character. However, the epistemological foundations of these various components tend to differ quite strongly and so do various research approaches within the discipline itself. As a consequence hereof, in this chapter we first discuss the ‘identity’ of the discipline of interior architecture whereby an explicit focus on exploring the human perspective is proposed. Phenomenology is discussed as a very valuable approach to the analysis and understanding of interior environments.

Bit by byt towards a contemporary conjoint interior: from Dom Narkomfin to a new social condenser

Abstract Conjoint interiors, the semi-public interior spaces located in, for example, large-scale dwelling projects, host different functions for a variety of users. Designers of conjoint interiors today face the major challenge of accommodating the increasingly varied design briefs of this variety of users. In these environments, people today tend to emphasize intangible qualities, the “feel” of the environment, much more than tangible ones, that is, the “look” of the environment. Consequently, instead of working with a purely spatial design brief, designers are now required to work with more emotional briefs, taking into account not only the objective and physical characteristics, but also more subjective requirements. Although it is clear that designers of these conjoint interiors will need to work within a more human-centered framework, the question remains of how this process can become more focused towards creating intangible qualities and specific spatial affordances. To address this question, our contribution investigates the intangible qualities and the design approach of two cases: Dom Narkomfin, the so-called “social condenser” (designed by Ginzburg in 1928), and Layer Cake, the outcome of a 2015 design exercise of a residence for older persons that approaches the conjoint interior from a renewed social perspective. These cases will be analyzed via two lenses: (1) a societal perspective, researching context and target group, and (2) a more anthropological perspective, focusing on experiences and intangible design qualities. The results will be used to propose architectural-theoretical principles that attempt to reinvigorate the “social condenser” concept as a way to address new design briefs in conjoint interiors today.