Dwellscape: The Contemporary Dwelling Interior as a Domestic Landscape

Publications: Book / Anthology / Thesis / ReportPh.D. thesis

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Abstract

This Ph.D. dissertation engages in an architectural discourse on the spatial organisation of the contemporary dwelling interior, which plays a central role in our lives by supporting and shaping our human relationships, behaviour and daily routines. Despite the importance of this built environment, current
architectural praxis continues to be informed by functionalist principles that are propagated by building standards, planning codes and entrenched design methods involved in the production of housing leading to a ‘crisis’ in domestic architecture.

As a point of departure for this project the following question has been posited, In the midst of the current ‘crisis’ in domestic architecture brought about by a positivistic approach to the application of functionalist spatial planning principles, which results in deterministic forms of inhabitation through the abstraction of the lived reality of the built environment into definite ‘functions’, ‘users’ and Cartesian ‘space’, how might the architect reconceptualise the spatial organisation of the contemporary dwelling interior?

A ‘research by design’ method provides a systematic framework for this enquiry. A simultaneous ‘two-fold movement’ occurs between retrospective analysis of case study projects and formative theory including traditional Japanese spatial praxis, the picturesque movement and ‘post-functionalist’ architectural ideas, which are then synthesised together through the development of three prospective design enquiries. These enquiries result in the production of ‘epistemic artefacts’ that take the form of physical
models. Qualitative analysis of these proposals enables the extraction of embodied knowledge, which in turn influences the retrospective research concurrently. Knowledge produced over the course of the research enquiries are disseminated through the written monograph and its accompanying ‘epistemic artefacts’.

Through a reconceptualisation of the contemporary dwelling interior as a ‘domestic landscape’ the notion of ‘Dwellscape’ is proposed as a productive spatial organisation strategy. A ‘Dwellscape’ is defined as a continuous ‘domestic landscape’ composed of a relational field-configuration of distinct architectural elements, which define ‘places’ that accommodate specific activities, as well as, delineating ambiguous interstitial ‘places’ that can support inhabitant appropriation in a multitude of ways. Three important
constituent aspects of ‘Dwellscape’ emerge from the research, which includes an approach to spatial organisation based upon a ‘relational fieldconfiguration’, the value of ‘threshold’ places and finally, a focus on providing opportunities for inhabitant ‘appropriation’.

It is the position of this dissertation that the ‘Dwellscape’ concept can be utilised as a formative approach to the spatial organisation of the domestic interior, which productively challenges functionalist planning strategies that continue to inform contemporary architectural praxis. Over the course of
this project, the research by design enquiries show practical manifestations of the ‘Dwellscape’ concept. Through emphasis on the use of physical models, ‘pictorial planning’ has emerged as a productive counter-point to the dominance of a planimetric approach to spatial organisation. It is intended
that the findings of this research project make a valuable contribution to a critical discourse on the spatial organisation of the contemporary dwelling interior.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherThe Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation
Number of pages326
Publication statusPublished - 2019

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