Mixing the Atmospheres

The interior and exterior of a building belong to two different worlds. The envelope is part of a physically wider context, reaching out to users, passersby and across digital platforms. It is one surface of many facing a street or other outdoor area, aligning or competing for attention, blending in or standing out. It’s engagement is primarily visual, and the atmosphere created around the exterior of a building is one that is shared and created in conjunction with many external forces: other buildings, conversations, landscape, light, etc.

While the exterior has many surface encounters, its interior has maybe just as many total interactions with its inhabitants. Inside the shell, a higher level of intimacy is found, as it has the potential to engage more senses without a world of distractions to detract from the intended atmosphere. In a way, more control can be found within the interior.

The most interesting connection between the two for me comes from the perspective of the user, who sees the building first in the same light as a passerby, experiences the interior, and then sees the exterior again as someone who has been inside. How does the knowledge of the innerworkings of a building influence its external perception? What expectation does the envelope set up for the interior, and how and to what extent are those expectations met? 

I think ideally, the relationship between the envelope and interior spaces should come from the amount of desired connection between these two worlds. When a user opens a door and the atmosphere of the exterior gives way to that of the interior, what does that transition feel like, and is it even considered? How does one feeling carry over into the perception of the other? While the two faces certainly can exist in separate atmospheres, the inevitable mixing of the two can yield very interesting results.