17/10/2016 - Written by Ben van Berkel
In UNStudio’s recently published monograph Knowledge Matters we highlight 11 ‘Knowledge Tools’ which reframe the demands now placed upon the profession as the latent potentials of performative architecture.
The Managed Void
Today’s highlighted Knowledge Tool: The Managed Void
In a design culture that often prioritises an additive strategy and an emphasis on a building’s silhouette, the managed void presents a compelling alternative. It is a partial disruption and subtraction to the endless stacking of floor plates, suggesting a space for alternate forms of social interaction and higher levels of intelligibility.
The methods by which an architect manages the void’s potential can produce many different performative effects. On one hand, the void can serve a didactic function, rendering the organisation of the building more transparent. Alternatively, it can produce both spectacular and inscrutable spatial and material effects.