Connubial Reciprocities of Surface and Space

"With out the surface, there is no space"

[Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani]

Blurring the line between surface and space has become evident in contemporary architecture. When designing we are not looking at the exterior as a separate entity from the spaces created inside. The skin helps define the geometries that compose the building. In their article, Versioning: Connubial Reciprocities of Surface and Space, Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani mention the Yokohama Port Terminal as “the only significant building to attempt to absorb programmatic and structural mandates into the envelope.” Incorporating the structure, spaces and skin together, allowed Foreign Office Architects to create a complex and sophisticated building. I think interdisciplinary design can help us achieve the level of complexity in which the exterior and interior of a building merge.