Abstract
The following is a theoretical reflection about the re-development of existing spaces. First, various changes in the way we live worldwide are considered, especially in industrialised countries. Then a process that spans from research to design is proposed to identify those actions required to reach an innovative response to the problem at hand. The second part of chapter illustrates a series of possible design strategies collected from the interior design work of past masters and contemporary designers. The goal is to offer a possible reading of certain important examples, providing an inventory, by definition an incomplete one, of design approaches, ways of thinking, and practices. Sometimes there is a common thread, sometimes not.
TopFrom Theme To Design Concept
In principle, there is always a theme that exists even before the site. A theme refers to one of the infinite interior design issues so frequently found when working on residential, work-related, cultural, free-time, and micro-urban spaces, as well as on more rarefied spaces. Each theme presents its own uniqueness and complexity. In each case, the theme is not limited to a single function or functions. It always has a broader quality that has to be cultivated and interpreted. Designing a home, for example, does not just mean organising the rooms for each activity (eating, sleeping, meeting, socialising, bathing, etc.). It also means providing a response to a remote and deeply rooted need (and one that changes over time) related to the fundamental rituals and practices of human life. So, when addressing a theme, the first step has to be trying to understand its deeper meaning and then translate it into an initial idea that has a programmatic value. It is important to understand the underlying nature of an issue and attempt a preliminary speculation prior to forming a physical response.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Metaphor: Rhetorical figure founded on the analogical relationship, where a term is used to express a different concept from the one it originally has. Within the project it indicates the use of concepts whose meaning goes beyond the one purely functional, to assign to space a narrative and symbolic role.
Research: The research meant as a premise to a designing thought uses all disciplinary contributions, close to design culture. It uses the “study case” method and has a cyclical trend, meaning that it continues for the entire duration of the project, through consequential phases of theme's improvement.
Master Plan: Graphical representation of the organization of the functions of a spatial organism, through which the choices made during the layout definition phase are verified.
Character: The character of a space represents the set of physical, sensorial, and symbolic qualities that distinguish a place from another, in the same way that, in music, the timbre is the quality that allows us to recognize the sound of an instrument from another.
Layout: Graphical representation of the design idea that overlooks the physical nature of the designated space, because it aims to conceptually define hierarchies, roles, and relationships between the elements of the project.
Project Theme: It is the preliminary matter that every space project has to take into consideration. It defines the field where the project is set in and finds his modernity reasons in comparing himself with previous interpretations of the theme over the years.