Interior | Skin | Context

In architecture and design, the design process typically starts with defining the ‘Shell/Architecture ’ of the building as a first step. The factors affecting the ‘Shell/Architecture’ are, by and large, external in nature such as: climate, privacy and so on. The idea of ‘shelter’ dominates the process of design and plays crucial role in generating form of the building. The interior elements are generated as next step in the process in a manner that justifies the requirements ‘imposed’ by the ‘shell’. In this process, the ‘Shell/Architecture’ becomes a dominating force in determining interior layout and interior elements. The intent of this unit was to find a synthesis in the design process such that the ‘boundary’ between ‘architecture’ and ‘Interior Architecture’ gets dissolved, to pave the way for a built form that is primarily a resultant of ‘Interior Architecture’. In order to achieve this, studio focused on a process that seeks to ‘reverse’ the above-mentioned traditional design process. In this studio-unit, students were encouraged to evolve interior elements and systems as first step in design process. The ‘skin’/architecture of the project was generated as the next step by synthesizing conflicting requirements generated by the ‘interior’ and ‘exterior’ forces.