VISUAL INFLUENCES ON LIMITATIONS OF SPACE: SPATIAL DEPTH PERCEPTION VERSUS SPATIAL DEFINITION

by FULMER, HILARY RENEE

The distinction between the way space is perceived and the way it is defined is a significant determinant of the architectural experience. This thesis analyzes various techniques for the manipulation of spatial depth that have been historically based to create a rich architectural experience. Illustrated through the design of a train station on the Metro North Railroad, the architectural experience of spatial depth can be extended or compressed through the manipulation of three relationships between the viewer and the object of focus: the relationships are a stationary spectator viewing a stationary surface, a stationary spectator viewing a fluctuating surface, and a mobile spectator moving through stationary space. Representation in reflective surfaces, visual fluctuation, and movement through space achieve an ambiguity that alters the experience of spatial depth. In the station, ultimately, space is not limited by how it is perceived or defined, but fluctuates in an ambiguous relationship between them.