Domestic interior architecture : an analysis of structure, vistas and natural light

Abstract

That beauty within domestic interiors is given scant consideration architecturally is immediately observable in most local cases. It was therefore felt necessary first to investigate the principles underlying visually pleasant domestic interiors and then to identify and analyse present local trends. It is my belief that structure, vistas and natural lighting are visually interdependent, and cannot be isolated from one another. Therefore this dissertation starts by considering these three elements theoretically, treating each in a separate chapter. Then follows an analysis of some local domestic case studies. The use of structure as a spatial demarcation is generally well-handled, due to our well-established tradition of loadbearing construction. The use of the Frame is virtually absent in our islands. The only known cases reminiscent of Le Corbusier’s Dom-Ino system were inaccessible, and hence their analysis was impossible. The application of the Free Plan is commonplace, apparently, and so are other Modern principles, like transparency, and advancing and receding planes. However, planes suspended in space are virtually absent, and the principle of planes meeting each other at various angles is not fully utilized to generate stimulating domesting interior spaces. Use of curved planes is absent, most probably stemming from the preoccupation to place furniture against the surfaces. The most surprising observation of all is that interior natural lighting is rarely utilized to its full potential, even though Malta is a country abounding in sunlight. There is, however, a general awareness of interior vistas, especially by ‘penetrating’ vertical planes to expand the visual depth. In some cases, there even some qualities of serial vision within the interior. The analysis of the cases undertaken show ample sensitivity to the use of structure and vistas within the interior. This same sensitivity is not as evident when considering the interplay of structure and vistas with natural lighting.