Design Techniques for Ambiguity in Historical and Contemporary Interiors

In the process of perceiving, man identifies distinct features of space with the help of different senses such as sight, touch and smell. In the next step, by merging and integrating these different sensory methods with imagination and previous experience, reaching a distinct perception of the space would be possible. In architectural space, all elements and components, colors, forms and shapes, size, scale and proportion, as well as various combinations of these, would affect perception. They address all senses of the observer, and produce different meanings and feelings, such as the more complex feelings of anxiety and fear, drama or security, duality or happiness through space. It can be said that, the intention and purpose of all architectural works is to support and stimulate human feelings and sometimes to take man out of ordinary life. While architectural design may necessarily have a degree of ambiguity, the explicit creation of ambiguous space with the aim of provoking human feelings and generating an instant affective experience of anxiety or the pleasure of discovery, can also be identified in some outstanding design approaches throughout history. It can be construed that, the more unusual or ambiguous features a design offers, the more engaging the space becomes, rendering the perceptual process active. This qualitative study aims to shed light on certain unconventional design approaches and techniques that would intentionally create diversity in space perception, such as duality, ambiguity and complexity. It seeks to explore how such effects are created in space, and in what ways they affect the readings of the identity of the space and on the generation of feelings and meanings. The study proceeds through literature survey on related concepts and issues, as well as through analysis of relevant examples. It aims to accumulate a concise range of criteria, tools and techniques that can be derived from theoretical sources as well as from historical and contemporary case studies. Keywords: Design Approaches and Techniques, Spatial Ambiguity, Complexity, Space Perception, Experience, Design Elements, Interior Space