Edge Conditions

An edge signifies the boundary between different spatial conditions, taking forms that range from the sharply salient to the subtly imperceptible—physical, legal, or social. This broad spectrum manifests in an equally diverse architectural vocabulary of walls, facades, and thresholds that modulate liminality through variations in height, opacity, and material. Such spatial inflections are also deeply imbricated with cultural significance, mediating social hierarchies and acting as cultural sorters, much like the multi-layered cellular composition of a monastery. The edge is a dynamic field of action in which, time and space join forces, signalling the simultaneous opening and enclosure of a particular place/space/area. In crossing a threshold, an individual begins to interpret the world on the other side—opening a dialectical relationship with a realm different from their own. In this sense, edges are intrinsically porous, embodying narratives of entry that can feel transgressive, welcoming, or even oneiric. This studio asked its participants to conduct a critical architectural examination of the edge as a permeable threshold where time and space join forces to create places of movement, exchange, and chance encounters. Students were encouraged to engage in a wide range of experimentations and iterations, spanning from the most literal, material translations of the notion to the most ephemeral, metaphorical interpretations, across multiple scales.

Toby Blackman, Zeynep Kezer and Christos Kakalis