Lacunae in the Forest: A Phenomenological Approach in the Interior Design Studio

Abstract

This brief case study presents the general framework, process, and results of a vertical design studio unit, titled Phenomenologies, at Istanbul Bilgi University’s Interior Design Program, supported by student work samples. Centralizing the tensions between interiority and the natural environment, the studio explores the role that nature plays in interior design. The process begins with an experiential inquiry on windows; later to be expanded and complexified by other spatial elements such as doors, stairs, ramps, and bridges. In the end, the students develop proposals for a research, learning, and recreation center that aims at problematizing and restoring our relationship to nature in the context of a lake ecosystem.