P a g e | 30
POSITIVE NEGATIVE SPACES
FIGURE 14: DIE MACHEREI, AUSTRIA
The built environment is created to serve a specific purpose. The shaping of this usable space is the primary function of architecture. Positive spaces are the functional spaces where the users spend most of their time dwelling, lingering or engaged in social interaction. On the other hand, negative spaces are the left-over spaces formed around these positive spaces. They render balance and give a sense of direction to the users while moving between positive spaces. `The human behavior is constantly being influenced by the surrounding Sai A. Pradhan l L. S. Raheja School of Architecture
built form as we often move through negative spaces and stay in positive spaces. We, as architects, often design the built environment with the form of the buildings in our mind. In an urban context, the facades of the buildings form a vertical plane to at least two other spaces. (Frederick, 101 Things I Learned In Architecture School) Thus, the positive spaces influence the spatial characteristics of the adjacent positive and negative spaces. Public open spaces are often a result of the positive spaces abutting them and thus add movement and function to the public spaces. Traversing Through Architecture
