Dialectic between the Inside and the Outside: A phenomenological Approach to Place

This paper aims to explore the dialectic of the interior space and the exterior space as one of the prominent features of place through the lens of phenomenology, which regards place as the existential basis of mankind in the universe. The spatial structure of place encompasses conceptual, operational and extensional models –cases which contain both the generalities and the details of spatial structure and allow for phenomenological analysis and interpretation of place. In this approach, the phenomenon of place as the spatial and existential basis of mankind has a special significance. Understanding the features and structure of place can help us better perceive its nature and can lead to formation of cognitive foundations in the deep relationship between mankind and the universe. Given the shortcomings of quantitative approaches, architecture is becoming more interested in the phenomenological thinking system. The methodology of this study moves from theory to research and from research to theory in an exploratory manner with a mixed nature and with emphasis on qualitative investigation. Relying on phenomenological approach, which calls for return to the things themselves, this study attempts to revisit the phenomenon of place with a closer look, to explore the nature of dialogue between the inside and the outside as a structural feature and to examine the relationship between mankind, place and universe; it attempts to answer this question: how is it possible to approach the structural nature of a place by means of dialectic understanding of the interior space and the exterior space of that place. For this purpose, first the most important concepts and topics in phenomenology and their relationship with the subject of the inside and the outside are reviewed; then, the concepts of the inside and the outside are analyzed by means of exploring the phenomenon of place and its constituting structures from different perspectives; finally, a conceptual model for understanding the nature and qualities of this relationship in different places will be proposed. Library research is the main data collection tool in this study, majorly revolving around reviewing of the opinions of important theorists in this field for explanation and interpretation of the concepts of the inside and the outside. The result is a conceptual model for the dialogue between the inside and the outside which is formed based on the presence and experience of mankind in place and includes concepts such as philosophy, poetic image, identity and architecture as well as components such as spatial structure, character, boundary, area, path and center. This model can help us expand our conceptual and operational understanding of the relationship between the interior space and the exterior space. When the aim is understanding the roots and philosophical principles of the inside and the outside with a phenomenological approach, concepts such as intentionality (as the nature and main root), presence, absence, ready-to-hand, present-at-hand and proximity, which facilitate understanding of the subject, must be studied at the highest order.