Theory 2 Research Paper

Hsham Othman
201902156
Spring 2021
Lebanese American University

The Autheneum: Relating to The Space Within

 “The Space Within”, written by Robert McCarter, explains how in architecture, what

matters is the experience we go through where this experience should always revolve around the

interior space and the way this space is occupied. It is an example that clearly elaborates on how

the interior experience is the essence or the origin of architecture. The Autheneum of New

Harmony, Indiana, built by Richard Maieier, could be a suitable example to use in reacting to

“The Space Within” text because of the way the circulation system linking it to its site exists.

These spatial qualities allow it to vary between its external and internal relations, where each

would have its functions.

The Autheneum, designed by Richard Maieier, was built in 1979 in the town of New

Harmony, Indiana, USA as a museum and visitor center with the concept of allowing visitors to

always be re-directed to the site of the building and its history. This is related to the fact that the

building is located directly at the arrival from Wabash River, where visitors will encounter it

before actually stepping into the town. The re-orientation or re-direction would happen through

the circulation journey within the building that visitors would go through once they enter the

building. After going through a ramp in a harmonious rhythm, visitors would reach the third

floor exhibition space, which would help them look back and notice the journey they have

experienced. But, more than that, it is an area containing a model that represents the whole town

of New Harmony, as a way of reminding the visitors of the importance of the site and its relation
to the Autheneum. This relates to what McCarter explains in his text about the experience of the

interior spaces helping bring things near to us and connecting us to what is distant outside, where

in the Autheneum, the exhibition space helps build a bond between the visitors and the

surrounding site. Moreover, during the circulation journey through either the stairs or the ramps,

people are provided with views of the exterior which allows for an anticipation or a glimpse of

the upcoming environment of the landscape. Additionally, these framed views also allow light to

enter into the spaces and give life to them from different angles. In this way, the countryside

would be visible from almost everywhere within the interior space. All these characteristics are

what helps the interior somehow define the surrounding exterior or the typology of the site that

contains the Autheneum. This could emphasize on what McCarter argued in his text where he

stated that what matters is the role and function each interior space provides in allowing people

to create a memory either with the intimate interior spaces themselves, or with the distant

horizon that is awaited for them.

However, the interior spaces are not the only aspects that define the spatial relationships

of the Autheneum and its relation to its site. This is because once visitors arrive from Wabash

River, they are greeted by a front axial path that extends from and is part of the Auheneum. Yet,

this path which is an exterior element of the building can also be considered a merging part of

the landscape where it becomes an external welcome for visitors into the building. This raises the
question of whether this path that is an extended part of the interior of the Autheneum, or an

embedded part of the exterior landscape that provides access into the building. This would add to

the idea that the way the limits between exterior and interior spaces are not clearly defined is

what could be helping the exterior movement path seem to be linked to the building itself.

Adding on, as the journey through the Autheneum ends and visitors prepare to exit the building

from the third floor exterior space, they are confronted with an exterior stepped ramp. This

elongated ramp allows them to smoothly descend, leading and welcoming them into the historic

village of New Harmony after exiting the building, making them feel they are reaching towards a

stable and secure ground as the ramp establishes a connection between the landscape and the

building. This shows how what McCarter argues about the spatial relation in architecture starting

from the interior and then continuing to the exterior does not have to be the only principle found

in the Autheneum, where here, the spatial relation also goes from the exterior to the interior. This

is because in the Athenaeum, the exterior paths of arrival and departure, which could be

perceived as part of the landscape, are present by themselves and are of their own importance,

not initiating from the interior spaces, and not as McCarter mentioned, just a skin to the interior.
 All these relations that are characterized as exterior ones for the Autheneum, play a huge

role in providing an exceptional experience for visitors. According to McCarter, the experience

is achieved through the interior spaces that create memories for people. However, in the

Autheneum, this experience or this memory being grasped is also attained with the help of the

exterior spaces or the exterior elements. This can also be related to what Schultz argues in his

reading about Dwelling where he focuses on the importance between man and the place and

explains how this experience helps a person belong to a place. This is in a way such that visitors

are always feeling this connection with the site where once inside it, they feel something is

always re-directing them to the site experience, through the visual relation to the outside present

within the building, revealing the surrounding environment for them. And even when they have

not entered the building yet, they feel the connection to it and its connection to the landscape,

whether through the frontal axial path at arrival, or through the stepped ramp at the exit. This is

related to the idea of identification also discussed by Schultz where he mentions how an

environment can provide a certain meaning, allowing a place to become familiar, and providing

for people a sense of emotional security. This can be seen in the Autheneum where the way the

exterior elements are connected to the building helps define the identity of it and its atmosphere

which represents the surrounding environment, and grants visitors a feeling of safety throughout

the journey. All this can also be related to what Ching mentions in his book (Architecture Form,

Space, and Order). In one of the sections, he explains the importance of the approach to a

building and how it helps the circulation start from the exterior, before extending to continue

inside through the spaces, thus “obscuring the distinction between inside and outside” (Ching).

This is how the circulation journey in the Autheneum starts before actually entering the building,
and continues through its exit, allowing the building to become an essential part of its site, and

allowing the exterior relations to define a spatial meaning for this architectural work.

In short, the Autehneum is an example of how the interior spaces are not enough to

define a strong experience for a building, despite their strong presence. This is because what

completes this experience is having relations not only extending from within to the exterior, but

also going from the exterior to the interior. As such, the experience is an essential existence of

both. Therefore, the interior and exterior relations combine to constitute the essence of an ideal

experience for visitors through the building and its site.

 Bibliography

Ching, Francis D.K. Architecture Form, Space, and Order. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc,

2014.

McCarter, Robert. The Space within: Interior Experience as the Origin of Architecture. London:

Reaktion Books, 2017.

Norberg-Schulz, Christian. The Concept of Dwelling: on the Way to Figurative Architecture.

New York: Rizzoli, 1993.