ARCHITECTURAL CORRELATIONS 513: ARCHITECTURAL INTERIORS
ARCHITECTURAL INTERIORS
MODULE 1: Social Structures
-The network of actually existing relations
among human beings who are connected by
a complex structure of social relations.
Social Structures and Spatial Relations
-expressed in SPATIAL RELATIONS or
the interplay of the organization, distribution
and categorization of objects and people in
space. Spatial relations represent the social
structures and principles of a society or
group.
The study of spatial relations is based on
the study of the most commonplace, everyday
actions of everyday people as well as less
frequently performed activities.
 It tracks the movements and the concrete
products which people negotiate in the
performance of these movements.
 It leads to a deeper understanding of the
social relations of the society of which
they are active part.
Material culture objects and their
location in space are fundamental to the
study of spatial relations. The major
underlying presuppositions about the social
dimensions of space are:
 Spatiality is socially produced
 Objects are neither randomly nor
arbitrarily selected or positioned in space.
 Space, objects and people give meaning
to each other
Filipino Society & Culture
Filipino Family Values
The family is the center of the social
structures and includes the nuclear family,
aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and
honorary relations such as godparents,
sponsors, and close family friends often
called aunts and uncles though they are not.
Close familial ties are upheld to the highest
extent.
Filipino Concept of Shame
 Hiya is shame and is a motivating factor
behind behavior. It is a sense of social
propriety and conforming to societal norms
of behavior.
Social Relationships/Etiquette
 Pakikisama. Filipinos use pakikisama, or
camaraderie in English, to maintain a
harmonious relationship.
MODULE 2: Filipino Building
Traditions and Beliefs
Filipino Traditions Regarding Land and
Space
Public Spaces
 Traditional Filipino culture share land
communally instead of having private
properties bounded by fences and gates.
 Even in contemporary Filipino communities
where the boundaries of private lots are
clearer, parties, businesses and other
activities still spill over to the public areas
like sidewalks or even the streets.
 The Spanish colonial policy of
resettlement created the plaza complex. e.
Although some of the structures around
plaza have since been converted to
commercial uses, its function as a
gathering and meeting place for the
community remains.
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Private spaces
 The spaces inside the house serve a
number of purposes-transforming and
adapting according to the needs of the
users at any particular time.
 The traditional Filipino space is always
transparent. The native cultural idea of
living with a group-whether a village or a
family- encourages visible spaces where
one can see everyone else.
 Traditional ethnic houses express the
indigenous way of spatial organization.
Territorial space is suggested by symbols,
never stated with fences or walls but
territoriality is still respected by
passersby and other residents in area.
FILIPINO TRADITIONS REGARDING
THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSES
Ethnic Filipino Building Traditions
 Ethnic houses reflect the wisdom of
skilled artisans who intuitively blend
aesthetics and utility into a harmonious
whole.
 Decoration, while one sparingly often
combines aesthetics and socio-political
factors.
 The design construction of houses is
affected by animistic beliefs and
assumptions.
 These govern the choice of site, time and
season for building, rituals to be observed
before and during construction, the
orientation of the house and distribution
of interior spaces.
 Houses maybe used essentially as shelter
or may double as a social and cultural
center.
Building Traditions during Spanish
period
 New structures were built during the
Spanish period reflecting the major
preoccupations and values of the Spanish
colonial life.
 Houses signify the wealth and rank of the
owner.
 The bahay kubo retained the features of
the traditional house with the addition of
awning window, the silid where
occupants could change clothes in
private, the altar, and other furniture and
furnishings required by the new
hispanized manners.
 The bahay na bato retained the usual post
and lintel construction of the bahay kubo
with some innovations:
a. A highly flexible interior where rooms
may be joined or separated by opening
or closing wide doors;
b. The addition of the azotea at the back
of the house, the caida or antesala at
the top of the stairs.
c. Details such as the media agua, the
ventanillas and the tiled roof which
gave the bahay na bato an elegant
appearance without losing the airy and
light qualities of the bahay kubo.
Building traditions during the American
Period
CHALET- most prominent feature is the
front porch which may be extended to the
sides of the house.
BUNGALOW- brought the American
concept of privacy which encouraged
family to have his/her own room thus
introducing hallways and corridors-
spaces that solely as distribution points.
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FILIPINO BUILDING BELIEFS
Post
 In Southern Tagalog, posts nearest the
east are laid fist. The other posts follow,
one after the other in a clockwise
direction. In Romblon, this practice is
believed to make the house windproof.
 In Cagayan Valley, the first post to be
raised is the one nearest to the northeast.
But this is done only after the footings
have been sprinkled with wine.
 In Bataan and some Tagalog provinces, a
solitary post in the middle of the room is
believed misfortune to the family.
 The Tausugs equate the building of the
house to the development of a fetus. They
believed the first to appear in a woman’s
womb id the navel. Hence, the first post
to be erected should be the main post in
the interior of the house.
 The Yakans do not use crooked posts
and those with knots as these are believed
to symbolized death.
 To prevent termite infestation, the bottom
of the post is charred (Pangasinan) or
tarred. In some areas, rock slat is
sprinkled generously in all footings.
 Old people also caution against cutting
old posts for reuse so as not to lose one’s
wealth.
Stairs
 Stairs are generally positioned towards
the east. The Illocanos believe that facing
them towards the west would mean
turning one’s back on the fate. O the
other hand, some builders in Bulacan
prefer west-facing stairs, believing that
anything facing the sun dries up ahead of
the others and so, wealth taken into the
house will dry up much faster.
 If it is not possible to make the stairs face
east, they should face nearby mountains.
 If the lot abuts the river, the stairs should
be oriented upstream so that luck will not
be washed away by the river’s flow. For
the same reason, if the house is facing the
sea, the stair should be placed parallel to
the shore.
 It is not advisable to have a large window
on the wall facing the stairs because good
fortune will go out of that window.
 The space beneath the stairs should not
be used as passageway or sleeping
quarters (Tagalog) or a place where
money is kept (eg. Cashier’s counter).
 Stairs should not be located at the center
of the structure as this divides the area.
 The number of steps is governed with the
guidelines of “oro, plata, mata”. Starting
with the first step, the steps are counted
using the word oro (gold), plata(silver)
and mata (death). The last step should not
end with mata.
 The Yakans believe in odd numbering od
steps. The Chinese count their steps by
fours.
Doors
 One’s main door should not directly face
that of the neighbors to avoid fighting
over the luck that passes in front of both
houses.
 In most areas of the country, the main
door is never positioned opposite the
main gate.
 Doors should not face each other. The
people in North believe that doors facing
each other allow easy passage of a coffin.
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In some areas in Bulacan, however, wide
doors facing each other are considered
lucky, especially if they lead to the
terrace or garden.
Living Rooms
 Sunken rooms are regarded as pockets of
caves where evil spirits can hide. It is
balanced off with an exit that is lower
than the room.
 Old folks in Bulacan advise that the
living and dining rooms should be of the
same floor level to allow the “ball of
fortune “to roll freely across both areas.
 Any ornamentation or style (e.g. Mansard
roof) that might remind one of a coffin is
avoided in living areas.
Dining Rooms
 Pampangos locate their dining room in
the sunniest and brightest portion of the
house as they consider cooking and
eating as festive activities.
 The Ilocanos, on the other hand, regard
eating as a solemn occasion and so, place
the dining rooms in areas where the
lighting is more subdued.
Beds and Bedrooms
 Beds should place so that when the door
is opened, one would not face either the
head or the foot of the bed.
 There should be ample space between the
door and the bed.
 The headboard should be ample space
between the door and the bed.
 Beds should not be places under drain
pipes (for houses with second floor).
Likewise, they should be placed over
pipes containing unclean fluid as this
would mean that the bad energies may
affect the good energy of the people
sleeping over the pipes.
 Beds should not be placed under beams.
Never position the bed so that the
occupant would be lying perpendicular to
the beam.
 It is considered lucky if the bedroom is
placed higher than the living room.
Basements are not favored locations for
bedrooms.
MODULE 3: THE USER
REQUIREMENTS AND
PERCEPTION, AND SPACE
A Designed Environment:
 Results when a design problem is
approached holistically
 Uses the designer’s approach of:
o Analyzing the clients’ basic needs
o Translating these needs to architectural
terms
 Requires that the designer know his role
in the project in order to create the best
designed environment
A Holistic Design Approach should
consider:
1. The building’s structural system
2. The spatial form created by structure
3. Light and patterns of light and dark
patterns it creates
4. The surface treatment of floor, wall and
ceiling planes
5. The acoustic nature of the room’s surfaces
6. The activities to be performed in the
space
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Designing Interior Environments
Analyzing User Requirements
3 Categories of Questions That A
Designer Should Ask His Client:
 Practical Questions- questions that
deal with functional or spatial
considerations
 Aesthetic Questions- questions
concerning taste, style and color
preferences
 Budgetary Questions- questions that
deal with financial considerations or
limitations.
ASSESSING THE CLIENT’S
PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS
It is also important that the designer
know the following:
1.Are the clients satisfied with the
chronological age?
2. Are they happy with their
occupational/ educational level?
3. Do the clients accept stereotype roles?
4. How do the clients project themselves?
5. How mobile are the clients
6. How resistant to change are the
clients? Do they want to preserve the past
or anticipate the future?
7. What is the clients’ goal in undertaking
the project?
8. Are the clients concerned with
prestigious brand names;
company/product images that with
intrinsic value or total design?
THE DESIGN PROCESS
1. PRE-STATEMENT
 Statement of the given problem/s; usually
states what space is to be designed-giving
very little information regarding the
related requirements
2. INFORMATION GATHERING
 Researching information and details
related to the problem through review of
related literature, ocular inspection of the
space, direct observation, interview/
survey with the users, secondary
information.
3. PROBLEM STATEMENT
 Identification and presentation of the
problem based on data gathered
4. ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM
 Defining and understanding the nature of
the design problem which will be
essential to the solution
 What to Analyze: factors that affect the
formulation of preliminary solutions
1. What Exists?
 Physical/ cultural context
 Existing architectural/ interior
elements.
 What can be changed/ cannot be
changed
2. What Is Desired?
 Identify users’ needs and
preferences
 Set goal- functional aesthetics
3. What Is Possible?
 For alterations
 Permitted/ allowed/ prohibited
 Limits: time, economic, legal,
technical
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 Approaches: coming up with ways to
approach the problem:
1. Isolate one or two key issues and
develop solutions around them.
2. Study analogous situations and used
them for developing ideas
3. Develop ideal solutions for parts of the
problem which can be integrated into
whole solutions and be tempered by the
reality of what exists
5. SYNTHESIS
 Conceptualization through graphic
solutions, matrices and diagrams
 Requires knowledge and understanding
gained through experience and research,
intuition and imagination
 Creativity- the process of coming up
with new ideas.
3 MAIN POINTS OF CREATIVITY
1. Ideation- the mental process which
gives the ability to think or ideate
2. Idea Quantity- the capacity to
produce the largest number of ideas in a
given unit of time
3. Imagineering- the process of letting
imagination soar and then engineering it
back to reality
Causes of Limitation in Creativity
1. Perceptual Blocks- biological or
physical impairment
2. Physiological Blocks- stem from the
need to be accepted by a peer group; may
be conscious or unconscious
3. Self-Satisfaction
Creative Problem-Solving Techniques
1. Alphabetical Listing- begins with
listing all the letters of the alphabet. Then
for each letter, list a word or phrase that
begins with that letter and pertains to the
problem you are attempting to solve or
potential solution to it.
2. Functional Visualization- thinking
about what functions the object will
perform instead of thinking how it will
look like.
3. Morphological Synthesis- making a
list in a more direct manner to seek
alternatives
4. Inversion- instead of thinking of how
to improve the situation, think of how to
make it worse so that you are given a new
set of perspective or concepts
5. Bionics- “back to nature” solutions
6. Description by Association- offering
a description of the object by associating
it with something else.
6. TRANSLATION
 Graphic representation of solutions such
a s sketches, drawings, models
7. EVALUATION
 Critical review of alternatives and careful
weighing of the strengths and weaknesses
of each proposal
 Design Criteria:
1. Function and Purpose - the intended
function of the design must be satisfied
and its purpose must be fulfilled
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2. Utility and Economy- a design should
exhibit utility, honesty and economy in
its selection and use of materials.
3. Form and Style- the design should be
aesthetically pleasing to the eye and other
senses.
4. Image and Meaning- the design
should project an image and promote
associations which carry meaning for the
people who use and experience it.
GUIDE FOR ANALYSIS, SYNTHESIS
AND EVALUATION
1. User Requirements
 Identify users
- Individual or group
- If group, how many?
- Specific or anonymous
- Age group
- Economic status, etc.
 Identify needs
- Group needs
- Specific individual needs
 Territorial requirements
- Personal space
- Privacy
- Interaction
- Access
 Preferences
2. Activity Requirements
 Identify primary and secondary
requirements
 Analyze nature of activities
- Active or passive
- Noisy or quiet
- Public, small group or private
- Multi-functional spaces?
- Frequency and duration of use
 Requirements for access, flexibility,
light, acoustics
3. Furnishing requirements
 Determine furnishing and equipment
requirement for each activity
- number, type and style of seating,
tables, work surfaces, storage and
display units, accessories
- other special equipment required for
lighting, electrical, mechanical
 Determine desired qualities of pieces
- requirements for comfort, safety,
variety, flexibility, style, durability,
maintenance
 Determine possible arrangements
- functional grouping
- tailored arrangements
- flexible arrangements
4. Space analysis
 document existing proposed space- plans,
sections and elevations
 analyze space
- form, scale and proportion
- locations of points of access and the
circulation paths they suggest
- windows and the light, view and
ventilation they afford
- wall floor ceiling materials
- significant architectural details
- location of electrical and mechanical
fixtures and outlets
- what modifications are necessary?
Feasible
5. Dimensional requirements
 Determine required dimensions for space
and furniture groupings
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- space required for access, number of Environment-Behavior studies in

people served, appropriate social architecture include the systematic
distances and interactions examination of relationships between the
 Determine fit between activity and environment and human behavior and their
dimensions of space application in the design process.
- study ways by which activity
MAIN COMPONENTS
groupings can be accommodated
within the shape and proportion of the 1.) Environment-Behavior: Phenomena
floor area and the vertical dimension and Design
of the space
a.) Proxemics, Personal Space,
6. Desired qualities Territoriality and Defensible Space
 Determine qualities appropriate to spatial People have biological, personality, social
context and compatible with client’s or and cultural needs that are expressed in the
user’s needs or wishes environment.
- feeling, mood or atmosphere
- image and style i.) Personal space is a small, invisible,
- degree of spatial enclosure protective sphere or bubble that an
- Comfort and security organism carries about and maintains
- Quality of light between the self and others. It acts as a
- Focus and orientation of space body buffer zone or personal, not shared,
- Color and tone space.
- Acoustical environment
- Thermal environment Factors that affect one’s sphere of
- Flexibility personal space include:
- Individual characteristics
7. Desired Relationships (personality, mood, sex, age)
 Determine desired relationships between. - Social norms
- Related activity areas - Cultural rules associated with
- Activity areas and space for
certain environments
movement
- Room and adjacent spaces
ii.) Territory and territoriality refer to
- Room and the outside
a group of behavior settings that a
 Desired zoning and activities person will personalize, mark, own, and
- Organization of activities into groups
defend.
or sets according to compatibility and
use.
Territories have five defining
characteristic:
MODULE 4: ENVIRONMENT-
- They contain spatial area.
BEHAVIOR STUDIES

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- They are possessed, owned or
controlled by an individual or
group.
- They satisfy some needs and
motives.
- They are marked in either a
concrete or symbolic way.
- People will feel discomfort, or
even defend them if they are in
any way violated by intruders.
iii.) Defensible space aims to restructure
the physical layout of communities to
allow residents to control the areas
around their homes. On a smaller scale
in interiors, defensible space allows the
users to exercise control over their
territories and the space surrounding
them.
Four characteristics of space make this
possible:
- Surveillance
- Perceived and defensible
territory
- Image and milieu
- Safe zones
b.) Privacy, Intensity, Crowding and
Stress
i.) Privacy may be defined as the claim
of individuals, groups or institutions to
control access to themselves and to
determine for themselves when, how and
to what extent information about
themselves will be communicated.
ii.) Density Is a mathematical measure
of the number of people per unit of
space.
iii.) Crowding is a psychological or an
environment-behavior concept, which
refers to the experience of being
bounded or blocked or frustrated by the
presence of too many people.
2.) PROGRAMMING ENVIRONMENTS
FOR HUMAN USE
a.) Approaches to Generating User
Oriented Design Requirements
i. The User Characteristic Approach
Develop from the idea that the users of
most environments are diverse and are
likely to have different basic for the
same setting.
 BASIC STEPS
- Identify user types.
- Construct user profiles of each
group
-Deductively derive design
requirements for each
 Major Strength. It enhances the
designer’s ability to go beyond
simply all of the characteristics
of a particular type of user, such
as behavior patterns,
physiological, psychological,
social, economic, etc., which
might potentially have an effect
on his environmental needs.
 Major Weakness. It does not
provide for a systematic search
process which would ensure the
consideration of all the possible
environmental requirements of a
user.
ii. The Social Functions Approach
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Involves focusing on processes
or functions which are to varying
degrees affected by environment.
 Basic Steps
- Identify the social/
psychological/ physiological,
etc. function to be supported or
suppressed e.g., Image
formation, burglary, stress, etc.
- Identify the characteristics in
the environment which affect
this process.
- Deductively derive
performance statements or
design requirements.
 Major Strength. It enables the
programmer to deal with aspects
of environmental behavior which
are not obvious, such as image
information or stress reduction,
etc.
 Major Weakness. It relies on the
theoretical frameworks which
explain how the environment
affects a particular social or
psychological process.
iii. The Behavior Circuit Approach
Focuses on the behavior of typical
individual users of the environment. The
flow of behavior of an individual is
broken into comprehensible segments or
sequences that are related to particular
environment settings.
Identifies the predominant recurring
sequences or chains of behavior of a
particular user type.
 Basic Steps
- Identify predominant behavior
sequences for each user type
- Break each of the circuits into
discrete behavioral units
- Specify level(s) at which the
behavior is to be supported.
o Safety/survival
o Task efficiency
o Comfort
o Pleasure/enjoyment
- Using a checklist to
environmental attributes derive
the design requirements for the
setting(s) in which that behavior
is to occur?
o Spatial form
o Communications
o Activities
o Ambiance
- Repeat for each behavior in the
circuit and for each user type
 Major Strengths. It is
systematic and concrete. It
focuses on behavior in such way
that design implications become
obvious.
 Major Weaknesses.
- Followed to the smallest detail,
this approach will simply
overwhelm the designer with
information. Efforts must be
exerted to organize and prioritize
requirements.
- It tends to focus on explicit
physical behavior and not on
internal processes.
iv. The Behavior Setting Approach
Focuses on areas or settings within
which there are relatively stable patterns
of recurring behaviors.
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 Basic Steps
- Identify predominant behavioral
patterns for each setting.
- Break each of the patterns into
discrete behavioral units.
- Decide levels at which behavior
is to be supported
o Safety/survival
o Task efficiency
o Comfort
o Pleasure/enjoyment
- Using a checklist
environmental attributes derive
the design requirements for the
setting(s) in which that behavior
is to occur.
o Spatial form
o Communications
o Activities
o Ambiance
- Repeat for each behavior in the
setting and for each setting in the
environment being programmed.
 Major Strengths. As in the
previous case, this approach is
highly systematic and is focus on
obvious, concrete behaviors.
 Major Weaknesses. It has a
tendency to focus on relatively
stationary patterns of behavior
and on groups. The approach
lacks that capacity of enhancing
the empathy of the designer for
the user.
v. Post Occupancy Evaluation
Aims to provide programmatic
information to designers. It identifies
what might be termed “the problems
and assets of the design.; Problems-
features of the design which through
oversight or error does not meet the
needs of its users and consequently
should be modified; Assets- features of
the design which work especially well
and are highly valued by users.
 Basic Steps
- Do literature search for post
occupancy evaluations which
deal with:
to o Similar settings (e.g.
elementary school), or elements
which make up the setting
(classroom, playground).
o Similar populations.
- Judgmentally translate the
findings to the specific problem.
 Major Strength. It assesses the
performance of a real setting
rather than on predictions derived
from theory.
 Major Weakness. It is probably
too costly to do a post occupancy
evaluation as a means of
developing the program for a
new project, and yet it is often
difficult to find an evaluation
which deals with the particular
client/user group and type of
environment needed.
vi. The User Participation Approach
Does not rely for the most part on experts to
develop the information. Relies instead on
methods which enable the direct user
participation in the process of developing
design requirements, perhaps even to the
extent of controlling the process.
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 Basic Steps
- Client assemblage.
- Individual assessment of the
problems and assets.
- Group agreement on
prioritization of problems and
assets.
- Individual identification of ideal
qualities.
- Group agreement on ideal.
- Group agreement on problems,
assets, and ideals or “the
program.”
 Strength and Weakness. The
involvement of the users in an active
rather than a passive role. The client or
user may be:
- Present
- Absent but reachable
- Homogeneous/Diverse
- Vocal/silent
- Not reachable but known
- Unknown
MODULE 5: THE EFFECT OF
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ON
SPECIFIC BEHAVIORS
1.) Distance
a.) Physical Distance - measured linear
distance traversed in walking between
two points.
b.) Functional Distance- includes the
variables of design and relative position
as they affect the number of involuntary,
casual contacts between people.
2.) Design and Spatial Arrangement
a.) Sociofugal Environments -
discourage social contacts and the
formation of friendships.
b.) Sociopetal Environments -
a encourage social contacts and the
development of friendships.
3.) Motivating Factors That Are Affected
by The Environment
a.) Friendship Formation - Friendships
are formed on the basis of shared
interests and backgrounds.
b.) Group Membership - being or not
being a part of a definite social group is
one-way people define themselves and is
thus a matter of importance to most
people.
c.) Personal Space - Strong feelings
people have about controlling access to
their persons manifests in the spacing or
separation that people maintain when
dealing with other people.
 Intimate Distance- ranges from actual
contact to a distance of 18” (ex.
reserved for lovers, small children or
very close friends).
 Personal Distance- ranges from 1.5 to
4 feet (“arm’s length”) (protected area
where strangers would not be
welcome).
 Social Distance- ranges from 4 to 12
feet (range of public interactions).
 Public Distance- ranges from 12 to 25
feet (range where noninvolvement
begins).
d.) Personal Status - People use different
techniques to establish their own self-
definitions, and for defining themselves to
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others. They seek an architectural expression
that reflects their self-image.
e.) Territoriality - Territorial feelings of
human merge with other feelings about
personal space and concern for personal
status.
 Territoriality can be divided into these
principal categories:
oPersonal Property and Possessions
oGroup Property and Possessions
oTemporary Territory
 In dealing with different manifestations
of territoriality, designers can reduce
territorial friction or attempt to encourage
feelings of ownership.
o Person to Person - territorial friction
arising over personal belongings
o Boundaries -disputes over territorial
boundaries can often be traced to
ambiguity lines.
o Group Territory -the feeling of sharing
“ownership” through membership in a
group.
o No one’s Territory - places for which
no one or no group develops territorial
feelings and are subject to misuse and
abuse
 Recommendations about territorial
considerations
o Individual Possessions - mark them in
distinctive ways or give them
individual names.
o Group Territory - establish clear
boundaries and a clear identity.
o Transient Territory - it is helpful if
objects claimed as transient territories can
be designed and arranged so that the area
assigned to each individual is clearly
delimited (dividers between urinals,
individual seats in bus terminals, etc.)
o Territorial Responsibility - to ensure
that a sense of territorial responsibility
develops among users in those projects
that actually belong to someone else,
the designer should make an effort to
include the users in the planning
process to create a bond between them
and the project.
f.) Communications - Architects and
planners can create places where
communication occurs.
i. Personal Communications
- To facilitate communications
between people, designers must
recognize that conversations take place
wherever people meet.
ii. Communicating with Design
- Design characteristics of a building
are capable of communicating any
message. Users may be divided into
two groups with distinct responses:
 People who know the building ̶
response is largely a result of how well
they feel the building suits their
purposes.
 People who are not familiar with the
building ̶ response is related to the
interests and needs more than to the
nature of the building.
g.) Cue Searching
- The need to know what is going on in the
world to conduct personal affairs safely,
expeditiously and with a minimum of
wasted effort or embarrassment.
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The nature of the search takes on
different forms at different times with
different people:
 Exploratory mode
 Habitual mode
h.) Personal Safety
- People need help in identifying those
aspects of their environment that may be
hazardous even though the hazard is not
obvious.
Principal categories of hazards that are
frequently encountered in interior
environments:
 Clearance hazard
 Object hazard
 Collision hazard
 Stability hazard
i.) Space Articulation
i. Real Space - is always inhabited and
situated. Can be acquire characteristics
as a result of a complex interplay of
social, aesthetics, and physical factors
of the setting.
ii. Configurability - refers to the
meaningful re-arrangement of object,
giving the user control over the
environment, enhancing engagement,
supporting explorative behavior or
providing thinking aids.
iii. Space Articulation - is often used
in architecture to define a zone of
space within a larger spatial context.
MODULE 6 (2A): COLORS IN
INTERIOR DESIGN
COLOR ENVIRONMENT
Color – an inherent visual property of all
forms.
- The most immediately noticeable and the
most adaptable and variable element in
decorating.
Color Theory – aims to predict or specify
the color combinations that would work well
together or appear harmonious.
Color Systems – has been adopted as a tool
for defining these basic relationships.
Color Wheel – offers the easiest way to
visualize how hues relate to each other.
Primary Colors: red, yellow and blue
Pure Hues of Colors: red, blue and green
Tints (lighter values)
Tones (also known as shades, darker values)
Complementary – colors that lie opposite
each other on the wheel;
- when paired, each makes the other appear
more vivid.
Analogous Colors – colors next to each
other on the color wheel
- Tend to produce a single-hued or a
dominant color experience.
Split Complementary – color scheme
employs a range of analogous hues, “split”
from a basic key color, with the
complementary color as contrast.
Triadic – color scheme adopts any three
colors approximately equidistant around the
hue circle.
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- This yields a lively yet balanced COLOR SCHEMES

combination, but the scheme may feel a little
 Chromatic Schemes – schemes
glaring unless one color is allowed to
where colors are present
dominate and the other two are used in
 Achromatic Schemes – schemes
lesser amounts or as accents.
that use only white, gray and black.
Warm Colors: half of the color wheel, from
CLASSIFICATION OF COLOR
red to yellow-green, stimulating and
SCHEMES:
advancing.
1. Related Colors – are generally
Cool Colors: other half of the wheel, with
harmonious and restful, and are used for
colors that generally appear to recede.
rooms wherein a considerable span time is
spent (monochromatic scheme, analogous)
DIMENSIONS OF COLOR 2. Contrasting Schemes – use opposing
rather than related hues are combined; -
1. Hue – the attribute by which we
Tend to be stimulating (complementary,
recognize or describe a color (ex. Red,
double complementary, split
yellow); designation of the color in the color
complementary, triads)
wheel.
2. Brilliance or Intensity – the degree of  Achromatic Colors – any color that
purity or saturation of a color when lacks strong chromatic content is
compared to a gray of the same value; also said to be unsaturated, achromatic, or
brightness of dullness near neutral.
Pure Achromatic colors: black, white and
 shade – color plus black or
all grays
complementary color
 tone – color plus gray White – can contain or be combined with
 tint – color plus white any color
 pure hue - represents the most
Black – absorbs color
intense or most saturated expression
of a color. Gray – a true neutral shade

3. Value – the degree of lightness or Neutral Colors – neutrals are obtained by

darkness of a color in relation to white or mixing pure colors with either white or
black; also vividness. black, or by mixing two complementary
colors.
- Refers to how light or dark a color is
- Yellow – is the lightest/highest value
- Purple – darkest/lowest

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COLOR CHARACTERISTICS
Red, Orange, Yellow
 Red: has been shown to raise blood
pressure and speed respiration and
heart rate.
 Orange: like red, stimulates
appetites. May be difficult color to
live with. Terra-cotta, salmon, peach,
coral, and shrimp are more popular
expressions of the hue.
 Yellow: captures the joy of sunshine
and communicates happiness.
Green, Blue, Purple
 Green: considered the most restful
color of the eye. Combining the
refreshing quality of the blue and the
cheerfulness of yellow, green is
situated to almost any room in the
house.
 Blue: brings down blood pressure
and slows respiration and heart rate.
Considered calming, relaxing, and
serene, and is often recommended
for bedrooms and bathrooms.
 Purple: its darkest value (eggplant,
for example) is rich, dramatic, and
sophisticated. Associated with luxury
as well as creativity, and as an accent
or secondary color, it gives a scheme
depth.
GUIDELINES for DEVELOPMENT OF
COLOR ENVIRONMENT
1. Personal taste of the client. Personalities
are supposed to be revealed by color
preferences.
2. Use of space. Different color schemes are
applied for homes, offices and commercial
spaces.
3. Character of Interior. Traditional
interiors require a color scheme that is
different from that of contemporary. Also
for formal and informal interiors.
4. Color as background. Advancing or
receding colors may be used to accentuate or
minimize details to make a room look higher
or bigger.
5. Orientation. Areas that receive direct
sunlight should have duller colors if they are
used for relaxation.
6. Climate. Interiors in tropical settings are
usually rich and bright in colors.
COLOR SOURCES FOR INTERIORS
a) Natural schemes
b) Patterns and prints
c) Local/regional climate
d) Color wheel
e) Personal preferences
Color Boards – are useful in indicating the
colors chosen for a specific interior
environment. They are collections of
swatches mounted on a board to show the
color which are to be used for particular
interior elements.
MODULE 6 (2B): INTERIOR
LIGHTING
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Lighting - Can be considerably change the
atmosphere of the room. Because of the
huge impact of the choice of lighting effects
in the interior, lighting plan and design must
be determined based on the following
factors:
a. Activities
b. Highlights
c. Deficits
d. Ambience
e. Balance
f. Flexibility
g. Variety
h. Decorative style
TYPES OF LIGHTING
1. General or Background Lighting:
essentially acts as a replacement for daylight
and provides good, general visibility.
Typically, supplied by a ceiling-mounted
fitting or a pendant, but best achieved with a
mix sources, such as central ceiling-mounted
fixture and recessed spotlights around the
perimeter. Alternatives include wall lights,
uplights or table lights.
2. Task or Local Lighting: an extra level
of light provided in areas where specific task
is to be performed. Task lighting focuses on
a specific spot, and makes working much
more comfortable. This type if lighting
needs to be well-positioned and directed to
be used effectively, and is best achieved
with a mix of sources, such as ceiling- or
wall mounted fixtures augment with more
directional lighting.
3. Accent or Decorative Lighting: creates a
sense of drama by conjuring up color,
texture and form, and is designed to
spotlight the room’s best features. Effects
are best achieved with track lights, recessed
lights, and wall-mounted fixtures. A dimmer
may be corporate to create a multitude of
moods.
4. Utility or Information Lighting:
practical rather than aesthetic, used to
illuminate dark and potentially dangerous
areas such as stairways and paths.
TYPES OF LIGHT SOURCE
1. Tungsten/Incandescent: consists of
a tungsten filament that glows inside
a clear glass bulb that is filled with
inert gas in low concentration.
 Cast a warm, peasant light and shows fabrics
and paints in their true colors but can make
the room uncomfortably warm if too many
are used.
2. Tungsten Halogen: emits a cool
and crisp light that is whiter and
brighter than ordinary tungsten;
suggests spaciousness.
3. Fluorescent: available in a variety
of tones that can significantly affect
the color and the atmosphere of the
room.
FLUORESCENT LIGHT EFFECTS
Light Fixtures
Fixtures are chosen based upon:
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1. Appearance – fixtures can be
displayed, blended with the other
interior elements or concealed
2. Types of Light Produced –
diffusers, shades, globes and even
COMMON LIGHT TERMS
lamp bases can cast lighting effects
that vary from those of bare lights
and lamps.
WALL LIGHTING
Up-lighting enhances the room; down-
lighting brightens specific areas.
1. Direct-wire sconces: these sconces
have no exposed cords and are
permanently wired into an outlet in
the wall.
2. Plug-in sconces: these hook to the
wall with brackets and are plugged
into an existing outlet. Although
these are easier and less expensive to
install than direct-wire sconces, the
exposed cord from the fixture to the
outlet can be unsightly. Plug-in
sconces are operated by a switch on
the lamp.
3. Hinged arm or swing-arm wall
lamp: a swinging bar allows these
lights to be positioned against the
wall or to extend away from the wall.
These work well when there is no
room for a side table and lamp but
additional light is needed for certain
tasks.
CONCEALED LIGHT FIXTURES
1. Strip Light
2. Light behind vertical or horizontal
baffles
3. Floor light
4. Concealed spotlights
 Baffle – a device for
shielding a light source from
view at certain angles.
 Baffle Downlight – recessed;
baffles also serve to eliminate
glare by absorbing all
extraneous light rays
reaching the surface.
 Eyeballs – adjustable
spotlight used for accent
lighting; may be rotated 360
deg., or tilted off the vertical
for directional lighting.
 Diffuser – any of a variety of
translucent materials for
filtering glare from a light
source and distributing the
light over an extended area.
 Louver – a finned or vanned
device for controlling the
radiation from a light source.
 Eggcrate – a louvered
construction divided into
cell-like areas and used for
redirecting the light from an
overhead source.
 Scoop Wallwasher –
produces an offset beam for
illumination close to the
ceiling.
 Cutaway Wallwasher – for
lighting the wall and the floor
 Soft Light – diffuse light that
produces little contrast and
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poorly defined shadows on
the subject.
 Hard Light – direct light that
produces high contrast and
distinct shadows on the
subject.
MODULE 6 (2C): INTERIOR
PLANTSCAPING USING PLANTS IN
INTERIORS
Factors to Consider in Selection
1. Growing conditions
2. Plant growth
3. Relation to the interior
 Color
 Patterns
 Amount of warmth and light
4. Foliage
 Shape – leaf shape, leaf
edges
 Texture and form –
smooth/glossy, corrugated;
broad/flat, thin/curling over
 Pattern of leaves
heightens and dramatizes the
effect of foliage; variegation
6 BASIC GROWTH PATTERNS OF
PLANTS
1. ROSETTE – a roughly circular
cluster of leaves radiating from a
central growing point.
- Best when used with upright plants,
trailing plants
2. BUSHY – have several stems
growing from potting level, giving
the plant a spread almost equal to its
height
- Often used alone rather than in
group displays, or as background for
trailing plants.
3. GRASSY - have slender but tough
and wiry stems sheathed with narrow
pointed leaves
- Provide graceful contrast in texture
and outline to all other foliage plants
- Can be upright, trailing or arching
4.
4. UPRIGHT – plants that extend their
growth vertically rather than
horizontally
- Often composed of non-woody
stems that bear leaves along its
length; single stemmed plants shed
lower leaves
- Some are stemless while others are
leafless
- Perfect with low-growing,
spreading rosettes and trailers
5. TREELIKE – has a single, upright
trunk topped by a crown of branches
–
or foliage
- Effective when used as isolated
focal points in spacious surroundings
6. CLIMBING and TRAILING –
normally grows in any direction that
provides support to which it can
cling - Ideal for framing archways
and windows, screens, or as hanging
plants.
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