OASE 101

In the modern city, everyday life is increasingly moving towards the inside of buildings. The interiors of department stores, market halls, administration buildings, museums or theatres are part of the experience of the urban dweller. Every inner world of the city has its own character atmosphere and representative architectural language that supports its specific societal significance. In contemporary practice, these differences have largely disappeared; the logic of standardization blurs differences in meaning, but also in atmosphere. The more the exterior of buildings is invested with spectacular gestures, the more banal their interiors seem to become.

Rather than registering this disappearance, this issue of OASE examines a range of strategies and design instruments for the public urban interior. The editors look for architectural projects for interiors that derive their significance from a specific approach and show a recognizable element of authorship.