Abstract:
The argument in this paper is that surface should be understood neither as a merely structural,
nor as a merely decorative aspect of building. Rather, the creation of surfaces (interior
walls or fa ••ades and so on) organises a programme which allows for a reading of the space
of architecture. The latter formulation-the space of architecture-has a double register. On
the one hand, it refers to the specific architectural works, to particular buildings, and how
they effect and affect the subject. On the other hand, it makes a broader, theoretical
point about the way that architecture is conceived as an effect of the possibilities inherent
in the materials used in the making of surfaces. The argument is advanced through an
engagement with work by Borromini, Semper and Loos.
