The experience of the Personal Spaces TK in the ETSAB

Abstract

The Theories of Doctor Architect Kim Lloveras have finally been brought to practical reality in an installation that took place in the Architecture School of Barcelona. This article makes these theories known to the general public, in an effort to stimulate discussion on them. It is also a chance to see how they have evolved from complicated analytical studies to a solid base of knowledge in close relation to the science of perception of the human eye. Historically this subject had been only considered from a medical point of view, involving professionals from the fields of psychology and ophthalmology, but the TK Theories transform this knowledge into analytical tools contributing to the design process. By establishing the relation between space and vision, the accurate study of canonical proportions leads to the TK constant, which mathematically relates the Cone of Good Vision to the immediate three-dimensional space in front of the Person. In this way space becomes humanized, making it clear that the optical sensations and perception can be measured and quantified and are inter-related. And that is how the TK Theory and Positioning Laws work, stipulating and regulating in a hierarchy the whole set of situations, like the fact of being in or out of the space of Good Vision, recognizing the Blind Spots, or considering the transit between them as real and concrete experiences of which we can become conscious, and applying them to the architectural practice. Finally, the possibility of making a “Virtual Experience” of the Personal Space is offered through the following web page: http://www.espaistk.eu.

Keywords: architecture, visual proportions, architectural design, design.