MANILA, Philippines—Designing an interior space is like working a sculpture from within. This writer had always hoped so anyway. While architectural projects attempt to be three-dimensional art forms viewed from the outside, interior spaces are most of the time three-dimensional art best appreciated from within the art form itself.

The physical limitations for an interior design project are often defined by the architectural shell that envelopes it. When given a very tight rectilinear space, getting adventurous with design becomes challenging.

Manipulation of space, form

This writer has always looked at interior design as not merely “decorating” work, but much more than that, it has always been a manipulation of both space and form to create a basic palette for the other design elements. Ceilings, floors and walls play a major role in creating the volumes that are necessary for high-impact interiors.

When buildings with dramatic forms on the outside carry their drama into the inside, it gives the occupant of the space a new visual experience all together. This is the same premise we always try to work with in our design office when coming up with concepts for new projects: working from the outside and molding the inside to create a seamless and cohesive design concept.

It is always a joy to do both architecture and interior design for a particular project. The opportunity to cast the exterior form and craft the interior spaces as well, allows for the experience of viewing from a distance and viewing from within. When we were commissioned to design the new Shell tollway site on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in Bulacan, we applied this concept of tying both exterior elements and interior spaces together.

A more imposing form

Picking up from the concepts of its already built predecessor on the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in Mamplasan, we attempted an even more imposing form for this larger site. In the south, our big disappointment was the regulated height as restricted by the tollway operator. For the NLEX, this restriction did not apply. That gave us the freedom to play with unusual planes and spaces within the structure.

From the outside, the structure is an assembly of waves and diagonals. The waves define a roof line that is undulating, reaching to the sky at certain points, and at ends, swooping to the ground. These undulating curves are seen and felt from the inside too.

As one sits within the outdoor café spaces, the ceilings dive in seeming movement. The volume of the space provides an experience similar to being in a hangar. But while a hangar is usually symmetrical, balanced, and therefore static, the spaces here were more dynamic, dramatic and in a way, quite surreal.

The experience of appreciating the sweeps starts not from within, but rather, from the outside. From a distance, diagonal walls and columns appear to hold up the roof without pre-terminating its movement. From the inside, they open as though reaching up, giving the impression of cradling the roof away from the ground.

It is no surprise that even for homes or smaller structures, the overall form of the architecture influences the interior experience. The building envelope is a crucial element of interior design. When architecture provides more space and more volume within, then the interior forms can go into play.

Even better yet, it gets the interior design job half-done.