Innovation through tradition in architectural space. Case study: The application of ambiguous spaces in Jiangnan Gardens in contemporary architecture

Abstract

Traditional and innovative concepts in national culture have become one of the main problems of modern philosophy. The thoughts of tradition and innovation are closely related to different levels of human culture and human history. In the indifference of a society with rapid economic development, the cultural language of design becomes gradually the same as the difference in people’s lives, and communication methods become smaller and smaller. However, ambiguous space is one of the signs that change the quality of space. Combining regional designs has begun to attract attention, and people are no longer only seeking to meet functional needs, but more of a spiritual and emotional nature. The ambiguous space and regional spatial emotional expression can arouse human feelings and a sense of belonging. If we look carefully, the “ambiguous space” has been applied in the early Eastern and Western architectural spaces. The vague and ambiguous spatial characteristics presented by some contemporary architectural design works also make us aware of the internal connection between these architectural thoughts and our traditional culture. Therefore, exploring the construction of Jiangnan Gardens space in China is an understanding of the connotation of traditional artistic aesthetics and a positive response to the impact of modern architectural culture. Through this article, we will raise the importance of “ambiguous elements” in architectural space. Moreover, through the traditional Chinese Jiangnan Gardens as a case, the author will extract the design rules of “ambiguous space” and the expression forms and people’s experience in contemporary architectural space. Any boundary between tradition and modernity is fluid and complex. New generations of architects need to work hard to bring traditional culture through innovation and bring new benefits to the users of the building.