The Genre of Foyers in the Contemporary Highrise

Abstract

The term genre is usually associated with literary and filmic texts; however, this article also considers other communicative events such as foyers as text types. While it might seem quite obvious to note that the fundamental purpose of foyers is to shuttle users back and forth between the entrance and the elevator, it is more intriguing to discern the ways in which this function is achieved. By using the theoretical framework developed within the discipline of systemic functional linguistics and by employing the analytical tool of intertextuality, this article undertakes a comparative semiotic reading of the foyers of Harry Seidler’s corporate and residential highrises in Sydney, Australia, in order to explicate the generic structure of foyers, to elucidate the similarities and differences between his foyers and to foreground the ideological stance that Seidler has consistently taken throughout his oeuvre.L

Space as designs for and in learning: investigating the interplay between space, interaction and learning sequences in higher education

“…Here the notion of genre is used to understand how the social purpose of a space is supported by different structures. It is also used to highlight how a space can be transformed and re-designed during participant interaction (see McMurtrie, 2009McMurtrie, , 2013Ravelli, 2006). To sum up: this article combines a theoretical design-oriented perspective with the analytic notions of metafunctions and genre in order to examine space and place in higher education in relation to interaction and learning sequences.…”

Penetrating spaces: a social semiotic, multimodal analysis of performance as rape prevention

“…Their framework has been extended and adapted to interpret other semiotic systems of communication, including space (Ravelli 2000(Ravelli , 2006(Ravelli , 2008Stenglin 2004;Ravelli and Stenglin 2008;McMurtrie 2016a, 2016b;cf. O'Toole 2011), and movement in space (McMurtrie 2011a(McMurtrie , 2011b(McMurtrie , 2012a(McMurtrie , 2012bLim, O'Halloran, and Podlasov 2012). Because movement in installation space is a visual form of communication that uses language, we follow both Halliday and Matthiessen's (2014) model for language and Kress and van Leeuwen's (2006) framework for images, with some adaptations to account for the affordances of space and movement in performance installations.…”

Feeling space dynamically: variable interpersonal meanings in high-rise apartment complexes

“…When the blinds are fully raised, a strongly Unbound space which affords users a dialogue with the outside world is created (Figure 9). The two-storey plate glass fenestration of the Horizon, whilst protecting users from the outside elements, does not obstruct interaction with the environment, creating freedom and security at the same time (see McMurtrie, 2011a). The amount of light that enters the foyer of the Horizon is augmented due to the highly reflective materials, which increases the depth of field.…”

“…The second Phrase is constituted of three sub-Phrases: (a) through the threshold zone; (b) to the concierge desk; and (c) to the elevator. Although approaching the concierge desk is not an obligatory stage of the Promenade (see McMurtrie’s [2011a] work on the genre of foyers), many users do; it is, therefore, considered part of the most generalized Promenade.…”