OCCAS’ master seminar series Elements of Architecture studies the history of selected building elements and architectural types. The spring 2026 was dedicated to the corridor. Corridors are pervasive yet unloved parts of modern architecture, associated with bureaucracy, oppression and often (given their prevalence in horror movies) fear. And yet, not only is the corridor a prerequisite for modern building types such as schools, hospitals and hotels, it also harbours profound qualities of its own.

The seminar was based on case studies and invited lectures by eminent corridor scholars, including Roger Luckhurst, Birckbeck, author of Corridors, Passages of Modernity; Peter Thule from the Academy in Copenhagen, and many others. The semester ended with an exhibition featuring models of four selected corridor, both real and fictional. Studying historical and contemporary corridors in film, literature, art, and architecture, the seminar examined both the horror and the beauty of the corridor in the modern world.

 

Le Corbusier, Unité d’habitation, Marseille, France, 1952

Following the destruction of the Second World War, Le Corbusier designed Unité d’habitation (1945–1952) as a new model for collective living, bringing 330 apartments and shared facilities into a single structure conceived as a “vertical city.” Central to this idea are the interior “streets,” (corridors) which provide access to the apartments while supporting daily life. Designed to resemble village streets, they include letterboxes, delivery boxes, and lighting at each entrance. Their dark, enclosed atmosphere is contrasted by brightly coloured doors and gadgets. By placing access corridors only every three floors, these interior streets become key shared spaces within the building.

Cora Linn Auganes, Astri S. Brynildsrud, Conrad S. Eggen, Elsa Fredriksson, Elena Gruber

 

Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968

Aboard the fictional spacecraft Discovery, the corridors function as spatial anchors in an otherwise indefinable, cinematic architecture. This particular corridor, operating both as a connector and a storage area, appears for no more than ten seconds of the film, yet has influenced sci-fi interiors ever since. The octagonal tube seems uniform from all angles, with only a ladder for orientation. All technical structures are concealed by panels, while recessed, diffused lighting creates a subtly disorientating flatness. Intensely minimal – more machine than hallway – the corridor becomes a tense mediator between manmade space and the surrounding vacuum of uncertainty.

Marie Hag, Tiril Tveit, Adrian Bjørkli, Frida Kaul Varøystrand, Malin Vindheim

 

David Lynch, Twin Peaks (The Red Room), 1990

The Red Room corridor from the 1990 American mystery horror television series Twin Peaks appears without origin, often emerging unexpectedly within a forest clearing. It is defined by heavy red curtains suspended in mid-air, forming an indeterminate spatial boundary. The zigzag patterned floor destabilizes orientation, reinforced by elements such as the Venus statue which constantly shifts position, yet remains the only stable reference point for scale. The corridor offers no clear entry or exit, and its layout resists comprehension. Its ambiguous state contributes to an uncanny spatial experience that operates more as a psychological construct than a conventional architectural passage.

Anna Aronsen Mørk, Emma Elise Ødegård Olsen, Ingeborg Solheim-Allen, Katinka Thormodsrud

 

Gunnar Asplund, Skandiabiografen, Stockholm, 1923

The model shows the upper promenade on the second floor of the Skandia Theatre.

Decorated doors along the auditorium lead to the balcony, while the corridor links the main seating area with the upper level, reinforcing movement and ceremony. These corridors are not merely passageways but part of the architectural experience. With detailed lighting and classical ornamentation, they turn a simple hallway into a spatial journey, wheremovement becomes part of the narrative before the film begins. Painted red with gilt details, with pilasters and unusually thin columns, the doors draw on classical themes inspired by Asplund’s visit to Pompeii.

Hedda Gullestad, Jonas Offerdal, Mari Lande, Mats Lynnebakken, Mikal Hisken