Corridors—transitional, purely functional spaces—seem a ubiquitous architectural feature in offices, subway systems and many homes. This, however, was not always the case. The word derives from the Spanish corredor (runner), messengers in 14th-century Spain for whom nobles built passageways that would expedite their journeys. Elsewhere in Europe, in palaces like Versailles or large public buildings, rooms were not connected to or separated from each other with corridors. Rather, they were designed as enfilades—suites in which one room led directly into another. This story is from Kinfolk Issue Twenty-Nine Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 43 Stone Cold A history of spite architecture. Arts & Culture Issue 40 Olalekan Jeyifous On fantastical architecture and sci-fi Brooklyn. Arts & Culture Design Issue 39 What the Duck An introduction to duck architecture. Arts & Culture Issue 37 Beneath the Rubble On the appeal of ancient ruins. Arts & Culture Issue 32 Essay: One Up, One Down Tim Hornyak explores Tokyo's scrap-and-build culture. Arts & Culture Issue 31 Noura & Anne Amid the turbo-development and futuristic cities of the Arabian Gulf, two architects have found a slower pace—and each other—in Bahrain.
Arts & Culture Issue 32 Essay: One Up, One Down Tim Hornyak explores Tokyo's scrap-and-build culture.
Arts & Culture Issue 31 Noura & Anne Amid the turbo-development and futuristic cities of the Arabian Gulf, two architects have found a slower pace—and each other—in Bahrain.
