floorstory

Floorstory is a term used in architecture and design to describe the narrative content and functional history associated with a building’s individual floors. The word blends floor, meaning a level of a building, with story in the sense of a narrative. The concept treats each floor as a discrete story within a larger structure, focusing on spatial, social, and material histories and how that level contributes to the building’s overall meaning.

Origins and usage

Floorstory emerged in architectural humanities and design discourse as digital tools such as building information modeling and interactive visualizations made it feasible to present floor-level histories alongside plans. It is used by designers, historians, curators, and educators to communicate how a space functions over time and how people experience different levels.

Concept and methods

Practitioners examine a floor’s functions, occupancy, circulation, materials, access, daylight, and acoustics, linking these factors to social practices and organizational histories. Methods include annotated floor plans, archival research, floor diaries or occupant interviews, and multimedia visualizations or VR walk-throughs that convey a floor’s “story” within the building’s broader narrative.

Applications

Floorstory is used in heritage documentation, architectural education, and museum or exhibition design to convey spatial temporality. It also appears in urban design and real estate marketing as a way to communicate the character and usability of different levels within a building or development.

See also

Building storytelling, narrative architecture, spatial storytelling, architectural heritage documentation.

Notes

As a relatively recent concept, floorstory articles and practices vary in definition and method, reflecting evolving approaches to narrating built space.