AR 114B THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE 1

 Shape is the primary identifying characteristic determined by the contour of the line forming the
edges of the plane

Supplementary Properties of a Plane:

 Surface color
 Pattern affects visual weight & stability
 Texture

 The key element in the vocabulary of Arch’l Design

 Formation of 3D volumes of mass & space
 Properties of each plane:
o Size
o Shape
o Color
o Texture
o Spatial relationship tp each other

3 GENERIC TYPES OF PLANES : (Architecture)

1. OVERHEAD PLANE
a. ROOF – shelters interior spaces of a bldg. from climatic elements
b. CEILING – upper enclosing surface of a room
2. WALL PLANE – active in our normal field of vision
& vital to shaping & enclosure of Arch’l Space
3. BASE PLANE
a. GROUND – Physical foundation & visual base for building forms
b. FLOOR – the lower enclosing surface of a room upon which we walk

CEILING

WALL WALL

ROOF
WALL

FLOOR
 The topographic character of the GROUND PLANE influences the form of building that rises from it.
 Podium, elevated, stepped

 The FLOOR PLANE sustains the force of gravity as we move around & place objects for use on it.
 Texture & Density of flooring influences acoustical quality & how we feel as we walk across
space
 FAÇADE OF A BUILDING: Protection from climatic elements
 Openings establish connection w/ the exterior environment
 Molds interior space & shapes form & massing & image of a bldg.

 CEILING PLANE: Out of reach & purely visual & can serve as a repository for frescoes & other means
of artistic expression
Consists of:
 POINTS/VERTICES where several planes come together
 LINES/EDGES where two planes meet
 PLANES/SURFACES which define the limits or boundaries of a volume

 FORM is the primary identifying characteristic established by shapes & interrelationships of the
planes that describe the boundaries of volume.

 A 3-D ELEMENT in Arch’l Design, it is:

o SOLID – space displaced by mass
o VOID – space contained or enclosed by planes

 In Architecture, VOLUME is seen as a portion of space contained & defined by WALL, FLOOR &
CEILING/ROOF as shown in PLAN, SECTION & ELEVATIONS.

 Building forms that stand as objects in the landscape can be read as occupying volumes in space.
 Building forms that serve as containers can be read as masses that define volumes of space.

- occupying volume - defining volume

 AN EXTERNAL APPEARANCE THAT CAN BE RECOGNIZED
Ex. Chair for seating
 IN DESIGN, THE FORMAL STRUCTURE OF A WORK – achieved by arranging elements
 Suggests reference to both internal structure & external outline that gives unity to the whole

 The CHARACTERISTIC OUTLINE OF A PLANE, FIGURE OR THE SURFACE CONFIGURATION OF A

VOLUMERIC FORM
 Means of recognizing, identifying and categorizing particular figures & forms.
 Depends on visual contrasts between the figure and its field.
 In Architecture, we are concerned with:
o FLOOR, WALLS, CEILING – enclose space
o DOOR & WINDOWS w/in spatial enclosure
o Silhouettes & Contours of Building forms

“The mind simplify the visual environment in order to understand it"

- A centralized, introverted figure that is normally stable & self-centering in its

environment.

Ex. Tholos, Greece ; Stonehenge, England

 - Signifies stability when resting on one of its sides
- When tipped on one of its vertices, it is balanced in a state of equilibrium

Ex. Hanoi Museum, Vietnam

- A static & neutral figure having no preferred direction

- RECTANGLE – variation of a square

Ex. Stuttgart City Library; UN Headquarters, NY

 - Extended or rotated primary shapes that generate volumetric forms or
solids which are distinct, regular & easily recognizable
- SOLID : 3D Geometric body or figure

- Generated by the revolution of a semi-circle about its diameter

- Surface is all points equidistant from the center
- Centralized & highly concentrated
- Remains circular shape from any viewpoint
- Self-centering & normally stable
Ex. Epcot, Disneyworld, Florida

- Generated by the revolution of a rectangle

- Centralized about the axis passing through the centers of its two circular faces
- Stable when resting on one of its circular faces
Ex. MIT Chapel, Massachusetts
 - Generated by the revolution of a right triangle about one of its sides
- Stable when resting on its circular base
- Unstable when its vertical axis is tipped
- Precarious state of balance when resting on its apex
Ex. Conical bldg. in Songjang, China

- Polyhedron having a polygonal base & triangular faces meeting at a common point or
vertex
- Similar properties to those of a cone
- Surfaces are flat planes
- Can rest on a stable manner on any of its sides
- Hard & angular
Ex. Luxor, Las Vegas
 - Prismatic solid bounded by six equal square sides
- Angle bet. Any two adjacent faces is a right angle
- Static form: lacks movement/direction
- Stable except when it stands on one of its edge or corners
- Highly recognizable
Ex. Atlas Bldg., Netherlands; T-Digit Expo, Hannover

- Parts are related to one another in a consistent & orderly manner

- Generally stable
- Symmetrical about one or more axis
Ex. Sphere, cone, cube, cylinder
- Regularity is maintained even when:
 Transformed dimensionally
 Addition/subtraction of elements

- Parts are dissimilar in nature & related to one another in an inconsistent

manner
- Generally asymmetrical & more dynamic from regular forms from which
irregular elements have been subtracted or result from irregular
composition of regular forms
- Regular forms can be contained within irregular forms & vice versa
 

Unite d’ Habitation, France

(Dimensional Transformation)
Cinder Block House

(Subtractive Transformation)
 – more dynamic

GWATHMEY Residence, NY

(Subtractive & Additive Transformation)


- A form can be transformed by altering one or more of its dimensions
(height, width or length) and still retain its identity as a member of a
family of forms.


- A form can be transformed by subtracting a portion of its volume.
- Depending on the extent of the subtractive process, the form can retain
its initial identity or be transformed into a form of another family.


- A form can be transformed by addition of elements to its volume.
- The nature of the additive process and the number and relative sizes of
the elements being attached determine whether the identity of the initial
form is altered or retained.
AR 114B THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE 1

1. Project the Top View, Front Elevation & Right Side Elevation of the given Bldg.
Isometric on a short bond paper.
2. Identify the Four Primary Elements of Design in each view.
Illustrate only the defining lines (don’t include the tiles & scorelines).

1. Cut & paste three building examples (each) that can best illustrate Regular and
Irregular Forms . Explain each case briefly w/ block illustrations.

Read further about “TRANSFORMATION OF FORM”

Architecture: Form, Space, & Order
By Francis D.K. Ching

Be ready for a quiz on Wed., Sept.4, 2013