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PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF FORM

Point, Line (1 dim.), Plane (2 dim.), and Volume (3 dim.)

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The Point

Static, centralized, and

directionless
End of 2 lines, intersection,
centre
Make presence at the
centre (stable and at rest)
organizing surrounding
and dominating / off centre
(aggressive, compete, visual
tension)

Pyramidal composition culminates in a spire

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Two Points (describe line, give length, considered a segment, suggest dominant axis)

The Line

Describing path of point in motion

Serve to join, link, support, surround
Describe edges, and give shape to plane
Articulate surfaces of planes

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Vertical line (gravity, human cond.), Horizontal (stability, ground. horizon, body at rest), Oblique
Thickness, repetition (falling, rising)

Linear Elements

Vertical linear elements

define transparent volume

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Express movement across space

Provide support

Linear Elements

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From Line to Plane Linear Elements defining Planes

The Altes Museum in Berlin (1823), the monumental order of the 18 fluted ionic columns

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Interior of The Agora of Athens, Greece

The Plane

Define 3 dim. volumes

Line extended, shape (contour line forming edges) Overhead plane

Define limits and boundaries of volume Wall plane
Base plane

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The Volume

Planes interrelationships Solid/void

Volumetric Elements

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Mario Botta Secanda armchair

“Architecture form is the point of

contact between mass and space
… Architecture forms, textures,
materials, modulation of light
and shade, colour, all combine to
inject a quality or spirit that
articulates space.”
Edmund N. Bacon, The Design of Cities, 1974

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Primary Shapes

Gestalt Psychology: The mind simplifies the visual environment I order to understand it.

The simpler and most regular shape is, the easier it is to perceive and understand.
Given any composition of forms, we tend to reduce the subject matter in our visual field to
the simplest and most regular shapes.

FORM

1. Properties of Form

2. Shape

3. Primary Shapes
Circle/Triangle/Square

4. Primary Solids

5. Regular and Irregular Forms

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Forms have relational properties which govern the pattern and composition of
elements.

1.  A changing perspective or angle of view presents different shapes or aspects of a form
to our eyes.
2.  Our distance from a form determines its apparent size.
3.  The lighting conditions under which we view a form affects the clarity of its shape and
structure.
4.  The visual field surrounding a form influences our ability to read and identify it.

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Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, France,

1950-55, Le Corbusier

The over-texture of the paving, Komazawa Olympic Park, Japan

A series of photos showing the relationship between the distance and texture

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The pattern of the paving, Komazawa Olympic Park, Japan

Suleymaniya Mosque, Istanbul, Sinan, 1551-58

Central Pavillion, Horyu-Ji, Nara, Japan, A.D. 607

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In architecture, we are concerned with the shapes of:

1.  Floor, wall, and ceiling planes that enclose space
2.  Door and window openings within a spatial enclosure
3.  Silhouettes and contours of building forms

Villa Garches, France, Le Corbusier, 1926-27

The Circle

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The Triangle

Roman Theater

Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza, Egypt, 2500 B.C.

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Modern Art Museum, Caracas, Venezuela, Oscar The St. Petersburg Pier, 1973, Florida
Niemeyer, 1955

The Square

Bathhouse, Jewish Community Centre, New

Jersey, Louis kahn, 1954-59 Agora of Ephesus, Asia Minor

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Primary Solids
The primary shapes can be extended or rotated to generate
volumetric forms or solids which are distinct, regular, and
easily recognizable.
1.  Circles generate spheres and cylinders
2.  Triangles generate cones and pyramids
3.  Squares generate cubes

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Regular and Irregular Forms

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The Walt Disney Concert Hall, Frank,

Gehry. Los Angeles, 2003

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