FORM

[three-dimensional elements of design]

&SPACE
ADESPRN
(Module 4)
De La Salle College of Saint Benilde
School of Design and Arts
Ar. Luis Carlo D. Sapno B.S. Architecture
“We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel; but it is on the
space where there is nothing that the utility of the wheel depends.

We turn to clay to make a vessel; but it is on the space where there is

nothing that the utility of the vessel depends.

We pierce doors and windows to make a house; and it is on these

spaces where there is nothing that the utility of the house depends.

Therefore, just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize

the utility of what is not.”
Lao-tzu
Tao Te Ching
6th century BC
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Our visual field normally consists of heterogeneous elements that

differ in shape, size, color or orientation.

To comprehend better the structure of a visual field, we tend to

organize its elements into two opposing groups:

• positive elements – perceived as the figures

• Negative elements – perceived as the background for the figures

a a
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At times the relationship between figures and their background is so

ambiguous that we visually switch their identities back and forth
almost simultaneously.

In all cases, however, we should understand that figures, the positive

elements that attract our attention, could not exist without a
contrasting background.

Figures and their backgrounds, therefore, are more than opposing

elements. Together, they form an inseparable reality – a unity of
opposites – just as elements of form and space together form the
reality of architecture.
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The symbiotic relationship of the forms of mass and space in

architecture can be examined and found to exist at several different
scales.

At each level, we should be concerned not only with the form of a

building, but also its impact on the space around it.

We carefully consider whether the role of a building is to continue

the existing fabric of a place, form a backdrop for other buildings, or
define an urban space, whether it might be appropriate for it to
stand free as a significant object in space.
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At the scale of a building site, there are

various strategies for relating the form
of a building to the space around it. A
building can:

A. Form a wall along an edge of its site

and define a positive outdoor space

B. Surround and enclose a courtyard

or atrium space within its volume

C. Merge its interior space with the

private outdoor space of a walled
site
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D. Enclose a portion of its site as an

outdoor room

E. Stand as a distinct form in space and

dominate its site

F. Stretch out and present a broad face

to a feature of its sites
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G. Stand free within its site but have

private exterior spaces be an extension
of its interior spaces

H. Stand as a positive form in a

negative space
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Architectural form occurs at the juncture between mass and space.

In executing and reading design drawings, we should be concerned
with both the form of the mass containing a volume of space as well
as the form of the spatial volume itself.
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the horizontal plane

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BASE PLANE

A horizontal plane laying as a figure

on a contrasting background
defines a simple field of space. This
field can be visually reinforced in
the following ways:

• Elevated Base Plane

• Depressed Base Plane

• Overhead Plane
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BASE PLANE

For a horizontal plane to be seen as a figure, there must be a

perceptible change in color, tone, or texture between its surface and
that of the surrounding area.
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BASE PLANE

Although there is a continuous flow of space across it, the field

nevertheless generates a spatial zone or realm within its boundaries.
FORM & SPACE A horizontal plane elevated
above the ground plane
BASE PLANE establishes vertical surfaces
along its edges that reinforce
the visual separation between
A horizontal plane laying as a figure
its field and the surrounding
on a contrasting background
ground
defines a simple field of space. This
field can be visually reinforced in
the following ways:

• Elevated Base Plane

• Depressed Base Plane

• Overhead Plane
FORM & SPACE A horizontal plane elevated
above the ground plane
BASE PLANE establishes vertical surfaces
along its edges that reinforce
the visual separation between
A horizontal plane laying as a figure
its field and the surrounding
on a contrasting background
ground
defines a simple field of space. This
field can be visually reinforced in
the following ways:

• Elevated Base Plane

• Depressed Base Plane

• Overhead Plane
FORM & SPACE A horizontal plane depressed
into the ground plane utilizes
BASE PLANE the vertical surfaces of the
lowered area to define a
volume of space.
A horizontal plane laying as a figure
on a contrasting background
defines a simple field of space. This
field can be visually reinforced in
the following ways:

• Elevated Base Plane

• Depressed Base Plane

• Overhead Plane
FORM & SPACE A horizontal plane depressed
into the ground plane utilizes
BASE PLANE the vertical surfaces of the
lowered area to define a
volume of space.
A horizontal plane laying as a figure
on a contrasting background
defines a simple field of space. This
field can be visually reinforced in
the following ways:

• Elevated Base Plane

• Depressed Base Plane

• Overhead Plane
FORM & SPACE A horizontal plane located
overhead defines a volume of
BASE PLANE space between itself and the
ground plane.
A horizontal plane laying as a figure
on a contrasting background
defines a simple field of space. This
field can be visually reinforced in
the following ways:

• Elevated Base Plane

• Depressed Base Plane

• Overhead Plane
FORM & SPACE A horizontal plane located
overhead defines a volume of
BASE PLANE space between itself and the
ground plane.
A horizontal plane laying as a figure
on a contrasting background
defines a simple field of space. This
field can be visually reinforced in
the following ways:

• Elevated Base Plane

• Depressed Base Plane

• Overhead Plane
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Elevating a Base Plane

Elevating a portion of the base

plane creates a specific domain
within a larger spatial context.
The changes in level that occur
along the edges of the elevated
plane define the boundaries of
its field and interrupts the flow
of space across its surface.
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Elevating a Base Plane

Depending on the
characteristics of the surface,
the plane could either be:

• part of or contiguous to its

surrounding, or;

• could be a plateau that is

separate and distinct from
the background it sits on
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Elevating a Base Plane

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Elevating a Base Plane

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Elevating a Base Plane

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Elevating a Base Plane

The degree to which spatial and visual continuity is maintained

between an elevated space and its surroundings depends on the
scale of the level change.
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Elevating a Base Plane

1. The edge of the field is well-defined; visual and spatial continuity

is maintained; physical access is easily accommodated.
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Elevating a Base Plane

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Elevating a Base Plane

2. Visual continuity is maintained; spatial continuity is interrupted;

physical access requires the use of stairs or ramps.
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Elevating a Base Plane

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Elevating a Base Plane

3. Visual and spatial continuity is interrupted; the field of the

elevated plane is isolated from the ground or floor plane; the
elevated plane is transformed into a sheltering element for the
space below.
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Elevating a Base Plane

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Depressed Base Plane

Lowering a portion of the base

plane isolates a field of space from
a larger context. The vertical
surfaces of the depression
establish the boundaries of the
field. These boundaries are not
implied as in the case of an
elevated plane, but visible edges
that begin to form the walls of the
space.
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Depressed Base Plane

The field of space can be further

articulated by contrasting the
surface treatment of the lowered
area and that of the surrounding
base plane.
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Depressed Base Plane

A contrast in form,
geometry, or
orientation can also
visually reinforce the
identity and
independence of the
sunken field from its
larger spatial context.
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Depressed Base Plane

The degree of spatial continuity between a depressed field and the

raised area surrounding it depends on the scale of the level change.

1. The depressed field can be an interruption of the ground or floor

plane and remain an integral part of the surrounding space
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Depressed Base Plane

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Depressed Base Plane

2. Increasing the depth of the depressed field weakens its visual

relationship with the surrounding space and strengthens its
definition as a distinct volume of space.
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Depressed Base Plane

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Depressed Base Plane

3. Once the original base plane is above our eye-level, the depressed
field becomes a separate and distinct room in itself.
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Depressed Base Plane

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Depressed Base Plane

Creating a steeped, terraced, or ramped transition from one level to

the next helps promote continuity between a sunken space and the
area that rises around it.
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Depressed Base Plane

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Depressed Base Plane

Whereas the act of stepping up to an elevated space might express

the extroverted nature or significance of the space, the lowering of a
space below its surroundings might allude to its introverted nature or
to its sheltering and protective qualities.
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Depressed Base Plane

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Depressed Base Plane

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Depressed Base Plane

The ground plane can be lowered to define sheltered outdoor spaces
for underground buildings. A sunken courtyard, while protected from
surface-level wind and noise by the mass surrounding it, remains a
source of air, light, and views for the underground spaces opening
onto it.
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Overhead Plane

Similar to the manner in which a shade tree offers a sense of

enclosure beneath its umbrella structure, an overhead plane defines
a field of space between itself and the ground plane.
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Overhead Plane

Since the edges of the overhead plane establish the boundaries of

this field, its shape, size, and height above the ground plane
determines the formal qualities of the space.
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Overhead Plane

If vertical elements such as columns or posts are used to support the

overhead plane, they will aid in visually establishing the limits of the
defined space without disrupting the flow of space through the field.
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Overhead Plane

Similarly, if the edges of the overhead plane are turned downward, or

if the base plane beneath it is articulated by a change in level, the
boundaries of the defined volume of space will be visually reinforced.
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Overhead Plane
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Overhead Plane
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Overhead Plane
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Overhead Plane

The major overhead element of a building is its roof plane. It not only
shelters the interior spaces of a building from sun, rain, and snow, but
also has a major impact on the overall form of a building and the
shaping of its spaces.

The form of the roof plane, in turn, is determined by the material,

geometry, and proportions of its structural system and the manner
in which it transfers its loads across space to its supports.
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Overhead Plane
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Overhead Plane

The ceiling plane of an interior space can reflect the form of the
structural system supporting the overhead floor or roof plane.

The ceiling plane can be detached from the floor or roof plane and
become a visually active element in space.
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Overhead Plane

As in the case of the base plane, the ceiling plane can be manipulated
to define and articulate zones of space within a room.

It can be lowered or elevated to alter the scale of a space, define a

path of movement through it, or allow natural light to enter it from
above.
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Overhead Plane
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Overhead Plane
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Overhead Plane
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Overhead Plane