26 PRINCIPLES OF ARCHITECTURE GEORGE PEARSON
SPACE
“Space encompasses the stage for human activity, the cadence of our movements, the duration of our experiences.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 99
The use of space as a medium is one of the defining characteristics of architecture that distinguishes it from other art forms. Space is the element of architecture that is most directly experienced because space defines the environment to be occupied and experienced.
“Architecture is the thoughtful making of space.” - Louis Kahn “Space has always been the spiritual dimension of architecture.” – Arthur Erickson
SYMMETRY
“If proportion is the good breeding of architecture, symmetry, or the answering of one part to another, may be defined as the sanity of decoration.” - Edith Wharton
Symmetry as an architectural principle can be found in all time periods, regions, cultures, and contexts. Symmetry projects unity and wholeness as well as appealing to an aesthetic of balance and order.
“Architecture depends on Order, Arrangement, Eurythmy, Symmetry, Propriety, and Economy.” – Vitruvius Figure 1
GRID
Grids serve as a foundation upon which a design can be created. The grid is able to organize features of a design in a repeating pattern while also highlighting any unique components that break away from that pattern.
“The Grid defines a new balance between control and de-control in which the city can be at the same time ordered and fluid, a metropolis of rigid chaos.” – Rem Koolhaas
Figure 2
“If there is perhaps one central phenomenon to all of architecture, from the smallest shed to the largest city and even, at times, to entire states and provinces, it is the grid.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 180
Light and shadows define a space. Through light’s interaction with the objects in a space, other details are illuminated. Individual materials and textures, shapes, and geometries can be identified through light, and depth and contrast can be seen through shadows.
LIGHT
“… light for me is the fundamental basis of architecture. I compose with light …” - Le Corbusier
“We only know the world as it is evoked by light.” – Louis Kahn
Figure 3
CONTEXT
“A work never exists in isolation. There is always a context in which it is situated, and in which a relationship to that context is established.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 48
The context surrounding a building creates a dialogue with it. This dialogue, whether it be complementary or detrimental, allows the context to inform the work while simultaneously giving meaning to the context as the work becomes part of the surroundings.
“The task of the architectural project is to reveal, through the transformation of form, the essence of the surrounding context.” – Vittorio Gregotti “Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context – a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in its environment, an environment in a city plan.” – Eero Saarinen
STRUCTURE
Structure serves to provide framework to support other forms. Using walls, columns, beams, and slabs, structure is able to manipulate how parts of a whole push and pull on each other in order to counter gravity.
“I like ruins because what remains is … the clarity of thought, the naked structure, the spirit of the thing.” – Tadao Ando
Figure 4
“Architects spend an entire life with this unreasonable idea that you can fight against gravity.” - Renzo Piano
FABRICATION
“Aspects of fabrication – the equipment, tools, and methods that form and assemble a structure’s materials – are essential in defining the character of a finished work.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 195
Fabrication involves the methods utilized in the construction of a work or its individual elements. Fabrication is directly influenced by materials and vise versa, as the potential uses of a material inform the manner in which it can be used for construction.
“Techniques of fabrication often expand the characteristics of an existing technology that might have originally been intended or limited to a particular, even nonarchitectural application, making material and structural discoveries that were previously untapped.” – The Language of Architecture, pg. 196
MASS
Mass consists of both additive and subtractive components. The additive component involves the volumes of material present, and the subtractive component involves the voids created by cutting into solid forms. Figure 5
“In architecture, a sense of mass is derived from the noticeable presence of volumetric density.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 64
“No design that is divided at all, and is not divided into masses, can ever be of the smallest value...” – John Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture
MOVEMENT
“It is movement that transforms an otherwise monosyllabic and inert architecture into an endlessly complex and animate one.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 123
Movement involves the experience of continuing through successive spaces. This experience includes combinations of multiple viewpoints from within and around spaces, dynamic dimensions as one moves from space to space, and various potential ways in which the human form can occupy these spaces.
“Architecture exists, like cinema, in the dimension of time and movement.” – Jean Nouvel “The body moves through space every day, and in architecture and cities that can be orchestrated.” – Antoine Predock
ENVIRONMENT
“Architecture exists as just one part of a total environment, engaged in an intricate balance between exploitation and enhancement.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 58
Though similar to the principle of context, environment primarily refers to the natural world and its relationship with architecture. A work can have a variety of interactions with its environment, ranging from battling with the elements and resisting nature to using elements of the natural world as architectural elements and achieving a cohesive balance.
“We borrow from nature the space upon which we build.” – Tadao Ando
“Architecture must concern itself continually with the socially beneficial distortion of the environment.” – Cedric Price
MOVEMENT ORDER
“Order … can affect our understandings of a design’s intended uses, of its potential alternate use patterns, of its sociocultural milieu, and of its designer’s attitudes and “It is movement that transforms an otherwise priorities.” monosyllabic and inert architecture into an - Thecomplex Language Architecture, endlessly andofanimate one.” pg. 171 - The Language of Architecture, pg. 123
Mass consists of both additive and subtractive components. The additive component involves the volumes of material present, and the subtractive component involves the voids created by cutting into solid forms.
“To create architecture is to put in order. Put what in order? Function and objects.” – Le Corbusier Figure 6
PROGRAM
“Programs begin with measurements and expectations but mature with thoughtfulness and understanding, anticipation, and empathy.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 36
Program is essentially the requirements for a building given to an architect by a client and include specifications for the buildings purpose, required facilities, dimensions, etc. Program encompasses the problemsolving aspect of architecture in which an architect must resolve conflicts and find compromises between these factors to create a feasible design.
“Architecture is a service business. An architect is given a program, place, and schedule. Sometimes the end product rises to art – or at least people call it that.” – Frank Gehry
GEOMETRY
“A knowledge of geometry … is also an essential aspect of understanding the genuine and illusionistic aspects of architectural space…” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 187
Every architectural design has some basis in or can find some connection with geometry. The simplest forms of architecture can be created out of basic shapes, and as shapes and patterns meet and interact with one another, the potential for more complex designs emerges. Though such designs may not appear as straightforward as a square or a triangle, the complex form still has roots in geometry.
“You can’t criticize geometry. It’s never wrong.” – Paul Rand “Architecture is geometry made visible in the same sense that music is number made audible.” – Claude F. Bragdon
CONCEPT
A concept is the starting point of a design that implies a path to a finished product. Though it is abstract like an idea, a concept must suggest a real outcome.to create a feasible design.
“A concept is often at the nucleus of a design, to be gradually refined and subtly reconsidered as a process proceeds.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 17
“Practice safe design: Use a concept.” – Petrula Vrontikis
“Even a brick wants to be something.” – Louis Kahn
SCALE
“When it comes to scale, buildings are eternal chameleons – shifty characters, they thrive on belonging simultaneously to multiple and interlocking scales.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 107
The scale of an architectural work is dependent on its context. Scale can mean physical size or perceived and imagined size, but in either case this scale is relative to a work’s other components, its surroundings, or the person viewing it.
“Only architecture that considers human scale and interaction is successful architecture.” – Jan Gehl “Scale can be fleeting or even imaginary, relational or perceptual.” – The Language of Architecture, pg. 108
COLOR
“Color in certain places has the great value of making the outlines and structural planes seem more energetic.” - Antoni Gaudi
Color usage in architecture is more than just decoration. While it can serve an aesthetic purpose, color is used because it is stimulating. In addition to highlighting some element of a building, one’s perception of color can elicit emotions, produce memories, and carry other meanings.
“There is nothing more exciting than incorporating bold, vibrant colors … to create lively, magical spaces…” – Jamie Drake “Color does not add a pleasant quality to design – it reinforces it.” – Pierre Bonnard
TEXTURE
“Totality of architectural design includes textures, the soft and hardness of the material, the smell of the material, and the acoustic effect of the material.” - Kengo Kuma
Any material can be thought of as having two types of texture. The basic level of texture is the feeling of the material itself, including roughness or smoothness and grain size and direction. The texture of a material also exists in how in interacts with light and sound. The way that light and sound reflect off of a material is just as much of a textural trait as the feeling of a material, and the combined textures of different materials help to define the experience of a space.
“Less is more. Texture is essential as well as scale.” – Trip Haenisch “I search for the realness, the real feeling of a subject, al the texture around it…” – Andrew Wyeth
REPRESENTATION
“Representation facilitates the examination and expression of architectural thought, filtered through the unique conventions that are embedded within each specific mode and technique of depiction.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 25
Representation is the main responsibility and task of the architect. Architects do not physically construct a building. Instead, they create the drawings and instructions for construction. Representation is the tool used by an architect to translate an idea or design, primarily through drawings, into a visual work that can be universally understood.
“I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing is faster and leaves less room for lies.” – Le Corbusier “God created paper for the purpose of drawing architecture on it. Everything else is, at least for me, an abuse of paper.” – Alvar Aalto
RHYTHM Rhythm refers to a series of repeating elements that create a pattern in an architectural work. This pattern can draw a viewer’s attention to a certain feature of the building or contribute to an overall order.
“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.” - Maya Angelou
“Greek architecture taught me that the column is where the light is not, and the space between is where the light is. It is a matter of no light, light, no-light, light. A column and a column bring light between them. To make a column which grows out of the wall and which makes its own rhythm of no-light, light, nolight, light: that is the marvel of the artist.” – Louis Kahn
ANALYSIS
“Analysis is the process of exploration and discovery with which an architect develops a familiarity with the assumptions, expectations, and conditions that are given and then establishes the conceptual lens through which all design decisions are subsequently made.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 7
Analysis is the process act of making a claim about an architectural work. This often takes the form of a drawing and is an argument transformed into a visual representation. This representation is often focused on the claim itself and less so on a realistic and exact portrayal of the building. As a result, the product of analysis is often an abstract vessel for an idea.
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas “Architecture is a visual art and the buildings speak for themselves.” – Julia Morgan
INFRASTRUCTURE
“Infrastructure introduces a systemic order, an identifiable armature to which other components can be subsequently attached.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 155
Infrastructure provides the network that connects places together and allows a collection of buildings to efficiently serve a purpose for a society. Infrastructure not only forms the realm that architecture must inhabit, but it becomes an indispensable tool that a building must rely on to function.
“Infrastructure is much more important than architecture.” – Rem Koolhaas “Most of the time, we live our lives within these invisible systems, blissfully unaware of the artificial life, the intensely designed infrastructures that support them.” – Bruce Mau
MATERIALS
“Materials, both natural and artificial, retain traces of their origin, and they communicate intrinsic qualities that evoke associations and responses in their perceivers.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 88
Materials are the the component of architecture at the smalles scale. Materials coolected together in structure then form architecture and all of the details that one notices at material scale begin to interact as an entire architectural work.
“Even a brick wants to be something.” – Louis Kahn “When I start, my first idea for a building is with the material. I believe architecture is about that. It’s not about paper, It’s not about forms. It’s about space and material.” – Peter Zumthor
PROPORTION
“The secret of architectural excellence is to translate the proportions of a dachshund into bricks, mortar, and marble.” - Christopher Wren
Proportion involves the sizes of architectural elements relative to one another, but unlike scale, it is typically thought of in terms of ratios. Many historical precedents contain intentional usage of certain proportions, such as the golden ratio and the ratios of the human body. Effectively used proportions create a visually pleasing and harmonic form.
“Proportions are what makes the old Greek temples classic in their beauty. They are like huge blocks, from which the air has been literally hewn out between the columns.” – Arne Jacobsen “Order is the balanced adjustment of the details of the work separately, and, as to the whole, the arrangement of the proportion with a view to a symmetrical result.” – Vitruvius
CONTRAST
“We actually understand materials best by contrast. Our senses are wired in such a way that rough feels rougher by contrast with smooth.” - Ilse Crawford
There are many forms of contrast in architecture, including darkness and light, solid and void, and private and public spaces. Through contrast, each component stands out more than either component individually. Contrast draws a viewer’s focus and is another tool architects can use to draw attention to a particular feature.
“Buildings, too, are children of earth and sun.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
DIALOGUE
“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.” - Frank Gehry
Dialogue refers to the constant evolution of architecture’s relationships with its context, including other surrounding buildings, its community, and the perceptions of those who encounter it. Architecture is not a static, singular moment or event. The discussion of an architectural work continues and transforms as the world around it changes and responds to it.
“Build, don’t talk” – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
PRESENTATION
“Presentation drawings are intended to stand in for the form and the experience of an eventual, constructed work.” - The Language of Architecture, pg. 207
Presentation drawings can serve as either a compilation of speculative ideas or a representation of a finished design that can communicate the focal concepts of a design to a viewer. They can either be accurate, realistic drawings meant to show a clear, developed design or they can be more abstract, with the goal of showing a concept instead of a product.
“I make the drawings. If someone wants to build from those, that’s up to them.” – Lebbeus Woods “You can use an eraser on the drafting table or a sledgehammer on the construction site.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
FIGURES Figure 1- Lotus Temple, Fariborz Sahba, 1986, https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/ events-things-to-do/know-your-monument-lotustemple-number-nine-5803987/ Figure 2- Grid Commercial Building, T-Square Design Associates, 2018, https:// www10.aeccafe.com/blogs/archshowcase/2019/10/03/grid-commercialbuilding-in-nishinomiya-japan-by-t-squaredesign-associates/ Figure 3- Pantheon, 125 AD, https://www.history. com/news/is-romes-pantheon-a-giant-sundial Figure 4- Caryatid Porch, Acropolis, 495-429 BC, https://jameslawton.net/the-porch-of-thecaryatids-3/ Figure 5- Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, I. M. Pei, 1973, https://www.pinterest.com/ pin/287174913718034739/ Figure 6- o Figure 6- Villa Capra “La Rotunda�, Andrea Palladio, 1592, https://www.pinterest. com/pin/520236194425695998/