History of Interior Design II 11. Attributes of the Space
Tutor : Amal Shah Spring 2021 Faculty of Design, CEPT University
Proportion and Scale Anthropometry For the rhythmic relationships of buildings and spaces. the harmonic proportions of the human body and some of the products of nature were examined. The human body has always been a revered example for architectonic composition. The master builder finds in it the ideal harmonic form. Its functional and structural requirements have been answered to perfection and expressed in a fantastic structure of order and hierarchy. Bones, organs, muscles and tissue are structured not only for optimum function but also for aesthetic fulfilment.
Proportion and Scale Proportioning systems go beyond the functional and technical determinants of architectural form and space to provide an aesthetic rationale for their dimensions. They can visually unify the multiplicity of elements in an architectural design by having all of its parts belong to the same family of proportions. They can provide a sense of order in, and heighten the continuity of, a sequence of spaces. They can establish relationships between the exterior and interior elements of a building.
Segmentation of a circle into various number of segments to achieve proportions
The geometric construction of the Golden Section, first by extension, and then by division
Theories of Proportion: Golden Section Classical Orders Renaissance Theories Anthropometry Scale
Number sequences of segmentations
Golden Section Proportion and Scale
Golden Section The Golden Section has some remarkable algebraic and geometric properties that account for its existence in architecture as well as in the structures of many living organisms. Any progression based on the Golden Section is at once additive and geometrical. Another progression that closely approximates the Golden Section in whole numbers is the Fibonacci Series: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…. Each term again is the sum of the two preceding ones, and the ratio between two consecutive terms tends to approximate the Golden Section as the series progresses to infinity.
The Parthenon, Athens, 447–432 B.C.
Tempietto, St. Pietro, Rome, 1502 –1510, Donato Bramante
Proportion and Scale Renaissance Theories
Within the Villa Foscari you are aware of the thickness of the walls that separate the rooms, each of which has been given definitive and precise form. At either end of the cross-arm of the central hall is a square room measuring 16 x 16 feet. It lies between a larger and a smaller rectangular room, the one 12 x 16, the other 16 x 24 feet, or twice as large. The special effect of the hall in this firmly interlocked composition is produced by its great height, the barrel vaulted ceiling towering high above the side rooms into the mezzanine. But, you may ask, does the visitor actually experience these proportions? The answer is yes—not the exact measurements but the fundamental idea behind them. You receive an impression of a noble, firmly integrated composition in which each room presents an ideal form within a greater whole. You also feel the rooms are related in size. Nothing is trivial—all is great and whole.” -Steen Eiler Rasmussen Experiencing Architecture (1962)
Villa Foscari,, Italy, 1558, Andrea Palladio
Proportion and Scale
St. Etienne. Auxerre
Crossing emerges as the geometrical centre
The width of the central nave approximately inscribes a circle with twentyfour segments and follows Golden section proportions
Structural and aesthetic requirements coexist in perfect symbiosis here. Also, the wall composition, between the axis of the marginal shafts and the height of the vault's central spine, (the structural centre of the stone spine has been measured) can be inscribed in a perfect square, height to base.
St. Etienne. Auxerre
As in all these classic Gothic examples, the In Auxerre Cathedral the rhythm along the carefully set apart 240 St. Etienne, Auxerre transverse axis has been measured as: side elevation visually from the rest of the comp chapel : aisle : nave, is 5 : 7 : 14 paces. In other words, the ratio between chapel and aisle is 1 : 1 .4 ( 1 : V2). and between aisle and nave, 1 : 2.
Proportion and Scale Modular
The size of a room is designated by the number of its floor mats. The traditional floor mat was originally proportioned to accommodate two persons sitting or one person sleeping. In the Kyo-ma method, the floor mat remained constant and the column spacing varied according to the size of the room and range.. As the ordering system of the ken grid developed, however, the floor mat lost its dependence on human dimensions and was subjected to the demands of the structural system and its column spacing. Because of their 1:2 modularity, the floor mats can be arranged in a number of ways for any given room size.
x x
2x
2x
In a typical Japanese residence, the ken grid orders the structure as well as the additive, space-to-space sequence of rooms. The relatively small size of the module allows the rectangular spaces to be freely arranged in linear, staggered, or clustered patterns.
Proportion and Scale Interactions of elements proportionately
St. Etienne. Auxerre
St. Michael, Munich, proportional analysis of the cross-section
Forms Architectural form is the point of contact between mass and space. Architectural forms, textures, materials, modulation of light and shade, color, all combine to inject a quality or spirit that articulates space.
Transformation of Forms All other forms can be understood to be transformations of the primary solids, variations which are generated by the manipulation of one or more dimensions or by the addition or subtraction of elements.
Basic Properties of Form
Shape Principle aspect to identify forms
Size The physical dimensions of a form
Colour A phenomenon of light and visual perception.
Texture Visual and tactile quality of a form
Dimensional Transformation: A form can be transformed by altering one or more of its dimensions and still retain its identity as a member of a family of forms
Subtractive Transformation: A form can be transformed by subtracting a portion of its volume. Based on the extent of the subtractive process, it can retain its initial identity or transform into a different form.
Additive Transformation: A form is transformed by the addition of elements to its volume. The process, number and relative sizes of the elements being attached determine whether the identity of the form is altered or retained.
Transformation of Forms- Additive Forms Additive Forms
Centralized Forms
Linear forms
Clustered forms
Additive Transformation of a Parent Form by the attachment of Subordinate Parts In the Church of the Santissimo Redentore, the central cuboidal form forms the primary form and there are various other secondary forms attached to that mass linearly.
A cluster of interlocking forms Here due to the intersection, the primary and secondary forms both change in nature. Grid Forms
Clustered Forms
Radial Forms
Villa Rotunda
Transformation of FormsDimensional Forms
Subtractive Forms This temple is carved out from a sandstone which is subtracting from the mass and moulding to integrate a different form in the primary form. This subtractive form is used to transform and integrate spaces in the primary form.
Plan of an Elliptical Church, Pensiero Della Chiesa S. Carlo In this Church the cuboidal form is stretched from the edges to tweak the form. This is done by the architect to squeeze the church into a little space. The church's primary facade is made up of three bays that form a serpentine pattern. The bay with the door is convex but the bays on either side are concave. On the upper story, all three bays are concave.
Khasneh al Faroun, Petra
Surfaces In the transition from the shapes of planes to the forms of volumes is situated the realm of surfaces.
Surface Articulation: Our perception of the shape, size, scale, proportion, and visual weight of a plane is influenced by its surface properties as well as its visual context. Foreground-Background: A distinct contrast between the surface color of a plane and that of the surrounding field can clarify its shape,
Translational surfaces are generated by sliding a plane curve along a straight line or over another plane curve. While ruled surfaces are generated by the motion of a straight line. The projections of the lines also make the construction of the form easier.
View: A frontal view reveals the true shape of a plane; oblique views distort it
Size and Scale: Elements of known size within the visual context of a plane can aid our perception of its size and scale.
Texture: Texture and color together affect the visual weight and scale of a plane and the degree to which it absorbs or reflects light and sound. Rotational surfaces are generated by rotating a plane curve about an axis.
Curved Surfaces: Saddle surfaces have an upward curvature in one direction and a downward curvature in the perpendicular direction. Regions of downward curvature exhibit archlike action while regions of upward curvature behave as a cable structure
Patterns: Directional or oversized optical patterns can distort the shape or exaggerate the proportions of a plane.
Light in Space
The Light in Space changes the perception of form and space based on the angle and nature of its penetration and the size of the openings.
Light in Space The first modifying element of architecture is light. Light is a condition of architecture, but it can also be an element. Light from the sky is the medium through which sighted people experience the products of architecture; but light, both natural and artificial, can be manipulated by design to identify places and to give places particular character. Light can be related to activity. Different kinds of light are appropriate for different kinds of activity. A jeweller at his workbench needs strong light over a particular area. An artist painting in her studio needs constant and even light. Light changes and can be altered. Light from the sky varies through the cycles of night and day, and during different times of the year; sometimes it may be shaded or defused by clouds. Daylight can be exploited in making places. Its qualities can be changed by the ways it is allowed into a building. Some old houses have broad chimney stacks (below middle). Open to the sky they allow a dim ‘religious’ light to illuminate the hearth. As the sun moves across the sky, through the dark interior a rectangle of its beams tracks like a slowly moving searchlight – the eye of God? In the side chapel of the same church Le Corbusier used deep circular roof-lights, like broad gun barrels with brightly coloured inner surfaces, to illuminate the places of the altars.
Colour and Texture in Space
The color, texture, and pattern of surfaces articulate the existence of planes and influence the visual weight of a form..
The Crystal palace London where the usage of glass lightens the visual weight of the form.
The color infused in a space through various direct-indirect means of painting surfaces, reflections of light, helps change the perception of a space...
The contrast created by colour and pattern in space, highlights the foreground background relationship in a volume.