Mass Mass defines a structure to be just that, massive; heavy, dense, bulky, and solid. Mass is typically found where the design and the material of a building create a force that demands to be felt as inherently thick, or in a way suffocating. Even when a material does not feel fundamentally heavy or thick, it can still make the structure as a whole feel massive in the case that it completely wraps the exterior.
The Cottobus Library at BIU, though wrapped in an inherently light material, glass, still feels massive. Why? It's relational to other principles of design. With its amoebic shape, there is a centripetal force demonstrating a pull inwards, specifically towards its center. A common characteristic of mass is that its felt consistently throughout all 3-dimensional planes of space, even at the building core.
The modeled sculpture photographed on the left has a mass. The volume is completely uninterrupted throughout its entire body. In addition, we know that clay is often dense and somewhat difficult to form. From all of these factors there is a strong force of solidity. Modeling Clay Sculpture Illustrating "Stretch"
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Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottobus Library, 1998-2005. Architects: Herzog & de Meuron.
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