Spatial Principles Workbook- CC 1st yr BA

Workbook on Spatial Principles Dominika Rakoczy BA Architecture, year 1

Introduction The architectural history should be important to contemporary architects. The development of architecture shows the evolution of civilization. Studying that structure helps understanding the humans and their needs, which is a base for modern architecture.

It also shows what structures stood the test of time. By this I mean spatial principles on which is this workbook. Those are the compositions, that by their practical use and efficiency in social exploitation showed their true and nonsubstitutable meaning to the society.

Besides, comprehending the transformation from the primitive shelters to the contemporary mass housing or high-tech skyscrapers can explain and inspire by the massive development and handful of means that helped to achieve it. This understanding can lead to new innovations.

It is crucial to understand the difference between a building and a piece of architecture. Nearly everything that encloses space, so human could move in is a building. The architecture should bring an aesthetic appeal, or according to Vitruvius should possess the following criteria: commodity, firmness and delight.

Important is the fact, that history matters and gives great sense of knowledge, but shouldn’t be repeated. It’s the other aspect of learning the cultural context. Up-to-date architecture should be preceding its age, as it is going to last for next generations. Building constructions in a style of past eras is just out of context and could only be formed on bygone orders.

Architecture for me is an art of imitation, but in a sense of innovation.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII.

Prehistoric House Temple Atrium Theatre Stoa Marriage of Lumen and Lux Formal Models

VIII. IX. X.

Royal College of Physicians King’s Cross station London Central Mosque, Regent’s Park

"The lofty hut which the Myrmidons had built for their king, hewing for it beams of fir - and they had roofed it over with

Prehistoric House

shaggy thatch, gathered from the meadows; and around it they made for him, their king a great court with thick-set stakes.”

There are no confirmed thesis about the origin of architecture. All the existing theories are mythologized stories and we still can't answer the question how did the first building or construction did look like.

Probably the most accurate theory is that “the incentive to build was an outcome of Neolithic Revolution: a point of transition in the changing pattern of human behaviour, at which the tribal organization of hunters and cave dwellers was discarded in favour of better-coordinated agricultural communities”. 1 In the “Ten Books on Architecture”, which is also the oldest remaining treatise on the art of building, Vitruvius tells his idea which he calls “The Origin of the Dwelling Houses”. In his opinion it all started with primitive human beings, whose lifestyle was feral and independent so they had no need of language or communication. But after a fire destroys the forest they used to occupy, they still come back to the place and with this gathering they establish a community.

As they begin to speak, the humans also start building primitive shelters, which led to house building, civilisation and ultimately architecture.

People around the globe had the same basic need to construct artificial shelters or dwellings, and even though each tribe had its own way of building, it was still in a sense of community, safety and entertainment.

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Achilles is important figure for Myrmidons. They share a bond and are devoted to him. That is why they built a temporary structure for him.

Besides Vitruvius' work there are yet another pieces giving architectural details on Mycenaean and Ancient Greek cultures. In "Odyssey" there is a chapter about Odysseus encountering the Cyclopes and describing their primitive housing:

of megaron and court is a characteristic feature of Mycenaean architecture.

"high cave roofed over with laurels. In front of the yard there is a high courtyard, built with stones set deep in the earth with tall pines and high crestend oaks. This court and cave is the house of Cyclopes, Polyphemus."

Cyclopes were a race of giants and for Odysseus shocking was the fact of differences between the tribes and that they had none of 'contemporary' human being atributes. Despite they hadn't been feral, having the knowledge to speak and build, Cyclopes were brutal and savage. But in the fragment given before there are principles to be determined. Cyclopes house consists of two distinct parts: interior cave and exterior court-a preludium to the house.

Later on in "Illiad", Trojan leader King Priam infiltrated the Achaean camp to retrieve his son’s body and this is how he described Achilles house:

“Ancient Architecture” by S.Lloyd and H.W.Muller

The final example is megaron from the Mycenaean palace in Tiryns. It's a central and dominant form, consisting of lobby and porch proceeded by a courtyard. The formal coupling

The spatial relation between Cyclopes' housing, Achilles' hut and megaron is called the prehistoric house. It is defined by the compilation of the interior and exterior part. It’s worth mentioning that it’s not an actual house or hut, but a set of similarities, which ten evolved into following spatial principles.

Temple Temples were inevitable part of people life since the beginning of time. Primitive humans were incapable of thinking rationally, thus they personificated natural forces as the gods. Those were born from a basic anxiety of unknown. People imagined thunders and rains to be supernatural events, a way of communication from them.

They were at once passionate and afraid of it, that is why they decided to build temples. Houses for their absolute trusted authority, a place that kept them together and

Kings as they were the closest to the gods on earth, were making representation by looking after people’s needs and

Only after Rome adopts Christianity, it comes up with new structure for new God, as temples became associated only

speaking to gods on their behalf. That’s also why most of the palace complexes used to have a temple or megaron.

with pagans. It is substituted with basilica 2.

Romans were inspired by Greek temples. Nevertheless theirs were a ‘U’-shape figure of colonnade, none like their freestanding preccedessors. What is also distinguishing those two is that Etruscans dedicated their buildings to the triads of gods, instead of just one.

brought stability for the society.

The main principle was to encode the idea of something that is not directly perceived, but nevertheless has a powerful influence on people’s lives. Temple was born out of transformation of the basic components of the prehistoric house. It is using a connection between interior within a colonnaded enclosure. The ambulatory that surrounds the temple is a trace of colonnaded court that proceeded the megaron hall. What is also often found in temples is nesting- encapsulating one interior space into another.

But yet it comes back in 15th century. With its psychodynamic mystery it reincarnates in buildings such as circular Tempietto. It is a commemorative tomb considered one of the most harmonious buildings in Rome. The Itallian fascination with classical brought back the ancient Greek orders and the peristile enclosure around the sanctuary. The obsession with classical style reappers throughout history few more times in Renaissance, Golden Age or Neoclassicism.

It is worth reminding that spatial principles do not describe the geometrical configuration of building forms in which they appear. As it can be seen from the diagram below, temples come in different shapes and sizes.

One of the countless examples is Temple of Mars Ultor, situated in Forum Augustus in Rome, which was built to commemorate Agustus victory over the assasin’s of Julius Ceasar. The temple is connected with other building in the back, which makes the colonnade the ‘U’- shape. The sanctuary is dedicated to the god of war Mars the ‘Avenger’, also known as Mars Ultor.

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More in Stoa lecture description

Atrium In the temple transformation lied in the fully interiorised space nested inside the exterior court. It is exactly opposite in the atrium. The exterior court is drawn inside, as an enclosed space separated out form its surroundings.

Nevertheless, the prehistoric house court brought inside, brings the sky with it and encapsulates it in interior

Principles of atrium can be distinguished by distinctly inward looking space with rectangular opening in the ceiling that gives the special quality to the interior. It is opened to the

At the same time Pantheon set different standards for ancient atrium. The massive cylindrical dome crowned with a hole at the top (the oculus) let in the shard of light, that

sky, with the view framed and sometimes mirrored directly below. The exterior of the prehistoric house is brought inside the interior in Atrium. Another feature is the sense of being buried as in the chamber hollowed into the ground. Lastly, bodies tend to move in a curious way through it

pierced the interior and moved around the walls tracking the movement of the sun around the sky. It also resembled a feeling of being immersed in a chamber that is hollowed down to the ground and orientated towards the sky.

Baths on a plan of atrium were quite popular in the ancient Rome. One of them is Roman bath house Caracalla. The ceiling was painted as an artificial sky and reflected in the pool. It was intended to be occupied by human bodies and its psychodynamics are different to that of domestic environment. Instead of nature as a cultivation and the nature supreme, in baths it’s nature as the genuine pleasure.

Atrium is a space of unattained nature within an artificial enclosure. By bringing the slice of nature inside, the atrium establishes a link between a supreme nature represented by the gods and mundane, everyday nature that humans must work with to survive and live comfortably. The atrium formalises a relation between those two kinds of nature.

It was often set in structures serving domestic purposes, separated as a special part of the house. Leaving the rest of the building to develop around as everyday domestic space.

The nature inside is being sanctioned by the surrounding architecture.

Later on, atrium served as a preludium to the house (as in Italian Renaissance housing), commemoration sites in tombs, central parts of public spaces or as in basilicas, the terminating forms of the spatial sequence of the church.

Theatre Greece is believed to be a homeland of ancient theatre.

Most of the 'polis' (cities) used to have a space for spectacles, that usually were placed on the hillside, where the public could sit and watch the actors. The incentive for

Quite different is the theatre of Epidaurus. It has

The Hellenization of Roman culture in the 3rd century BCE

symmetrical semicircle audience encompassing the stage.

The megaron disappeared from the plan and the wall evolved into skene- backstage building.

directly inspired them to adapt and evolve theatres as well as develop them into circuses and amphitheatres. Although those are actually free-standing buildings with man-made walls, seats and terraces. There was no roof, but to provide a shelter from rain or sunlight they used to pull an awning

such spaces probably came from religious rituals and processions. One of them was Dionysia, which is highly associated with the birth of theatre. It was originally held in

overheads. Most of those building were made with wood and had been destructed by the crowd after performances.

The first permanent structure made of marble and concrete was the Pompey Theatre, which also became the most renowned in Rome.

Athens in spring and was celebrated in the honour of the god of wine and plays- Dionysius.

The oldest known venue is the theatre of Dionysius in Thorikos. It is unique due to its shape- the rectangular auditorium (located on the south slope of Velatouri Hill) and round orchestra (stage). It also consists of megaron dedicated to the patron of plays and wall enclosure. The location on the mountain slope enabled the landscape behind the stage to serve as the background for the plays.

By the end of the 5th century BCE Greek theatre took on its recognisable and most influential form. It was an open-air, semi-circular arrangement of rising rows of seats with the stage backed by a wall or skene. Those could accommodate even to 20.000 spectators and hosted public meetings, dramatic performances and musical competitions.

Another main site serving entertainment purposes was a

The first modern enclosed theatre were constructed in Italy

circus. Those were venues for chariot races, re-enactments of battles and performances commemorating important events. The oldest and largest was Circus Maximus, being a model for preceding constructions. It was oval in shape with arena enclosed by rows of seats.

during the Renaissance. Their structure was similar to that of ancient theatres, with a cavea and architectural scenery.

At the beginning of the 17th century they had moved indoors and began to resemble the arrangement we can still see today. Another thing is that stage became separated from All the mentioned above types of theatre are related to the prehistoric house. Transformation turned the court enclosure into a raised platform looking out onto clear space of representation, marking importance of the orchestra.

the audience by a proscenium arch and artists started using perspective in the set paintings to to emphasize the spatial depth. This could be viewed properly only from the seat in the centre of the audience. The oldest surviving modern theatre is the Teatro Olympico in Vicenza.

Theatrical principle proposes a place where a group could assemble to share their thoughts and ideas. All the members of the audience should see and hear what is going on the platform. It is also secluded and onward looking enclosed with auditorium and wall behind the stage.

Finally, amphitheatres were used for gladiator fights, animal hunts, chariot races and executions. Their structure was oval or circular in plan, with seating tiers that surrounded the central performance area. Amphitheatres are the predecessors for modern stadiums.

The spatial principles of theatre are being used in various buildings today. Those can be spotted in any modern theatres, conference halls, stadiums or even some libraries.

Stoa

interactions- informal gossips and formal contracts and agreements for goods. Above can be described as the substantial principle of stoas- the social interaction.

Stoa principle is a linear combination of single rooms followed by a porch. It is a place of interactions, trading, social exchange or sometimes even religious space.

The stoa did not sink into oblivion over the ages. Instead it developed into two more spatial principles: the peristile and basilica.

The first one is made of 4 stoas of the same length arranged around the space. They all look inwards into a secluded internal court. Despite having an interior and exterior space- which is also the main principle of the prehistoric house- there is no dominant part of the

Stoa obtained from the prehistoric house. As it can be seen on a plan of ancient sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia- there are 12 single free-standing buildings in a broken line. Each of those has a porch and interior space, and despite not having a court they resemble the shape of prehistoric house. Those most probably evolved later into a single stoa.

composition, all the buildings are of the same importance.

The Stoa Poikile (also known as a Painted Porch) is considered to be a birthplace of stoicism, which took its name from the building. It was the location from where Zeno of Citium taught his lore. In case of the Painted Porch, line of rooms completely disappeared. It became a long linear space consisting of columns and walls.

Historically stoas were open to the public; merchants could sell their goods, artists display their artwork and religious gatherings took place. They usually surrounded the marketplaces and Roman forums or Greek agoras and were used as a framing device.

One of the most well-known complexes is the agora in Athens. Landmarked buildings like Stoa Poikile, Stoa of Attalos or Stoa of Zeus were to be found there.

In Stoa of Zeus there are just two enclosed rooms sharing a massive threshold. When the porch room developed into a stoa, the colonnade had become the dominant element of the building.

And as for stoa of Attalos what matters most is its purpose.

It was used as a marketplace, items of all kinds were switched and swapped around. This also caused social

While basilica (mostly developed by the Christians) is two stoas facing one another across the open space which they define. It is mostly terminated by an altar, which can be considered a culmination of the structure.

Marriage of Lumen and Lux

Construction of the perspective was made with ichnographic (vertical) and orthographic (horizontal) projection, that are

But perspective is not only crucial to architecture, because of its machinery of translating buildings to the picture, but

One of the human’s significant abilities are the capacity to recognise and understand geometrical figures. Some of the philosophers throughout time tried to state the relationship between vision and geometry. There were two main concepts:

made in the divisible space of lumen. The Parallel projection is a drawn trace of 3D form, projected onto flat surface.

prior act of cognition in which a portion of the city is identified and thought worthy of being viewed as a picture.

Architects in Renaissance wanted to understand and to operate the system of perspective, as some kind of machine. Perspective links the theoretical truth of a picture to the sensuous reality of an actual view. It works both ways- a true picture can be translated into the city as sensuously apprehensible form by means of building.

 vision is a direct, sensible link connecting human consciousness to a real, tangible world  vision is a purely intellectual process whereby the human mind was able to gaze into the world of ideas This theoretical ambiguity is similar to that of the way the light was conceptualised in Middle Ages:  Lux- tangible light; through colour, texture and shadow it emphasised the sensuous aspects of vision. Space is conceptualised homogenous and homogenising medium, immeasurable and dimensionless (rather like the vast expanse of the sea or the sky). LUX DISSOLVES  Lumen- intellectual light, conceiving as ray/immaterial line emphasised the intellectual aspect of vision. It’s filled with potential for division, nothing in itself. Space is infinitely formable. LUMEN DIVIDES Both of the above had their own, unique way of picturing space. Finally Italian Renaissance gave birth to perspective, which combines lumen and lux. It facilitates the formation of a sensuously apprehensible picture by means of an intellectual construct that can be acted out with a compass and a ruler

[Sometimes those are confused with plan, section and elevation, but they are just indirectly related.]

Figures that tend toward geometric figuration are better subjects for perspective projection than do shapeless figures like human bodies, clouds or trees.

Formal Models Fusion of lumen and lux was revolutional to architecture with a means of modelling buildings by drawing them in plan, section, elevation (shortened to PSE). The luminous ichnographic and orthographic kinds of projection established the perspective.

Formal model relies on constructing buildings without the need to build them.

The Royal College of Physicians The RCP was founded in 1518 and is a professional body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine. The college through 500 years of existence had a number of locations, but in 1964 moved to 11 St. Andrews Place. The building was designed by Sir Denys Lasdun, best known for his project of Royal National Theatre in Southbank, London.

He divided the space in formal and practical part, which is also seen from the outside:  Steel and concrete elevation covers the ceremonial part of the building. The way of assembly took away the massiveness and created a colour similar to this of neighbouring tenement houses. While the interior has luxurious outlook, being decorated with marble and brass.  The basic appearance of black bricks has dual purpose. It’s supposed to tell where is the practical area accessible for public (cloakrooms, loo, common lecture hall) as well as match the roofs of Nash’s terraces.

Architect after seeing and experiencing people and processes decided to trim his project to their needs, The RCP is in possession of exact nerve system taken from human remains3. Lasdun wanted the building to be such a system, with humans circulating inside.

The main concern of the architect was to combine the modern design with neoclassical neighbourhood as well as history and tradition of the organisation. By observing and experiencing the life of both surroundings he had easily overcame the challenges.

The building itself is shaped like a letter ‘T’- with ceremonial part at the front and office blocks in the back. The theatre hall combined with neighbouring terraces encloses the space into a courtyard. Lasdun was fascinated with creating the voids of space by encompassment of the solids. He used it creating the court and college’s interiors.

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There are only 10 of those in the entire world and RCP has 6 of them

Spatial principles at the Royal College of Physicians:

PREHISTORIC HOUSE: The Censor’s Room by its plan resembles that of a prehistoric house. The interior structure

ATRIUM: The main purpose of the staircase in the centre of

STOA: The ‘cross-bar’ of the T-shaped building forms the

the building was to emphasize institution’s bond with rituals and traditions. It is a processional way winding upwards, with its golden carpet leading from the Censor’s room.

Sense of the movement and upward expansion is continued by the galleries set back above one another.

offices, those are the practical piece of the building used for formal social exchanges. The single offices are looking inward to a shared corridor encompassed by a colonnade

where exams took place opens to a court, which in this case is the main hall of the College.

THEATRE: The Wolfson lecture theatre is secluded as a practical block of the building. It consists of pitched rows of seats, the stage in front of those with slide projector on the enclosing wall. This is used for lectures, conferences and debates.

TEMPLE: The ‘upright’ portion from the mentioned T-shape Nevertheless Denys Lasdun in “Architecture continuity and change” observes the important issue of the disposition of the RCP building in relation to older, neighbouring architecture. He became interested in the fusion of the exterior and interior spaces. In his project he decided to form a court enclosed by a low lying lecture hall and existing Nash terraces. That’s why the whole structure of RCP could be considered as a reconstruction of the prehistoric house.

is intended for a ceremonial block. It leads through the core piece of the building and through delicate touches (like portraits of previous presidents of the college) maintains the required sense of tradition and permanence

King’s Cross King’s Cross station was designed by Lewis Cubitt and opened in 1852. Initially it was a double-barrelled train shed, with one side for arrivals and one for departures. It was terminated by a monumental twin-arched, yellow brick facade. It was meant to represent a new kind of order and efficiency setting new architectural concepts with its glass frontage.

The transformation of the station involved three different parts: re-use, restoration and new building. The train shed and range of buildings have been re-used, the facade has been precisely restored and a new Western Concourse has been designed.

Current design re-orientates the station to the west, creating significant operational improvements and revealing the south facade of original station. Inside there is a complex of shops and restaurants in renovated and newly-built structures. The structure can compete with its neighbourSt Pancras, in the way it demonstrates pragmatism and simplicity create clear and graceful architecture.

As for the relation between those- London has never developed any central station, but kept all the terminus outside the historic centre. The complex of King’s Cross and St Pancras stations is the nearest, city had to the Grand Central terminal. Those are now one of the most known spots in the city, being of great importance to the popular culture.

Nevertheless obscure construction after 150 years of service needed renovation and modernisation had one clear urban intent: a civic transport hub serving as a gateway to London.

It was supposed to be a connective piece of city reflecting the diverse character of the area. London’s extraordinary urban complex has made it difficult to create ambitious multi-modal infrastructure and architecture in its historic streets.

Yet a new semi-circular departures concourse was introduced and opened to the public on 19 March 2012. “It is Europe’s largest single span station structure and the heart of the development, but the overall project is far more complex: an extraordinary, collaborative effort that has delivered an internationally significant transport interchange, fit for the 21st century and beyond.”4

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John McAslan, Chairman John McAslan+Partners

THEATRE: After observation of human behaviour at the station I can tell that space near the canopy at the ground level could be considered as a theatrical stage. People gather on both floors waiting for their trains, but in the meantime they tend to observe each other. On the second floor there are restaurants with seats and tables. Some of the travellers take those chairs and place them next to the railings (even I did this to produce the drawings for this workbook) so they could see the whole station. The [building that’s

Spatial principles at the King’s Cross station: ATRIUM: the canopy structure in the main hall is elevated and open to the sky, which gives a special quality and atmosphere to the interior. It is a central and inward looking space, linking other parts of the train station. The enclosure reaching from the old building of the booking hall to the outer neighbouring architecture gives a sense of being on a secluded part of a street hollowed down with modern composition above it. The massive flow of the crowd processing to the platforms or upwards to the balconies makes it a shared space of interaction and communication.

close] makes a background to this modern theatre of life.

STOA: In the plan there are at least two stoas to be observed. One of them is a mentioned before part with restaurants and shops. On the ground floor there are shops placed in single rooms followed by a shared porch.

Higher, on the balconies there are restaurants with a court to seat. People come here to eat, drink, observe, socialise and communicate. It’s a place of trade and informal social exchange. On the other side of the Western concourse there are offices and shops. Those are also a place of trade and formal social interaction.

London Central Mosque Of all Abrahamic religions Islam is expanding most rapidly. The first permanent structure to be built in any Muslim community is the Mosque, serving as its physical and spiritual centre. As Allah is invisible and prohibited from depiction, mosques became the symbol of Islam and its most important building.

After an outburst of immigration in 1940s and 50s, a new need of building sites for arriving religion arose. Muslims have created in their mosques a new identity, and through them a connection with their physical surroundings. Those have become a symbolic representation of the Islamic presence in Western countries. They have also built Islamic Centres, which are different from those built by communities for everyday prayers, and are usually found in capitals or bigger cities.

Those usually serve as manifestations of common identity for a diverse group with different origins and backgrounds living in a foreign and non-Islamic cultural context.

First temple was built at Muhammad's behest in Yahtrib. The growing religion needed to build constructions providing space for undisturbed communal prayer. It was described as a typical Arabian courtyard dwelling on a square plan enclosed by an earthen wall. The building itself doesn't have a restricted shape or size, however it has three obligatory requirements ex. orienting mihrab in the qibla wall as well as a place for prayer alongside it, placing a minbar for oration and facilities for ritual ablutions.

One of those centres can be found next to the Regent's Park in London. It was built to provide a focus and inspiration for the half million Muslims in the United Kingdom.

An initial approach was made by Lord Lloyd of Dolobran in 1939 after Egyptian Government had donated land in Cairo for building of an Anglican cathedral. First design submitted by the Egyptian architect General Ramzy Omar was accepted in 1940s, but as they project was delayed until 1959, Omar's design became unsuitable in the context of the neighbouring buildings facing Regent's Park. In 1969 another competition was organized and it was won by a British architect Sir Frederick Gibberd.

Brief required the design to be developed in three separate parts: the mosque, an Islamic Cultural Centre (including library, conference rooms and a cafeteria) as well as living accommodation for the staff. Gibberd combined these three spaces as a single composition “to underline that Islam is not just a religious observance but a way of life.�

They are normally visited on social and family occasions. Even the smallest mosque or Islamic Centre has a room for preparing tea. Some also have spaces for religious instruction, teaching courses on the local language and seminars on cultural integration. In addition there are rooms for women who are forbidden from prayer during menstruation or are soon after giving birth.

The London Central Mosque was designed to represent an expansion of Islam in which the use of modern technologies was combined with pan-Islamic design elements that are considered clearly Islamic in eyes of Muslims.

Spatial principles at the London Central Mosque:

ATRIUM: The main hall is shaped as an atrium, the dome is raising upwards above the sanctuary, making the sense of tininess and burial under the huge enclosure. It is supported by four mushroom columns on the inside. This atrium is a space of celebration and worshipping separated from this of everyday activities

TEMPLE: Basically the mosque is a temple of Islam. In this case I'm considering only the main hall, which is preceded by a colonnade and despite being a single enclosed room, can be opened from sides. It was an intention of architect to extend the hall by installing marquees walls. London Central Mosque wanted an overflow space to host festivals and religious celebrations. Those walls while opened serve

PREHISTORIC HOUSE: The London Central Mosque can all be considered as one big, prehistoric house. It is a building preceded by a huge court. It is an extension to the interior.

purpose as a colonnade, which is also the enclosure of the temple. The interior is a prayer hall and even though there is no material appearance of Allah, but religious atmosphere

While there are too many worshippers coming for Friday prayer- the court serves purpose as second prayer hall.

can be percepted in a sensuously perceptible way.

STOA: The entrance to the hall and the balcony above can be considered a stoa. Both are spaces of rituals and celebrations as well as social exchange. People communicate by the threshold of the sanctuary in informal way, gossiping and networking.