massing

Designing a building often begins with an additive process of massing, whereby individual volumes are added to define the form as a whole. In experimenting with massing, a designer can flesh work to convey certain emotions or concepts - such as 'expand' or 'interlock' - which in turn influences their capacity to represent said concept via their built form.

Massing exercises can also be valuable in deciphering an existing structure, or even a colection of structures such as a city block.Understanding the central massing ideology behind a work deepens our understanding of its basic forms and their visual weight, which in turn enlightens us as to how the designer uses them to develop a sense of balance or scale.

Massing exercise with a series of objects based on a guiding action verb. (from the left) first column: initial arrangement , second column: 'expand', third column: 'interlock'