26 Principles of Architecture Through the Lens of Form
Seth Tanner
2
Table of Contents Introduction: Form..................4 1. Geometry.............................6
2. Symmetry.....................10 3. Grid.............................12 4. Datum..........................14
5. Program..............................16
6. Context........................20
7. Environment................22
8. Concept.......................24
9. Analysis.......................26
10. Space................................28
11. Structure....................32
12. Surface.......................34
13. Planes........................36
14. Mass..........................38
15. Void...........................40
16. Materials....................42
17. Color..........................44
18. Scale..................................46
3
19. Size............................50
20. Tropes...............................52
21. Movement..................56
22. Transformation...........58
23. Defamiliarization.......60
24. Light and Shadow.......62
25. Representation................64
26. Presentation...............68
4 Form
Introduction: Form This book is primarily concerned with form as the essential foundation of architecture and through which architectural principles can be explained. Form is the physical part of the building we can touch and experience, but its not just matter. Form can carry with it tons of associations and be influenced by so many factors that it is a much more interesting thing than it sounds like on the surface. Architecture is essentially creating a form to be used and inhabited and arranging the form to fit its use and, in some cases, represent specific ideas related to its use. In this book, the principles are divided into six categories, each under a singular principle. These are Geometry, Program, Space, Scale, Tropes, and Representation. I hope that this book helps you to better understand many of the essential principles of architecture as they relate to how and why an architect creates form the way they do.
Photo by Samantha Panzera.
Introduction 5
6 Geometry
Geometry Geometry is an essential aspect of architecture. Its basic principles help comprise every facet of a building’s physical form and even a building’s spatial form. The basic shapes of geometry can be seen in numerous buildings, and their juxtaposition and amalgamation are what create building surfaces, plans, planes, and other aspects. The interconnection of triangles can be seen in the atrium roof of the British Museum in London and Spaceship Earth in Orlando, Florida (See the next page). The facade of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia (see next page) is a combination of triangular shapes at different angles, similar to the previous buildings’ ideas, but they create an added sense of rotation with the stadium. Geometry is also present in the volumes of space on the inside of buildings as these spaces are three-dimensional objects that can be broken down into simple geometric figures. Both solid and void are products of geometrical shapes and thus rely on these shapes. The Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran (see next page), is an example of this. Its complex geometrical shapes create interconnected solids and voids that create interesting patterns on the outside wall. (continued on page 8)
From top to bottom:
The interior atrium of the Britis London designed by Foster and by John Walton.
A formal analysis I did of St. Pe Vatican City highlighting circu geometries.
sh Museum in d Partners. Photo
eter’s Basilica in ular and square
Geometry 7
8 Geometry
Geometry Geometry also defines how we analyze architectural forms, seen in the image in the bottom right of the previous page. The basic grid, a simple arrangement of squares or rectangles, is often used in formal analysis, as are other shapes which help us to define relationships between forms in more simple terms. Overall, geometry helps to derive the essential aspects of architectural form, and the study of it is of great importance to an architect. This section covers topics relating directly to geometry. They are arranged in this section to build on each other. Symmetry is first, and it is a super basic principle of geometry. This continues into The Grid, asymmetrical order of shapes, usually squares and rectangles. The section ends with Datum, a kind of reference point created from geometries that can be defined by things like grids and symmetries. Clockwise from the top right:
The massive Geodesic Sphere Earth at Walt Diseny World in O designed by Walt Disney Imag by Brandon Glover.
The detailing above the entran Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan, Ira Mohammad Reza IsfahaniPhoto Phtogoraphy.
The exterior of Mercedes-Benz Atlanta, Georgia designed by H HOK.
of Spaceship Orlando, Florida gineering. Photo
nce to the Sheikh an designed by o by Curioso
z Stadium in HOK. Photo by
Geometry 9
10 Symmetry
Symmetry Symmetry is an elementary geometric principle with simple mathematical foundations and a widespread architecture principle. Symmetry appeals to a very human desire for balance, though balance can also come from asymmetrical things. Essentially, symmetry in architecture is that the two halves of a building or part of a building mirror each other; the shapes and forms on one side correspond to those on the other. This is a prevalent trope, so I have pulled a couple of examples. The first is the 191 Peachtree Tower in Atlanta, Georgia, which is composed of two towers connected in the center. These towers are identical, and a line drawn vertically down the middle between them would show the building’s symmetry. The forms on one side completely match those on the other. Another example is the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, whose facade is also perfectly symmetrical down the middle. However, the deconstruction of the SIS building in London shows much better how the building’s individual forms relate to each other and give it its symmetry. It separates the building’s basic forms so one can match a form on one side with its counterpart on the other. Symmetry is thus integral in many cases to understand a building’s formal composition.
Clockwise from the top right:
The upper levels of 191 Peacht Atlanta, Georgia designed by J Photo from Peachtree Commer
A decomposition I did of the fa building in London, U.K.
The front of the Taj Mahal in Ag designed by Ustad Ahmad Lah Arian Zwegers.
tree Tower in John Burgee. rcial Real Estate.
acade of the SIS
gra, India houri. Photo by
Geometry 11
12 Grid
The Grid A grid is a handy tool for architects. It can help draft buildings to specific proportions, and it can also be used in the building’s design, whether overtly visible or not. The grid is the premier method for organizing elements of a building as well as orienting and sizing the forms that a building is comprised of. The analysis in the bottom right of Lina Bo Bardi’s glass house clearly shows a grided organizational scheme for the house’s plan. In the top right, the Cheung Kong building in Hong Kong is a prime example of modern skyscrapers using grid systems to organize their facades where the windows are organized in a rectangular grid. In Atlanta, Georgia, the former Biltmore Hotel does not overtly use a grid, but its façade’s windows are definitely aligned in a grid-like way.
Clockwise from the top right:
Cheung Kong Building in Hon by Cesar Pelli. Photo by Baycr
An analysis I did of the organi of Lina Bo Bardi’s Glass House
The Former Builtmore Hotel in by Leonard Schultze. Photo by
ng Kong designed rest.
ization of the plan e.
n Atlanta designed y Jeff Clemmons
Geometry 13
14 Datum
Datum A datum is essentially a reference point, though it is a little more complex than that. A datum can be a line, plane, mass, object, or anything that unites the building’s parts into a singular whole. The datum can help locate, measure, and provide scale to the rest of the building as well. The building’s forms are dependent on the datum for the building to be read together. A much simpler form of a datum is often used in the study of geometry and is usually just a singular point. The College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia, has a large window with an almost comically large inset that acts as a datum for the facade. The building’s side wing and the signs, doors, and other façade windows are all based around this central form. The analysis in the upper right corner of Lina Bo Bardi’s glass house shows two datums, the tree in the center of the enclosed courtyard which the building wraps itself around and the open portion on the left side of the building which the private rooms are organized around and look out onto. Datums are thus integral to the arrangement of geometrical forms.
Geometry 15
From top to bottom: An analysis I did of Lina Bo Bardi’s Glass House showing datums in red as well as the lines of balance. The facade of the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia showing the large central window and inset. Designed by Brasfield and Gorrie. Photo from the National Football Foundation.
16 Program
Program The program is very significant when approaching the formal design of a building or other structure. In its most basic form, the program is the list of requirements for a building’s design based on various factors, including the client, cultural context, the use of the space, the environment, and so much more. The program is what will help define the building’s geometries in all aspects of its design. For example, a client may want a tall living room with floor to ceiling windows, which will define the form of both the windows and the rest of the house due to the size of said windows. Georgia’s Governor’s mansion was designed in 1968 in a style similar to those of Antebellum plantation homes. This was due to the current Governor at the time, Lester Maddox, a staunch segregationist who wanted the “glory days” of Georgia represented in its executive residence. This created a specific list of requirements for the building’s design and forms that aligned with that style. The continuous plane exercise in the bottom right required a program where a single sheet of bristol board had to be used and altered using cutting and folding, but it still had to be one continuous piece. These were the project’s requirements and thus its program to devise its form. (continued on page 18)
From top to bottom:
Georgia’s Governor’s mansion district of Atlanta Georgia. Des Thomas Bradbury. Photo from G of the Governor.
A continuous plane exercise I d and folding techniques.
n in the Buckhead signed by A. Georgia’s Office
did using cutting
Program 17
18 Program
Program George Vanderbilt wanted his Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, to look like the aristocratic homes of French Nobility, which thus defined the house’s forms through its program. The Cinderella Castle at the heart of Disney’s Magic Kingdom also shows the program in the design process’s extensive documentation. Walt Disney wanted it to be a tall landmark to help with navigation as well as have a way for guests to pass through. The inspiration for the building’s style was also something he oversaw as he wanted a fantasy castle based on many of Europe’s tall white castles, such as Neuschwanstein in Germany, which thus created part of the program for the castle. This section contains all the small aspects related to the program, and as such, all of these things define parts of a building’s program. Context and Environment help define a building’s forms and thus its program based on aspects of its location. A Concept is a simple design idea on which the design and thus the program is based around. Analysis of precedent buildings is also used to determine a building’s forms and program.
From left to right:
The front of the Biltmore House North Carolina designed by Ri Hunt. Photo by Blake Lewis.
Cinderella’s Castle at the Disne Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. D Disney Imagineering. Photo by
e in Asheville, ichard Morris
ey’s Magic Designed by Walt y Matt Wade.
Program 19
20 Context
Context Context in architectural design refers to the variety of cultural, precedential, and locational factors about a project’s site that influence its design. For example, one is more likely to see a building designed to look like a log cabin in a heavily forested mountain region than to see one be a beachfront property on the ocean. Precedential context would occur in the emulation of specific precedents in a design. My collage of the SIS building in London with the Temple of Kukulcan in Mexico shows this by combining a premodern precedent with a modern building. From this, one can see the similarities and how the SIS building plays with the pyramid’s original design. Cultural context is a little different, though, and can be much more widespread. Established norms about building construction can lead to a building’s forms being designed in a certain way. The Al-Farooq Mosque in Atlanta, Georgia, uses the architectural details and shapes used in mosques in the Middle East and North Africa and brings it across the world to the United States to keep that connection with hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world. Thus context can even be influential in a building’s forms from thousands of miles away.
Program 21
From top to bottom: The exterior of the Al-Farooq Mosque in Atlanta, Georgia designed by EDT Construction. Photo from EDT Construction. A collage I made of the SIS building in London with an image of the Temple of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza.
22 Environment
Environment The environment is a massive factor in determining many things about a program for a building. Many of a building’s forms, twoor three-dimensional, work better in certain conditions than others. Rectangular shapes are often the best to mitigate sunlight in a building. Take the Kendeda Building on Georgia Tech’s campus in Atlanta, Georgia. It uses rectangular shapes across the top of a portion of the building to protect its windows from too much direct sunlight. This allows the building to have large windows under these shades to let in diffused natural light with minimal oppressive direct sunlight. These rectangular shades also double as solar panels, a renewable option that allows the building to help protect against environmental degradation by being self-sustainable. In my analysis of Lina Bo Bardi’s Glass House, one can see that the house extends straight out from the hillside, rising up on stilts. This is a fascinating response to the topography of the location, which allows the building to keep much of the original topography uncovered. Many other environmental factors can also affect the program and thus the forms present in the building, including wind, weather, flood patterns, and many others. This makes working with the environment pivotal to formal design in architecture.
Program 23
From top to bottom: A formal analysis I did of Lina Bo Bardi’s glass house showing the elevation change of the land. The Kendeda Building on Georgia Tech’s campus in Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by Miller Hull. Photo by Martha Williams.
24 Concept
Concept Concepts are the ideas proposed for a design being brought together into a single form that can be recognized as architecture. Wanting a wide veranda on the front of a house is an idea but drawing it out with the house and how it might interact with other aspects of the house is a concept. A concept can be in any form, two-dimensional or three-dimensional. The top left image is a conceptual sketch showing the idea for a roof shape in the building’s context as a whole, where the roof is intended to look as if it is floating with a ramp, indicated by the dotted line, moving away from the house. This shows the idea of the roof shape in its larger context and thus makes it a conceptual sketch for the completed house on the right. The dowel model in the bottom right is an example of a three-dimensional concept. The initial idea is the tartan grid at the base with a varying distance between all of the lines. What makes it conceptual is that that grid is then coupled with the larger model, where the space inside is decided by the density of the initial grid lines. Both twodimensional and three-dimensional concepts can give us an idea about a design’s forms that could be finalized from a compiling of different ideas.
Clockwise from the top right:
The Dune House ine Thorpene Jarmund Arkitekter. Photo by N
A wooden dowel composition I the levels that rise above the g
A conceptual sketch for the Du from Jarmund Arkitekter.
ess, U.K by Nils Petter Dale.
I made showing grid.
une House. Photo
Program 25
26 Analysis
Analysis Analysis is an excellent instrument for understanding architectural precedents and how they convey their ideas and create specific sensations. This usually comes in the form of formal analysis, where a building’s forms, two- or three-dimensional, are outlined and highlighted on various types of drawings of the building to prove a particular point about the organization of the building’s parts. My analysis of the stages of design for St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City shows the prevalence of squares and circles that continues through the stages of the project. This is due to the Renaissance idea that squares and circles were perfect shapes, and this notion spread into the architectural design as well. Thus the perfect church required interlocking circular and square forms. My analysis of Lina Bo Bardi’s Glass House shows the prevalence of triangles and parallel lines, two geometrical concepts, and how they interact with each other on the building’s façade. The angle of the triangles seen here also imitates the angle of the slope the house sits on, which creates a fascinating comparison. Understanding why a building’s forms are the way they are through analysis can help develop new designs’ ideas and concepts.
From top to bottom:
A formal analysis I did of the st for St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican
A formal analysis I did of Lina B House.
tages of design n City.
Bo Bardi’s Glass
Program 27
28 Space
Space Space is essentially what architecture creates using its forms. Architects form spaces to be used for different purposes, depending on need and other desires. Space can be enclosed on six sides, four sides, or even simply implied by certain elements in the building. Space creates and is created by geometries, both two and threedimensional. In many cases, the planes enclosing a space are two dimensional or very thin threedimensional shapes. The void inside can be anything from a regular cube to amoebic shapes that stretch. Its different uses will also define the shape the space takes and how it interacts with other surrounding planes and spaces. In the wooden dowel model, the space’s threedimensional geometries are defined by the geometrical planes of bristol board inserted into the structure. This creates interesting implied angled spaces inside the wooden dowels’ rectilinear form and allows for a greater understanding of the space. The space inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, is articulated by the seats and screens that ring it. This space can also be modified by opening the roof, allowing for the space to connect to the outside, creating a connection between the game inside and the larger city outside. (continued on page 30)
Space 29
From top to bottom: Varying shaped planes that I inserted into a grided model I created to help outline different interesting spaces. The inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by HOK. Photo by David R. Cohen
30 Space
Space In Giambattista Nolli’s 1748 map of Rome, a portion of which is in the bottom right, the open spaces of roads and plazas can be seen connected with indoor public spaces like churches, showing the fluidity of public space in the city at the time. These two designs connect spaces due to their forms and context, creating a greater sense of openness. The continuous plane model in the top right shows the articulation of space based on angled and curved pieces of continuously connected bristol board that articulate two large spaces as well as the void between them. One of the spaces is open on two sides as if it were a tunnel, but the other is open on a third side as well, implying a continued space beyond the composition’s “walls.” This section is related to the forms used to define space in architectural design as well as how we can change those forms on their surface to give them greater meaning to the work’s purpose and goals. Structure, Surface, Planes, Mass, and Void all deal with this first idea, while Materials and Color deal with the second idea.
Space 31
From top to bottom: A continuous plane composition I created to articulate space. A portion of the Nolli Map of Rome. Taken from the Harvard website.
32 Structure
Structure The structure of a design is the essential part that keeps the building standing. The structure is essential to keeping the design’s forms from falling apart. This does not always have to be hidden away, and in some cases, the structural aspects are visible to give a building a little character. My analysis of a section of Lina Bo Bardi’s glass house shows the building’s internal structure. The ceiling and floor show interesting structural details, but the thing to pay attention to is the support the house requires due to its position jutting out from a hill. It needs not only columns on the far left side to hold it above the hill, but it also needs that thick wall near the center on the lower floor to help it stay up as well and keep back the dirt. The dowel composition on the bottom right was required to be able to be photographed from many different sides. This meant that I needed to consider structure very heavily in the model to make sure it could stand on all sorts of sides to be photographed and have all of its forms visible. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, is the most known example of visible structure in a design. However, this structure is essential to creating the curved and linear forms of the tower and keeping it standing upright, contributing to how iconic the Eiffel Tower is.
Clockwise from the top right:
A formal analysis I did of a sec Bo Bardi’s glass house with visi elements.
A wooden dowel compoisiotn I the structural aspects of one sid
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, Franc Gustav Eiffel. Photo by Andrea
ction of Lina ible structural
I created showing de.
ce designed by a Astes.
Space 33
34 Surface
Surface The surface is the visible forms that a building shows to the world. This could also be its structure, but most of the time, the structure is hidden away. In some cases, a building’s surface forms can allude to or completely disguise a building’s use. The image of the Longaberger Basket Building, which housed the headquarters of the eponymous company, is an example of a building that shows exactly what its use is. The Longaberger company makes baskets, and the forms on this building’s surface reflect the company’s foundational operation. The deconstruction of the SIS building in London is an example of a surface whose forms neither give away nor completely disguise the building’s purpose. No one looking at its surface’s formal arrangements would say that it was the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service if they did not know already. However, it also does not give a completely different idea of what occurs in the building. Ponce City Market, in Atlanta, Georgia, would be an example of a building whose purpose is disguised by its surface. The large rectangular windows arranged in a grid scream factory, but this once factory is now a shopping center and community hub in Atlanta, completely throwing off initial conceptions of the building’s use.
Clockwise from the top right:
Ponce City Market in Atlanta, G by Nimmons, Carr, and Wright by Phillip Spears.
A deconstruction of the facade building in London, U.K. Made
The Longaberger Basket Buildi Ohio. Designed by Korda Nem Photo by Heritage Ohio.
Georgia. Designed t Architects. Photo
e of the SIS by author.
ing in Newark, meth Engineering.
Space 35
36 Planes
Planes Planes in architecture can refer to two different yet sometimes interdependent things. A plane is a level like the ground plane of a building with which other objects can be said to be on. A plane is also a flat form in which objects and features are placed on, into, or around. For example, Symphony Tower in Atlanta, Georgia, has 42 horizontal planes due to its 41 floors and the ceiling of its 41st, and the walls of the building are also planes. The tower has an interesting feature, however. Part of the wall plane on two sides continues well past the building’s roof and bends inward, creating an iconic silhouette. My continuous plane exercise is a little different in its approach to planes. The model is one continuous sheet of paper, which means it came from one plane, but this plane can now be divided into smaller planes due to cuts and folds. Thus, a series of planes move up, down, and back up, and two small curving planes accentuate the other planes. Planes, both flat and curved, help to create the forms of both the building and the model.
Space 37
From top to bottom: A continuous plane composition I created using a sheet of Bristol board. The upper portion of Symphony Tower in Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by Pickard Chilton. Photo by Matthew Salazar.
38 Mass
Mass Mass constitutes the threedimensional forms that overlap and interlock to create the building’s exterior shape. The purposeful interlocking of different masses can tell what the building is used for, what the culture that created it values or enjoys, the desired emotional and symbolic effect, and information about the surrounding area. The interlocking masses of the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, remind the viewer of a ship’s sails, connecting the building to its location in Sydney Harbor. These masses also create a sense of wonder and height in visitors, which aligns very well with the ideas prevalent in Opera. On the other hand, the masses of the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, are used to create a sense of extravagance with its Islamic and Egyptian style. Both its construction during the prosperous 1920s and the associations of wealth with Arab and Islamic culture makes the theater-goer feel as if they are in a palace, heightening the drama of the play they are about to see. My own composition of rocks is intended to represent the idea of scale using a sense of height created from piling the rocks to their limit. The geometries in masses work in all these ways to create these effects and more in architecture.
Clockwise from the top right:
The Sydney Opera House in Sy designed by Jorn Utzon. Photo b
A side view of a massing compo expressing the action “scale.”
The Fox Theater in Atlanta, Geo Designed by Olivier Vinour. Ph State Univerity Library collectio
ydney, Australia by Adam J.W.C.
osition I created
orgia from Above. hoto from Georgia on
Space 39
40 Void
Void A void is the opposite of mass. Where mass is a solid object, void is the space usually defined by the edges of masses or a lack of mass in general. Voids can be just as crucial in creating the form of a building. A house without windows would be rather depressing inside, so voids are placed in the house walls where windows can go to let in light. These are defined voids where the void is established by the edges of the masses around it. An example can be seen in the massing image on the right. The openings between the rocks are voids defined by the edges of the rocks’ masses and are thus defined voids. The other type of void is an implied void where different sized masses conjoined to create a void in the space that would be “taken out” if you had started from one singular mass. Take the Promenade II tower in Atlanta, Georgia. This building has many layers of masses that if you take an invisible box whose dimensions fit to the whole of the object, there would be space in that box that is open air. These are implied voids. The void is “taken out” of a full mass with the building’s dimensions to create the building’s form.
Space 41
Clockwise from the top right: A side view of a massing composition I created expressing the action “lift.� The Promenade II in Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback, and Associates. Photo by Matthew Salazar.
42 Materials
Materials Materials are significant to understanding a building’s forms and why it is organized the way it is. Materials can carry meanings due to long time associations. They can create emotions in one who experiences a building. They are also significant in determining how a building can be constructed. Stone is good under compression, and so it had to be arranged in arches or other less tensile arrangements when used in building construction initially. For example, Stonehenge in Salisbury, England, uses a post and lintel construction, a simple technique of balancing a large piece of material over two pieces of material generally oriented vertically. The society that built it had limited knowledge of how to use stone, so they were limited by their knowledge and the material itself in what forms they could create. In the massing composition, small stones were used and arranged together to create specific ideas; in this case, “expand.� The close up in the image shows the difference in the composition of the rocks better. These stones were used because of their contrast and to create forms that both expressed the idea and lacked a uniform appearance, making them more interesting and thus using the form of the materials to their greatest extent.
Space 43
From top to bottom: A close up of a composition study of mass that is intended to show the idea “expand.� The Stonhenge monolith in Salisbury, U.K. Photo by Andre Pattenden.
44 Color
Color Color is a useful tool in a lot of different things, and architecture is no different. Color can represent a place or concept, differentiate between different parts to emphasize their closeness or separation, and also make a statement or play with the eye. Color’s use in defining different forms and distinguishing shapes in a building is also vital. In the examples provided, the Rietveld Schroder house and my own composition underneath it use color to differentiate between different objects or seams. However, my composition also differentiates between light and shadow as well. The photo of Downtown Helen, Georgia, shows the colors used to conjure images of Southern Germany and represent the place far away from its actual location. Thus coloring these forms creates ideas and distinctions in our mind that help to understand their design better. Clockwise from the top right:
The colorful interior of the Riet House in Utrecht, Netherlands. by Gerrit Rietveld. Photo from W Commons.
A color study I did using a triad on a model photgraph I had pr
The town of Helen, GA north of town built in a colorful Bavarian dq travel website.
tveld Schroder . Designed Wikimedia
dic color scheme reviously taken
f Atlanta. A small n style. From the
Space 45
46 Scale
Scale Scale, a cousin of size, is a subjective rather than objective term. With size, one can say, “that building is twenty feet tall,” but with the scale, it has to be relative to something else, such as the building is three times the size of the man. For example, in the image of the massing composition on the top right, none of those stones are larger than two inches, but it is not apparent from the picture how big each of the stones is. One can only garner how big they are relative to each other. Same with the continuous plane exercise on page 47. The model’s height is about sixteen inches, but that is not obvious from just looking at that picture. Architects use scale in a variety of ways. It can be distorted to seem larger or smaller than it should be. Scale can also be used to give the viewer an idea about the size of a design. People are frequently used as comparisons in these images, such as in the image of the front of Notre Dame in Paris, where the people give a sense of how big the cathedral is. While the doors on Notre Dame are enormous, doors, stairs, and other features can usually give us a greater idea of “human” scale. (continued on page 48).
Scale 47
From top to bottom: A close up of a massing composition done by me representing the idea “overlap.� The front of the Notre Dame catherdral in paris France with people out front. Photo by Mitchell Funk.
48 Scale
Scale The image of the Swan House in Atlanta, Georgia, shows an angle from which we can see the stairs, doors, and windows, which do to the relative sizes of these things to human beings, helps us to understand just how big the house is. This is a small section that just includes the topic Size, which is simply Scale, but only in relation to specific units and not other objects and features.
Scale 49
From top to bottom: A continuous plane study using bristol board. Model created by author. The Swan House in Atlanta, Georgia designed by Phillip T. Shutze Photo by Travis Swann Taylor
50 Size
Size Size is in some ways related to scale, where we are comparing objects to each other. However, it is a comparison to units, not other features. Size is significant in determining form as it can reflect the use of a building, the strength of its materials, and the building’s importance. Size related to use is rather simple. An architect would not arrange the forms of a bathroom so small one could not move comfortably between the sink and the shower, and likewise, if it is too large, the extra space becomes unnecessary. In my dowel composition, the big factor in its size was the strength of the materials. The balsa wood dowels were only 1/32” thick, so after testing the length, I deemed that 5” sides would be sufficient to understand both the model’s details while not being too big as to be flimsy and fall over. When it comes to models: too big, and the material may not hold, and the bigger picture of the form could be lost. On the opposite end, if it is too small, then the form’s details cannot be made out. Size in terms of importance is best summed up by medieval churches, such as the one in Reims, which were designed to be the tallest thing in the city and thus making God the most important thing. Thus the size of forms for these churches was related to their importance.
From top to bottom:
The Notre Dame de Reims cath France. Photo by G. Garitan.
A dowel composition I created a grid from an elevation of the House.
hedral in Reims,
d from abstracting Lovell Beach
Scale 51
52 Tropes
Tropes Tropes in architecture are very similar to tropes in literature and use a lot of the same terminology. A Hyperbole in architecture is an over-exaggeration, usually to emphasize some specific point. Take my massing composition where the rocks are arranged in a tall tower to represent the action “scale.” Both the angle of the photo and the arrangement of the rocks emphasize the idea of “scale” due to the height of the forms these things combine to create. On page 53, there is a similar idea with a composition I did with clay to represent the action “stretch.” The clay, which was initially a cube, was pulled apart from the center, leaving just enough to connect the two halves so that it exaggerates the idea of stretching the cube and thus creates a hyperbole. The Mariott Marquis in Atlanta, Georgia, is also an example of hyperbole in architecture. The bulging base of what at the top seems like a simple rectangular skyscraper draws attention to this area with a unique feature on what would otherwise be a plain building. Another literary term common in architecture is metonymy, where something is represented by something else that could be associated with it. For example, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta is shaped like a boat on the primary side. This boat idea stands in as a representation (continued on page 54)
Clockwise from the top right:
Atlanta’s Mariott Marquis Hotel John Portman. Photo by Connor
A massing composition I create represent the action “Scale.”
The front of the Georgia Aquar Georgia. Designed by PGAV A by Diliff
l designed by r Carey.
ed using rocks to
rium in Atlanta, Architects. Photo
Tropes 53
54 Tropes
Tropes of water and the ocean which relates to the building’s use as an aquarium. The building’s forms thus create this abstract image to fit the metonymy. Architects also use the term metaphor when describing architecture where a building might be designed to look like something due to its associations. For example, in Delhi, India, the Lotus Temple is shaped like a lotus due to the lotus’s associations with spiritual enlightenment. This nails home the building’s use as a Baha’i temple through the cunning use of its formal shape. The pages under the Tropes section are concerned with many ways to interpret a building’s meaning and symbolism and how form helps to do that. Movement and Transformation incite specific ideas due to their formal arrangements. Defamiliarization takes something we think we know and messes with it. Finally, the use of Light creates less dynamic ideas in our minds using the building’s forms.
Tropes 55
From top to bottom: An exercise in transformation done by me using clay. Intended to represent the idea “Stretch.” The Lotus Temple, a Baha’i temple in New Delhi, India. Designed by Fariborz Sahba. Photo by Futo Tussauds.
56 Movement
Transformation Although an immovable building sounds like the most undynamic thing, transformation is still present in architecture, just as one can still sense movement in a painting from people’s positions. In architecture, the forms replace the people to suggest a transformation. Zaha Hadid’s Haydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, shows a three-dimensional curved plane that looks as if it is falling off the building—sliding forward and collapsing the structure underneath it. The building is not moving, but creates that idea through complex forms. The Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia, also shows a transformation by being static. The two large, curving planes that make up the buildings’ side walls push down on the building as if it is trying to rise from the ground but is being stopped. Here, this represents the building’s purpose as an educator on human rights issues and struggles and shows the fight to push for human rights despite opposition. The composition I created, showing the action “rotate,” also shows a transformation. It resembles the conventional simplification of a hurricane and, because of that, creates a sense of rotation due to its formal arrangements despite being a static formation. Thus form can create a sense of movement in architecture even if the building does not move.
Clockwise from the top right:
The National Center for Civil a in Atlanta Georgia. Designed b HOK.
A massing composition I create show the action “rotate.”
The Heydar Aliyev Center in B Designed by Zaha Hadid. Photo
and Human Rights by HOK. Photo by
ed intending to
Baku, Azerbaijan. o by Hufton Crow.
Tropes 57
58 Transformation
Movement One primarily experiences architecture by moving through it. Movement in architecture is the dynamic change in a building’s essential forms due to movement through it. In my formal analysis of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, the pathway to the central chamber becomes a dynamic journey through analyzing its formal organization. The large front doors lead to a long and thin entrance room that goes into the rectangular gridded area, which comprises the lead up to the main area and builds suspense by making the column spacing slightly larger right before the center room. This center room is then enormous by comparison of the previous rooms and is square with a circular dome above it. Through formal organization, the process of moving through the building creates a dynamic sense of drama that builds until one reaches the center where St. Peter’s tomb is. Another example is a slightly more static idea where a specific movement decides the arrangement of geometries for the rest of the building. In the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, the atrium contains ramps that lead between floors and define the rest of the building’s forms, which are based around it. Thus circular movement upward influences the building’s form, showing how circulation through a building can define form.
Tropes 59
Clockwise from the top right: A formal analysis I did of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The interior atrium of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by Richard Meier and Partners. Photo by Tarawa.
60 Defamiliartization
Defamiliarization Defamiliarization is the concept of taking something that is known and restructuring it into something new so that it has some familiar elements but is wholly independent. It can also apply to abstraction and analysis when forms are pulled from an existing structure to create a new or interesting design perspective, such as in the grid I abstracted from the Lovell Beach House seen in the top right. Defamiliarization keeps some general ideas but subverts them to create a dialogue between the new and old designs. My decomposition of the SIS building in London emphasizes its height, which its original wide facade diminishes. This is also very commonly done with the forms of precedent buildings. Architects will take different shapes created in a building and apply it to a new building. In analysis, by showing different forms that may not be entirely clear in the original, one creates that same sense of defamiliarization, such as my analysis of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. This shows the shapes and alignments that continue and change through the different stages of the design’s development.
Clockwise from the top right:
An image of the Lovell Beach H grid I abstracted from it on the
My decomposition of the SIS bu U.K.
A formal analysis I did on the st design of St. Peter’s Basillica in
House with the left.
uilding in London,
tages of the Vatican City.
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62 Light and Shadow
Light and Shadow Light and its interconnected cousin shadow are fundamental elements in architecture. How space is illuminated and what is chosen to be kept in darkness is tied to the building’s purpose and context. My continuous plane study showcases the different shapes of shadows that planes can create when a light source is angled in specific ways. Here I chose to exaggerate the forms of the model but not overexaggerate them. Light also illuminates spaces, and this can affect the mood and function of space. Shadow can be used to create dramatic shapes on walls, floors, and other surfaces. The forms created by light and shadow due to the light wells in Simmons Hall at MIT create a sense of contemplation and etherealness in an otherwise unremarkable residence hall. The shapes created by light and shadow can also be symbolic to the building’s function or context. The open cross-shaped part of the wall in Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light creates a connection with the symbolic cross shape associated with the Christian faith. The atrium’s massive skylight at Atlanta’s High Museum emphasizes the high ideals often thought to be represented in art through an ethereal, heavenly light. Light, and the shapes it creates, is pivotal in the understanding of architectural design.
Clockwise from the top right:
Light Wells inside SImmons Hall Designed by Steven Holl Archite Steven Holl Architects.
My study of continuous planes w steming from a single light sourc Atrium of Atlant’s High Museum by Richard Meier and Partners Photo by Jeoff Davis.
Tadao Ando’s Church of the Ligh Bergmann.
Tropes 63
l at MIT. ects Photo from
with shadows rce. of Art. Designed
ht. Photo by
64 Representation
Representation Representations are how an architect shows the forms he has created that comprise his architectural design. A design needs to be communicated effectively, or it cannot be brought into the real world. Thus, an architect needs to use various mediums to showcase their design to a client so it can be understood and later implemented. There are many different ways to do this, but they commonly fall into two categories: drawings and models. Drawings are the easiest to transport but are limited mainly by their dimensionality. A drawing, such as the elevation analysis on page 67, can give an idea of the design, but the standard orthographic projections, like sections, do not show the whole picture. A model is often better for getting the whole picture but is limited by what the person can see and its material. In the massing composition on the right intended to show the action “interlock,” one can see how the forms connect from here, but a drawing might illuminate how these pieces are connected as you cannot see through the rocks. In the continuous plane model, one can see the “exterior,” but a lot of the interior forms are invisible. The dowel model is open so the interior geometries can be seen, but now the structure’s surface would be unknown. (continued on page 66)
Clockwise from the top right:
A dowel composition with bris inserted. Made by author.
A close-up of a massing compo showing the idea “interlock.”
A continuous plane model I ma board.
stol board planes
osition I did
ade out of bristol
Representation 65
66 Representation
Representation The clay model in the bottom right also has its strengths and limitations. Clay is super malleable and can be molded into a lot of different shapes, such as this one intended to show the idea “pinch,� but again, you are limited by what you can see because our eyes do not have x-ray vision. A combination of a lot of these different kinds of representations would be ideal for showcasing a design as the client would be able to see many facets of the project. This section is rather small and contains the page on presentation, which is related to how architects represent the forms of their designs but is a little more abstract.
Representation 67
From top to bottom: An elevation analysis diagram I did showing the triangular geometries of the exterior of Lina Bo Bardi’s Glass House. A clay composition I did showing the idea “pinch.”
68 Presentation
Presentation Presentation is an essential part of architectural design. Once an architect has organized and designed their forms the way they want them, they need to find a way to show them interestingly. Orthographic projections such as plans and sections are helpful for building the project, but selling the design first requires different types of images and diagrams. Renderings are great if the computer software is available, showing a building’s forms as a person would see them if it was complete. An abstract diagram can illustrate particular concepts though there are other ways to make these more transparent. The charcoal drawing on the right is a portrayal of the model below it, with emphasis on the model’s forms and the visible shadows on it. A creative, more artistic piece like this can illustrate a concept while creating an image perfect for presenting a design to a client or critic.
Representation 69
From top to bottom: A charcoal drawing of an above view of my continuous plane model. The continuous plane model from a slightly different angle.
