15. 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.

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.