THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE 1 (year 1 second SEM)

LESSON 3

FORM
Introduction
Vitruvius coined the three main principles of architecture as Stength or stability, Function and use, and Form
and beauty. Form is an inclusive term that has several meanings. It may refer to an external appearance that can
be recognized. It may also allude to a particular condition in which something acts or manifests itself for
example, when we speak of water in the form of ice or steam. In art and design, we often use the term to denote
the formal structure of a work—the manner of arranging and coordinating the elements and parts of a
composition so as to produce a coherent image.

In the context of this study, form suggests reference to both internal structure and external outline and the
principle that gives unity to the whole. While form often includes a sense of three-dimensional mass or volume,
shape refers more specifically to the essential aspect of form that governs its appearance—the configuration or
relative disposition of the lines or contours that delimit a figure or form.

Definition
This refers to a three dimensional object or building perceived by a viewer in space. It can apply to both exterior
and interior spaces. There are 4 elements that make a form, namely;

1. Shape 2. Size
The characteristic outline or surface configuration of The physical dimensions of length, width, and depth
a particular form. Shape is the principal aspect by of a form. While these dimensions determine the
which we identify and categorize forms. proportions of a form, its scale is determined by its
size relative to other forms in its context.

3. Colour 4. Texture
A phenomenon of light and visual perception that The visual and especially tactile quality given to a
may be described in terms of an individual’s surface by the size, shape, arrangement, and
perception of hue, saturation, and tonal value. Color proportions of the parts. Texture also determines the
is the attribute that most clearly distinguishes a form degree to which the surfaces of a form reflect or
from its environment. It also affects the visual weight absorb incident light.
of a form.

Properties of form
 1. Position - The location of a form relative to its environment or the visual field within which it is seen.
2. Orientation - The direction of a form relative to the ground plane, the compass points, other forms, or
to the person viewing the form.
3. Visual inertia - The degree of concentration and stability of a form. The visual inertia of a form
depends on its geometry as well as its orientation relative to the ground plane, the pull of gravity.

All of these properties are influenced by how we view them. How far away we are from the form determines its
relative size. Lighting conditions can affect the clarity of a form’s shape or structure. The surrounding field also
influences our ability to read or identify it. And our angle of view or perspective shapes what we see.

Shape
Shape refers to the characteristic outline of a plane figure or
the surface configuration of a volumetric form. It is the
primary means by which we recognize, identify, and
categorize particular figures and forms. Our perception of
shape depends on the degree of visual contrast that exists
along the contour separating a figure from its ground or
between a form and its field.

Primary shapes
Gestalt psychology affirms that the mind will simplify the visual environment in order to understand it. Given
any composition of forms, we tend to reduce the subject matter in our visual field to the simplest and most
regular shapes. The simpler and more regular a shape is, the easier it is to perceive and understand.

From geometry we know the regular shapes to be the circle, and the infinite series of regular polygons that can
be inscribed within it. Of these, the most significant are the primary shapes: the circle, the triangle, and the
square.

A circle is a plane curve every point of which is

equidistant
from a fixed point within the curve

A triangle is a plane figure bounded by three sides

and having three angles

A square is a plane figure having four equal sides and

four right angles

Surfaces
Surface first refers to any figure having only two dimensions, such as a flat plane. The term, however, can also
allude to a curved two-dimensional locus of points defining the boundary of a three-dimensional solid. There is a
special class of the latter that can be generated from the geometric family of curves and straight lines. This class
of curved surfaces include the following:

 Translational surfaces are generated by sliding a plane curve along a straight line or over another
plane curve.
 Ruled Surfaces are generated by motion of a straight line. Because of its straight line geometry, a ruled
surface is generally easier to form and construct than a rotational or translational surface.
 Rotational surfaces are generated by rotating a plane curve about an axis.
 Cylindrical surfaces are generated by sliding a straight line along a plane curve, or vice versa.
Depending on the curve, a cylindrical surface may be circular, elliptic, or parabolic. Because of its
straight line geometry, a cylindrical surface can be regarded as being either a translational or a ruled
surface
 Paraboloids are surfaces all of whose intersections by planes are either parabolas and ellipses.
 Hyperbolic paraboloids are surfaces generated by sliding a parabola with downward curvature along a
parabola with upward curvature.

Translational surfaces

Paraboloids

Ruled surfaces

Rotational surfaces
Hyperbolic paraboloids

Curved Surfaces
Saddle surfaces have an upward curvature in one direction and a downward curvature in the perpendicular
direction. Regions of downward curvature exhibit arch-like action while regions of upward curvature behave as a
cable structure.
The type of structural system that can best take advantage of this doubly curved geometry is the shell structure—
a thin, plate structure, usually of reinforced concrete, which is shaped to transmit applied forces by compressive,
tensile, and shear stresses acting in the plane of the curved surface.

Related to shell structures, are grid shell structures. Like shell structures, gridshells rely on their double curvature
geometry for their strength but are constructed of a grid or lattice, usually of wood or steel.

Shell structure Grid shell

The fluid quality of curved surfaces contrasts with the angular nature of rectilinear forms and is appropriate for
describing the form of shell structures as well as non-loadbearing elements of enclosure. Symmetrical curved
surfaces, such as domes and barrel vaults, are inherently stable. Asymmetrical curved surfaces, on the other
hand, can be more vigorous and expressive in nature. Their shapes change dramatically as we view them from
different perspectives.
PRIMARY SOLIDS
The primary shapes can be extended or rotated to generate volumetric forms or solids that are distinct, regular,
and easily recognizable. Circles generate spheres and cylinders; triangles generate cones and pyramids; squares
generate cubes. In this context, the term “solid” does not refer to firmness of substance but rather to a three-
dimensional geometric body or figure.

 Sphere:

A solid generated by the revolution of a semicircle about its diameter, whose surface is at all points equidistant
from the center. A sphere is a centralized and highly concentrated form. Like the circle from which it is
generated, it is self-centering and normally stable in its environment. It can be inclined toward a rotary motion
when placed on a sloping plane. From any viewpoint, it retains its circular shape.

 Cylinder

A solid generated by the revolution of a rectangle about one of its sides. A cylinder is centralized about the axis
passing through the centers of its two circular faces. Along this axis, it can be easily extended. The cylinder is
stable if it rests on one of its circular faces; it becomes unstable when its central axis is inclined from the vertical.

 Cone

A solid generated by the revolution of a right triangle about one of its sides. Like the cylinder, the cone is a
highly stable form when resting on its circular base, and unstable when its vertical axis is tipped or overturned. It
can also rest on its apex in a precarious state of balance.

 Pyramid

A polyhedron having a polygonal base and triangular faces meeting at a common point or vertex. The pyramid
has properties similar to those of the cone. Because all of its surfaces are flat planes, however, the pyramid can
rest in a stable manner on any of its faces. While the cone is a soft form, the pyramid is relatively hard and
angular.

 Cube

A prismatic solid bounded by six equal square sides, the angle between any two adjacent faces being a right
angle. Because of the equality of its dimensions, the cube is a static form that lacks apparent movement or
direction. It is a stable form except when it stands on one of its edges or corners. Even though its angular profile
is affected by our point of view, the cube remains a highly recognizable form.
REGULAR AND IRREGULAR FORMS

Regular forms refer to those related to one another in a consistent and orderly manner. They are generally stable
in nature and symmetrical about one or more axes. The sphere, cylinder, cone, cube, and pyramid are prime
examples of regular forms.

Irregular forms are those whose parts are dissimilar in nature and related to one another in an inconsistent
manner. They are generally asymmetrical and more dynamic than regular forms. They can be regular forms from
which irregular elements have been subtracted or result from an irregular composition of regular forms.

Irregular forms
Regular composition with regular forms

Irregular form within a regular field

Irregular composition with regular forms

An irregular array of regular forms in the horizontal

dimension
TRANSFORMATION OF FORM
All other forms can be understood to be transformations of the primary solids, variations which are generated by
the manipulation of one or more dimensions or by the addition or subtraction of elements.

Dimensional Transformation

A form can be transformed by altering one or more of its dimensions and still retain its identity as a member of a
family of forms. A cube, for example, can be transformed into similar prismatic forms through discrete changes
in height, width, or length. It can be compressed into a planar form or be stretched out into a linear one.

Subtractive transformation

A form can be transformed by subtracting a portion of its volume. Depending on the extent of the subtractive
process, the form can retain its initial identity or be transformed into a form of another family. For example, a
cube can retain its identity as a cube even though a portion of it is removed, or be transformed into a series of
regular polyhedrons that begin to approximate a sphere

Subtractive form

We search for regularity and continuity in the forms we see within our field of vision. If any of the primary
solids is partially hidden from our view, we tend to complete its form and visualize it as if it were whole because
the mind fills in what the eyes do not see. In a similar manner, when regular forms have fragments missing from
their volumes, they retain their formal identities if we perceive them as incomplete wholes. We refer to these
mutilated forms as subtractive forms. Because they are easily recognizable, simple geometric forms, such as the
primary solids, adapt readily to subtractive treatment. These forms will retain their formal identities if portions of
their volumes are removed without deteriorating their edges, corners, and overall profile. Ambiguity regarding
the original identity of a form will result if the portion removed from its volume erodes its edges and drastically
alters its profile.

Addictive transformation

A form can be transformed by the addition of elements to its volume. The nature of the additive process and the
number and relative sizes of the elements being attached determine whether the identity of the initial form is
altered or retained.

Addictive form

While a subtractive form results from the removal of a portion of its original volume, an additive form is
produced by relating or physically attaching one or more subordinate forms to its volume. The basic possibilities
for grouping two or more forms are by:

Spatial Tension: This type of relationship

is technically not through attachment bur
rather by proximity or their sharing of a
common visual trait, such as shape, color,
or material between one form and another
so that they appear to be one unit.

Edge to edge contact: In this type of

relationship, forms share an edge in
common as their point of linear
attachment
Face to face contact: In this type of
relationship, the forms share
corresponding planar surfaces that are
parallel to one another.

Interlocking volumes: This type of

transformation involves the overlap
or penetration of volumes so that
they interlock with one another