THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE (1)
Lecture (3)
FORM (Part-1)
:The main reference
.Francis D.K. Ching (1996), Architecture: Form, Space, & Order, Jhon Wiley & Sons, INC, New York
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2007 / 1428
FORM (Part-1)
Meaning of Form -
Properties of Form -
Shape -
Primary Shapes: Circle, Triangle, and Square -
Primary Solids -
Regular and Irregular Forms -
Transformation of Form -
Subtractive and Additive Forms -
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Form
Architectural form is the point of contact between mass and space … “
Architectural forms, textures, materials, modulation of light and shade,
color, all combine to inject a quality or spirit that articulates space. The
quality of the architecture will be determined by the skill of the designer
in using and relating these elements, both in the interior spaces and in
.”the spaces around buildings
Edmund N. Bacon
The Design of Cities
1974
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Form
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
Shape The characteristic outline or surface configuration
of particular form. Shape is the principal aspect by which
.we identify and categories forms
:In addition to shape, forms have visual properties of
Size The physical dimensions of length, width, and depth
of form, while these dimensions determine the properties of
a form, its scale is determined by its size relative to other
.forms in its contexts
Color A phenomenon of light and visual perception that
may be described in terms of an individual’s perception of
hue, saturation, and tonal value. Color is the attribute that
most clearly distinguishes a form from its environment. It
.also affects the visual weight of a form
Texture The visual and especially tactile quality given to a
surface by the size, shape, arrangement, and proportions of
the parts. Texture also determines the degree to which the
.surface of a form reflect or absorb incident light
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PROPERTIES OF FORM
Forms also have relational properties which govern the
:pattern and composition of elements
Position The location of a form relative to its
environment or the visual filed within which it
.is seen
Orientation The direction of a form relative
to the ground plane, the compass points,
.other forms, or to the person viewing the form
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, and our line of sight
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SHAPE
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
Bust of Queen Nefertiti
The pattern of eye movement of a person viewing the
figure, from research by Alfred L. Yarbus of the Institute
.for Problems of Information Transmission in Moscow
:In architecture, we are concerned with the shapes of
floor, wall, and ceiling planes that enclose space -
door and window openings within a spatial enclosure -
silhouettes and contours of building forms -
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PRIMARY SHAPES
Form 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
Circle A plane curve every point of which is
.equidistant from a fixed point within the curve
Triangle A plane figure bounded by three
.sides and having three angle
Square A plane figure having four sides and
.four right angle
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PRIMARY SHAPES
CIRCLE-1
.Plan of the Ideal City of Sforzinda, 1464
Compositions of circles and
.circular segments
The Circle is a centralized, introverted figure that is
normally stable and self-centering in its environment.
Placing a circle in the center of a field reinforces its
inherent centrality. Associating it with straight or
angular forms or placing an element along its
circumference, however, can induce in the circle an
.apparent rotary motion
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.Epidaurus Theater
PRIMARY SHAPES
TRIANGLE-2
The triangle signifies stability. When resting on one of its sides, the triangle is an extremely
stable figure. When tipped to stand on one of its vertices, however, it can either be balanced in
.a precarious state of equilibrium or be unstable and tend to fall over onto one of its sides
.Modern Art Museum, Caracas, Venezuela, 1955, Oscar Niemeyer
Vigo Sundt House, Madison,
.Wisconsin, 1942, Frank Lloyd Wright
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.Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza, Egypt, c. 2500 B.C
PRIMARY SHAPES
SQUARE -3
The square represents the pure and the
rational. It is a static and neutral figure
having no preferred direction. All other
rectangles can be considered variations of
the square—deviations from the norm by Compositions resulting from
the addition of height or width. Like the the rotation and modification
triangle, the square is stable when resting .of the square
on one of its sides, and dynamic when
.standing on one its corners
Bathhouse, Jewish Community
Center, Trenton, New Jersey, 1954-59,
.Louis Kahn
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.Agora of Ephesus, Asia Minor
PRIMARY SOLIDS
.Pyramids, Giza, Egypt, c. 2500 B.C
Maupertius, Project for an Agricultural Lodge,
.1775, Claude-Nicolas Ledoux
Chapel Massachusetts Institute of technology,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1955, Eero Saarinen
Hanselmann House, fort Wayne, Indiana,
.1967, Michael graves
Project for a Conical Cenotaph, 1784, Etienne-Louis
.Boulee
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Discussion (1)
Make a discussion about the following buildings, using primary
.solids characteristics
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REGULAR AND IRREGULAR FORMS
Regular forms refer to those whose parts are 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
Forms can retain their regularity even when
transformed dimensionally or by the addition or
subtraction of elements. Form our experiences with
similar forms, we can construct a mental model of the
original whole even when a fragment is missing or
.another part is added
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
.results from an irregular composition of regular forms
Since we deal with both solid masses and spatial voids
in architecture, regular forms can be contained within
irregular forms. In a similar manner, irregular forms can
.be enclosed by regular forms
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REGULAR AND IRREGULAR FORMS
:A Regular Composition of Regular Forms
:Irregular Forms Coonley Playhouse, Riverside, Illinois, 1912, Frank Lloyd Wright
Philharmonic Hall, Berlin, 1956-63, Hans Scharoun
:Irregular Forms within a Regular Field
Philharmonic Hall, Berlin, 1956-63, Hans Scharoun
:An Irregular Composition of Regular Forms
Katsura Palace, Kyoto, Japan, 17th century
:Regular Forms within an Irregular Composition
14 Masjed of Sultan Hasan, Cairo, Egypt, 1356-63
Discussion (2)
Make a discussion about the projects of architect Frank Gehry,
. using the concept design of the irregular forms
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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 as a member of a family of a
form. 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 planner 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 extend of the
subtractive process, the form can retain its initial
identify or be transformed into a form of another
family. For example, a cube can retain its identify 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
Additive Transformation
A form can be transformed by 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
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TRANSFORMATION OF FORM
Dimensional Transformation of a cube into a vertical
:slab
United d’Habitation, Firminy-Vert, France, 1963-68, Le Corbusier
:Subtractive Transformation Creating Volumes of Space
Gwathmey Residence, Amagensett, New York, 1967, Charles
Gwathmey/Gwathmy Siegel
Additive Transformation of a Parent Form by the
:Attachment of Subordinate Parts
United
17 d’Habitation, Venice, 1577-92, Andrea Palladio
SUBTRACTIVE & ADDITIVE FORMS
:Le Corbusier comments on form
Cumulative Composition
additive form - a rather easy type -
picturesque; full of movement -
can be completely disciplined by classification -
and hierarchy
Cubic Composition (Pure Prisms)
very difficult (to satisfy the spirit) -
Very easy
)convenient combining( -
subtractive form
very generous -
on the exterior an architectural will is confirmed -
on the interior all functional needs are satisfied -
(light, penetration, continuity, circulation)
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