ELEMENTS OF DESIGN WAYS OF DESIGNING A SPACE

1. ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

2. FORM AND SPACE :
● To comprehend the structure of a visual field, we organize its elements into positive shapes perceived as figures and
negative shapes perceived as figures and negative portion serving as a background for the figure.
● We should therefore understand that figures and their background together form an inseparable reality – a unity of
opposites- just as the elements of form and space together form the reality architecture.

3. ● As space begins to be captures, enclosed, molded, and organized by solid elements of mass, architecture come into
being.
● Architectural form occurs at the juncture between mass and space. We should be concerned with both the form of
the mass containing a volume of space as well as the form of the spatial volume itself.
● We should be concern not only with the form of a building but also its impact on the space around it.

4. ● At urban scale, a building can be part of the fabric and aid in defining
streets and squares…
Or stand alone as an object in space.
● At the scale of a building, we tend to read the configurations of walls as the positive elements of a plan.
● Even at the scale of a room, articles of furnishing can either stand as form within a field of space or serve to define the
form of a spatial field.

5. THE UNITY OF OPPOSITES.
● At the scale of a building site, there are various strategies for relating the form of a building to the space around it. A
building can:
A. form a wall along an edge of its site and begin to define a positive
outdoor space;
B. merge its interior space with the private outdoor space of a walled site;
C. enclose a portion of its site as an outdoor room and shelter it from
undesirable climatic conditions;

6. D. surround and enclose a courtyard or atrium space within its volume—
an introverted scheme.
E. stand as a distinct object in space and dominate its site through its form
and topographical positioning—an extroverted scheme;
F. stretch out and present a broad face to address a view, terminate an axis,
or define an edge of an urban space;
G. stand free within its site but extend its interior spaces to merge
with private exterior spaces;

7. H. stand as a positive form in a negative space.
● Even at the scale of a room, articles of furnishings can either stand as forms within a field of space or serve to define
the form of a spatial field.

8. BASE PLAN.
● A horizontal plane laying as a figure on a contrasting background defines a simple field of space.
● For a horizontal plane to be seen as a figure, there must be a perceptible change in color, tone, or texture between its
surface and that of the surrounding area.
● The stronger the edge definition of a horizontal plane is, the more distinct will be its field.
● Although there is a continuous flow of space across it, the field nevertheless generates a spatial zone or realm
within its boundaries.

9. A single vertical plane, standing alone in space, has
visual qualities uniquely different from those of a
freestanding column.
SINGLE VERTICAL PLANE
As the rectangular
column becomes more like a wall, it can appear to be
merely a fragment of an infinitely larger or longer plane,
slicing through and dividing a volume of space.

10. A vertical plane has frontal qualities. Its two surfaces
or faces front on and establish the edges of two
separate and distinct spatial fields.
The field of space on which a single vertical plane fronts
is not well-defined. The plane by itself can establish
only a single edge of the field. To define a three
dimensional
volume of space, the plane must interact
with other elements of form.

11. The height of a vertical plane relative to our
body height and eye level is the critical factor
that affects the ability of the plane to visually
describe space

12. The surface color, texture, and pattern of a plane
affect our perception of its visual weight, scale,
and proportion.
When related to a defined volume of space, a
vertical plane can be the primary face of the
space and give it a specific orientation
It can front the space and define a plane of entry into
it. It can be a freestanding element within a
space and divide the volume into two separate
but related areas.

13. EXAMPLES
A single vertical plane can define the principal facade of a building fronting a public space,
establish a gateway through which one passes, as well as articulate spatial zones within a
larger volume.
Glass House, New Canaan, Connecticut, 1949,
Philip Johnson

14. A composition of vertical planes cuts the continuous field of the
architectural volume, creating an open plan of spaces that merge with one
another. The partitions never form closed, geometrically static areas.

15. L SHAPED CONFIGURATION OF PLANES
An L-shaped configuration of vertical planes
defines a field of space along a diagonal from its
corner outward. While this field is strongly defined
and enclosed at the corner of the configuration,
it dissipates rapidly as it moves away from the
corner.
While two edges of the field are clearly defined
by the two planes of the configuration, its
other edges remain ambiguous unless further
articulated by additional vertical elements,
manipulations of the base plane, or an overhead
plane.

16. If a void is introduced to one side of the corner of
the configuration, the definition of the field will
be weakened. The two planes will be isolated from
each other and one will appear to slide by and
visually dominate the other.
If neither plane extends to the corner, the field will
become more dynamic and organize itself along the
diagonal of the configuration.

17. A building form can have an L-shaped configuration and
be
subject to the following readings.
One of the arms of the configuration can be a linear
form that incorporates the corner within its boundaries
while the other arm is seen as an appendage to it.
Or the corner can be articulated as an independent
element that joins two linear forms
together
A building can have an L-shaped configuration
to establisha corner of its site, enclose a field of
outdoor space to
which its interior spaces relate, or shelter a
portion of
outdoor space from undesirable conditions
around it.

18. L-shaped configurations of planes are stable and
selfsupporting and can stand alone in space.
Because they are open-ended, they are flexible
space-defining elements.
They can be used in combination with one another or
with
other elements of form to define a rich variety of space

19. EXAMPLES
Vegetation forming L-shaped windscreens,
Shimane Prefecture, Japan
The sheltering aspect of an L-shaped configuration is
expressed well in this example
In the Kingo Housing estate, a fairly high density is
achieved with this type of unit, each with its own private
outdoor space.

20. L – SHAPED PLANS
The outdoor space enclosed by the architect's studio in
Helsinki is used as an amphitheater for lectures and social
occasions.
L-shaped walls separate the units of a quadruplex housing
organization and define zones within a building as well as
spaces within a room.

21. History Faculty Building, Cambridge University, England, 1964–1967,
James Stirling
PLAN

22. PARALLEL VERTICAL PLANES
A pair of parallel vertical planes defines a field of space between them
strong
directional quality
primary orientation is
along the axis
space is extroverted in
nature.
spatial field can be visually
reinforced by manipulating the base
plane or adding overhead elements
to the composition.
spatial field can be
expanded by extending the
base
plane
Openings in one or both of
the planes can also introduce
secondary axes to the
field

23. PARALLEL PLANES
Various elements in architecture can be seen as
parallel planes that define a field of space
Pair of parallel
interior walls
within a building
Street space formed by facades of 2
facing buildings
Colannaded arbor or
pergola
Promenade bordered
by rows of trees or
hedges

24. Sets of parallel vertical planes can
be transformed into a wide variety of
configurations
The image of parallel vertical planes is
often associated with the bearing-wall
structural system, wherein a floor or roof
structure spans the spaces between two
or more parallel loadbearing walls.

25. Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II, Milan, Italy, 1865–1877,
Giuseppe Mengoni
Nave of the basilican church, St. Apollinare in
Classe, Ravenna, Italy, 534–539
EXAMPLES

26. The flow of the space defined by parallel planes corresponds naturally
to the paths of movement within a building, along its corridors, halls,
and galleries.
House in Old Westbury, New York,
1969–1971, Richard Meier
Arnheim Pavilion, The Netherlands, 1966, Aldo
van Eyck
The parallel vertical planes of a bearing-wall structural system can
the generating force behind the form and organization of a building
(Ground level
plan)

27. Siedlung Halen, near Bern,
Switzerland, 1961, Atelier 5
Parallel bearing walls -
not only provide structural support
for the floors and roofs of each
housing unit, but also serve to
isolate the units from one another,
curb the passage of sound, and
check the spread of fire.