Dimensions of Architecture

Space and Form

Lecture 4
 Key points

Space
• Space in Architecture
• Space as a language
• Space and light
Form
• characteristics of form
• Architectural form
• Types of form
• Transformation of forms
• Form and space
What is Space?
Space…

….We turn clay to make a vessel; But it is

on the space where there is nothing that
the utility of the vessel depends…
Lao-tzu, Tao Te Ching 6th century B.C.
Space…

“….We pierce door and

windows to make a house;
and it is on these spaces
where there is nothing that
the utility of the house
depends. Therefore, just as
we take advantage of
what is, we should
recognize the utility of what
is not.”
Lao-tzu, Tao Te Ching 6th
century B.C.
Farnsworth House, Illinois, United States by Ludwig Mies
van der Rohe
Space…

Space in Architecture
Space…
Space in Architecture

“Space constantly encompasses our being. Through the volume of

space, we move, see forms, hear sound, feel breezes, smell the
fragrances of a flower garden in bloom. It is a material substance like
wood or stone. yet it is an inherently formless vapor. Its visual form, its
dimensions and scale, the quality of its light- all of these qualities
depend on our perception of the spatial boundaries defined by
elements of form. As space begins to be captured, enclosed,
molded, and organized by the elements of mass, architecture comes
into being.”
Architecture FORM, SPACE AND ORDER, Francis D.K. Ching
Space in Architecture…

Salk Institute for Biological Studies, California, United States

“Architecture is the thoughtful making of space.”

Louis Kahn
Space…

Space as a language
 Space as a language

“…Through Space we can express both our individuality and our

solidarity with others. We can indicate our values and lifestyles,
allegiances and dislikes. We can use it to help generate feelings of
excitement or calm. We can communicate our willingness or otherwise to
be approached, interrupted, greeted, and engaged in social
intercourse. We can control the proximity of others. We can demonstrate
our dominance or submission and our status in society. We can use it to
bring people together or keep them apart. We can use it to convey
complex collections or rules of acceptable behavior. We can also use it
on occasion to signal our intention to break those rules!”
Bryan Lawson, The Language of Space
Space as a language…

PROXEMICS
is the study of human use of space and the effects that population
density has on behavior, communication, and social interaction.
Space as a language…

Proxemics…
Space as a language…

Space is both that which brings us together and simultaneously that

which separates us from each other.

Sociopetal space
Sociofugal space
Space as a language…

Sociopetal spaces — designed to bring people together

park playgrounds, cafes

and restaurants, dining
table at home
Space as a language…

Sociofugal spaces — designed to minimize contact between people.

church benches, lecture
hall seating, library and
office cubicles
Space…

Space and light

 Space and light

"In all my works,

light is an important
controlling factor.“
Tadao Ando

Church of Light in
Ibaraki, Osaka , Japan
by Tadao Ando
Space and light…

“….Ando’s elegant slits between wall

and ceiling generate a poetic rhythm
of light during the course of the day.
Mainly restrained as a channel for
diffuse daylight, they break the
concrete surfaces and separate
vertical from horizontal, intensifying the
spatial depth. The moment of
crescendo is short but intense. It
emerges when the rays of sunlight run
very close along the wall and produce
a layer of striking shadows…. “
Archdaily article “When Sunlight Meets
Tadao Ando’s Concrete”
Koshino house, Ashia Shi, Japan by Tadao
Ando
What is Form?
Form
• It can be described as a reference to both the internal structure
and external outline, often in the shape of a three dimensional mass
or volume.
Form…

characteristics of form

- Shape – the outline of the form

- Size – the dimensions of the form, proportions and scale
- Color – the color of the form will affect its visual weight
- Texture – the texture of a form will affect how light is reflected or
absorbed
- Position – where the form is located in relation to its environment
- Orientation – the position of the form in relation to the ground,
compass points or the person viewing the form
Form…
Architectural form
- The shape or configuration of a building.

National Congress Building, Brazil by Oscar Niemeyer

Form…
Architectural form…

Architectural form occurs at the juncture between mass and space.

Types of form
Regular and irregular form

Regular forms
refer to those whose parts are related to one
another in a consistent and ordered manner.
- stable in nature
- Symmetrical about one or more axes
- Sphere, cylinder, cone, cube and pyramid

Forms can retain their regularity even when

transformed dimensionally or by addition and
subtraction
Unité d'habitation by Le Corbusier
 Types of form…

Irregular forms

Parts are dissimilar in nature

and related to one another in
an inconsistent manner.
- Generally asymmetrical
- More dynamic than regular

Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany by Frank Gehry

Transformation of forms

1) Dimensional transformation
A form transformed by altering one or more of its dimensions.
Transformation of forms…

2) Subtractive transformation
A form can be transformed by subtracting a portion of its volume.
Transformation of forms…

3) Additive transformation
A form can be transformed by the addition of elements to its volume.
Form and space

Form is the container and Space is the contained.

The Guggenheim Museum, New York, United

States by Frank Lloyd Wright