COMPOSITIONS in ARCHITECTURE Don HanlonFor Michelle This book's printed on ack-ree paper ®@ Copyright © 2008 by John Wiey & Sons, Inc, Alright reserved PPbished by John Wiley & Sons, no, Hoboken, New Jersey Published simutaneousy in Canada [No par ofthis publication may be reproduced, storedin a retieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, machanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, ‘except as permitted under Section 107 or 106 ofthe 1976 United States Copyright Act, without ‘ether the por written permission of the Pusher, or authorization through payment ofthe appro: rate pee-copy fee tothe Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Darwers, MA 1923, (978) 750-2400, tax (878) 646-8600, o onthe web at waw-copytight.com. 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Te NA2750.H28 2009 720-422 2008030321 Pritad inthe United States of America so987654921CONTENTS PREFACE vii INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER ONE FIVE FORMAL PROPERTIES OFACOMPOSITION 3 CHAPTER TWO NOTES ON THEPLAN 21 CHAPTER THREE TYPE 29 CHAPTER FOUR THE SQUARE 53 CHAPTER FIVE LAYERING 79 CHAPTER SIX LINEAR FORMS 110 CHAPTER SEVEN CORE AND SHELL 141 CHAPTER EIGHT FRAME AND OBJECT 157CHAPTER NINE CLUSTERS 178 CHAPTER TEN SUBTRACTIVE SPACES AND THE DEEP WALL 242 CHAPTER ELEVEN ARTICULATED SKIN 258 CHAPTER TWELVE METAMORPHOSIS 280 CHAPTER THIRTEEN DEFORMATION 291 CONCLUSION 318 GLOSSARY 319 BIBLIOGRAPHY 321 INDEX OF BUILDINGS 325PREFACE ‘This book has emerged from a method I have used to help students clarify and focus their work in design. Underlying all of my analyses of architectural precedents is a search for relationships among them, patterns of composition. While I am inter- ‘seed in the unique qualities of an architectural work, I am also interested in how designers share, borrow, and interpret architectural ideas. Sometimes this is overt, cone design clearly derived from another. However, what is more interesting is how designers produce simil nection between them. This suggests an underlying logic of form that architects discover through the act of design. ‘The projects in this book are a collection of my work over many years, a com pendium of analytical problems. I have maintained a freehand style of drawing, because it places an interesting constraint on how I shape and convey information, Due to its rough character, frechand drawing encourages simplicity and directness, and it maintains a personal, intimate relation with the subject. I have learned that the act of drawing by hand is a way of thinking; itis not merely representation, ‘Though not ideological, the work presented here suggests a particular analytical approach to design. Since my interest in architecture is broadly inclusive, Tam pro- viding a variety of points of view in che book without a strong theoretical bias. This, hope, will make ita practical resource thar students can use co find their own way in design. solutions without an obvious historical or cultural con- vilINTRODUCTION HIS IS A WORK OF INTERPRETATION. IT IS A COLLECTION OF ARCHITEC- tural compositions that I have found interesting and useful. I do not claim chat this sa comprehensive view of composition in architeccure: it {s,in fac, selective. Lam interested in describing the characteristics of composition rather than defining types of composition, so the book is not meant to be a taxon- ‘omy of building types or an architectural encyclopedias it identifies tendencies, not categories, of composition, Asa guide for general compositional techniques in archi- tecture, [hope it becomes a useful resource for instructors and architectural design, students at any level, in studios and in seminars devoted to theories of form. It demonstrates how the analysis of precedents, whether ancient or contemporary, pro- vides basic organizational strategies for design, and i illustrates a research method that can reveal chese strategies. The book also illustrates che power and universality of simple ideas. Contempo- rary students of architecture tend vo assume that the dramatic technological advances of the recent past and the present place them in an entitely different world. ofideas than the one oftheir predecessors. would argue thar despite differences i appearance and in methods of construction, at the conceptual level of composition litele has changed over thousands of years of formal exploration. Since the book is nonlinear, the readers Free co read icin any order or simply rouse itas.a reference. One can read it graphically ot read the captions ofthe illustrations as a kind of open-ended narrative. The analytical diagrams and their captions reveal under- lying patterns of organization that may nor be readily discernable in the building as a whole oreven in its plan. These studies also reveal surprising relations between disparate ‘examples, illustrating how architects separated by geographical, historical, and cultural discance nevertheless solve similar problems in similar ways. Whereas the drawings and their captions concentrate on specific subjects, the introductory text for each section is ‘comparative and explores various ways a compositional method may be used. Being of an eclectic nature, I have collected examples from a wide range of sources, Subjects for analysis include designs from di periods withoue prejudice. My principal motivation in choosing these particular subjeces—some famous, many not well known, some even obscure—is to demon- strate different interpretations of similar ideas. My premise is that meanings in architecture and urban design are both global and local, that they combine univer- sal compositional strategies with the particular physical and cultural conditions of the moment, Though each example has a unique meaning, it is their collective ‘meanings, che ways in which they relate to patterns that cut across the boundaries of history and geography, that fascinate me. se cultures and historicalIrropuction For most of human civilization, architecture has been the preeminent feature of material culture; 50 much of the meaning that architectural or urban composition conveys is specifi to its time and place. However, che more we study the forms cre- ated by diverse culeutes, the clearer itis chat despite variations in meaning they share underlying patterns of organization, that there are relatively ew basic compositional serategies, and what initially appears co be new is actually a variant of a widely ut- lized theme. Often these themes are not readily apparent and require analysis to reveal them. I use two techniques in my analyses. The first is to discern common patterns among numerous examples. The second is to investigate a single example in greater depth to reveal che various patterns nested within it. admit co a bias for the plan. Iris usually the key diagram, because it establishes the underlying logic for a building and reveals much of how the architect was chink: ing through the process of design. Buildings ae extremely complex phenomena, and there are certainly many other ways to explore che meanings of the projects included in this book. However, the use ofthe plan as the primary analytical rool produces a relatively accessible study that is useful for designers in many ways. I consider the result descriptive, not prescriptive. Since the general headings I use are merely for convenience, the reader could study many of the examples under several of che head. ings for a variety of reasons. I leave it to the reader to discover these relationships through an exploration of the book asa whole, ‘Underlying my view of archteccural composition isa lifelong fascination with forms found in narure. I don’t mean an organic theory, but rather an incerest in the parcerns ‘we find in che organization of energy, manifested in matter, as we observe it in nature, nd what this can suggest ro us for another kind of design—our own. The patverns of ‘order in nacure follow a rule of theme and variation, There appeat to be relatively few fandamental compositional themes in nature, such as near, segmental, or clustered strategies. These comprise a limited or closed sytem of possibilities. However, the infin- ity of variations on these chemes (including hybrids and deformations) comprises an ‘unlimited or open system of possibilities. The relation of these ewo systems of order ‘guarantees a rich diversicy, which is of course the key co survival inthe nacural world. 1 do not propose a direct corelation beeween che systems of composition found in nacure and those found in architeceure, though I suggest thatthe general partern of theme and variation can help us understand relations among architectural compositions, and ie helps to subvert facile assumptions of uniqueness, novelty, or style as well ‘Remember that all of the drawings ae in one way or another abstract they ae not realistic representations of buildings or cities. Generally the orientation of drawings is ‘with north toward the top ofthe page. but by largely ignoring orientation as wel scale hope to focus readers on the character of the drawings instead, dissociating them ‘momentarily from their contexts so as to see them primarily as pattcns. The purpose of abstraction is not reductive: abstraction should not reduce complex compositions olife- less diagrams. Analysis is devoted to simplifying and clarifying composition without losing the rich polyvalent meanings we find in sophisticated design. I am aware of the limitations ofthe technique I use and do not claim it isa comprehensive approach to ‘understanding architectural form. However, Ihave found that since the act of drawing, requires high degree of graphic editing, each drawing emphasizes particular quality of ‘composition. Therefore, the information in each drawings highly selective, even in wha appears to bea conventional plan. That is what I mean by a work of interpretation.CHAPTER ONE FIVE FORMAL PROPERTIES OF A COMPOSITION RCHITECTURAL DESIGN IS ESSENTIALLY PATTERN MAKING. THE ‘composition of a building is a set of patterns of various complexities ganized one within another, like nested Russian wooden dolls Ideally, every aspect of a building—from the plan in its most abstract sense to the smallest physical deail—appeats in a pattern, and all of the patterns relate to one another dimensionally co create a seamless continuum of scale and complexity. This is what swe observe in the organic compositions of the natural world—compositions that have five related formal properties: number, geometry, proportion, hierarchy, and orientation. They produce patterns at all scales of che natural world, rom the scale of the cosmos to that of the atom. ‘Number is the fundamental property. The two dominant theories of the phys- ical world—general relativity at the macro scale and quantum mechanics atthe scale cof subatomic particles—both rely on a mathemarial language, thas, chey assume that all physical phenomena are in essence numerical. Between these extremes of scale, nature is composed of numerical structures. Some structures are relatively easy to discern whereas others, such as the chaotic structures of weather systems, are ‘extremely complex. Likewise, any analysis of formal order in architectural compo- sition must begin with numerical relationships. Common features of space and time as we ordinarily experience them in architecture, such as chythm and cadence, are numerical progressions. Geometry is the shape of number. Like numbers, geometries in nature vary widely in complexity. Geometry is an underlying ordering mechanism that estab- lishes a consistent language of form for a given phenomenon. For example, 2 crystalline patcern may assume a hexagonal geometry (based on the number six), ‘whereas many plant forms depend on a pentagonal geometry (based on the num- ber five). Each gcometric figure has intrinsic qualities. The square, for example, is defined by its Four equal sides and right angles. In architectural design, the relation ‘of geometric figures is a visual language that is central to our reading of pattern. In many of the plans of Frank Lloyd Wright’ houses, for example, spaces vary in size4 Compositions tN ARCHITECTURE and other attributes, but they are geometrically consistent. Though their relations are complex, their geometrical similarity is critical to producing a sense of unity and continuity. Proportion isthe ratio of numbers within a geometric igure or among parts of a larger composition. For example, riangles of varying proportion are constructed from three points on a plane. The ratios of the distances between the vertices may be ‘equal, producing an equilateral triangle, or they may have some other ratio, such as the series 3:4:5. Proportion also establishes the relative sizes and positions of the ‘parts ofa composition and is therefore essential to their functional relationships. Ie operates in the natural world, within some parameters of variation, as a means to produce consistency. For example, the human face has a proportional organization such that its features appear more or less in predictable places in relation to one another; extremely subtle variations in proportion are essential to producing indi- vidual identity and expression. Proportion also governs scale in archiecture. Externally it relates a building to the scale ofits physical seeing (landscape or other buildings) and to the scale of people. Internally, proportion controls the relative sizes of the parts ofthe architectural composition. Hierarchy indicates che relative importance ofthe parts of a composition and is dependent on number, geometry, and proportion, since each of these contributes to the identity of each part and its position relative to others. Nature avoids unifor- sity because forms in nature respond directly to the distribution and collection of energy. Since sources of energy are concentrated or intermittent, nor uniform, forms ‘must organize themselves hierarchically to produce structures that mediate between, places of high concentrations of energy and those of low concentrations. Analo- {gously, in architectural patterns, not all parts are ofthe same significance. We can consider them in respect to energy as well literally in respect to natural light, but also figuratively in respect co theie visual, emotional, or spirieual energy. Orientation operates in two ways in patterns: externally and internally. All nat- ural phenomena are oriented in space in some way, in response to forces around them, such as sunlight or a magnetic field. They may be oriented externally toward themselves, such as che sun or a direction of movement. They are also oriented internally by virtue of an organization of their parts (eg, the axis of symmetry that controls the position of the head, thorax, and abdomen of a beetle and indicate its direction of movement). Likewise, in architectural design, we find buildings oriented externally toward distant objects, such asthe Kaaba in Mecca for ‘mosques or the polestar for some Anasazi kivas. Internally orientation may ake the form of an axis of symmetry, bu there also may be a series of changing orientations ina choreographed movement though linked segments of space.A Maple Leaf ‘A maple leafis a simple example of how these five formal properties produce a pat nature, It is composed of five lobes, three large and two small (1.1). Geometrically, the lobes are within a 180° arc in four 45° sections (1.2). Propor- sionally, the leaf fits within a rectangle that inscribes an equilateral triangle, a rectangle therefore with the proportion of 2:¥3 (1.3)-Since the function ofthe leaf’ structure isto collect and distribute energy, itis hierarchical by means of primary, secondary, and tertiary veins (1.4). Finally, its orientation is symmetrical about a ver- tical centerline rising from a horizontal baseline (1.5). What is most fascinating about this rigorous system is chat among the countless maple leaves nature has pr duced, no two leaves are ever exactly alike. The underlying rules of a maple leaf pattern (number, geometry, proportion, hierarchy, and orientation) ensure consis- tency without uniformity. cen 14 13 Number: three major and two minor Proportion: the 2:v8 rectangle. lobes. 14 12 Hierarchy: primary, secondary, and Geometry: division by 45°. tertiary veins. 18 Orientation: horizontal and vertical axes. FIVE FORMAL PROPERTIES OF A COMPOSITION: A MAPLE LEAF6 ComPosiTions iN ARCHITECTURE Architectural Examples Though all buildings have all five ofthese properties, we will focus on each one of chem in separate examples to understand them becter. The courtyard elevation of the house of Rondane Bey in Tunis (1.6 1.7) demonstrates how number is Funda- meneal to organizing elements of an architectural composition and establishes repetition and rhythm. Geometry operates at many levels of composition but in some cases it is strikingly evident in the forms of masses and voids, such asin the Church of Saint Michael in Hildesheim, Germany (1.8). A close analysis of even complex designs, such as the Schrdder House by Gerrit Rietveld (1.9) reveals an underlying proportional system: in this case, the golden mean operates in plan and section, Hierarchy may manifest itself in buildings in various ways; one way is in the ‘massing of forms, such asin the case of the Sileymaniye Mosque in Istanbul (1.10). ‘An example of external orientation, that i, the orientation of a building to some- thing outside of itself, is the position of che main prayer hall of a eypical mosque that, ike the three examples in Tripoli (1.11), directs the users of the building toward the Kaaba in Mecca for prayer. Number, geometry, proportion, hierarchy, and orientation operate at all scales of architectural design. For example, a door in the house of bn Arafe in Tans (1.12) is an elegant composition, balanced and varied in its Forms and materials. Undetly- ing ies appearance, however, we find the five basic properties at work. It has three major parts nested one within the other (1.13), 2 geometry limited to related cir cles and rectangles (1.14), a proportional system based on the equilateral triangle (1.15), a hierarchy of forms from the center outward (1.16), and an orientation based on a centerline of symmerry aswell as an indication of front and back (1.17). “Two building plans illustrate how architects have used the five properties ro order their compositions, The L4th-century Certosa del Galluzzo (1.18) is divided inco ‘wo major parts, each with subsidiary numerical organizations (1.19); i adheres to an orthogonal arrangement of similar receangles (1.20) within a generalized pro- portional sytem based on equilateral triangles (1.21) a strict hierarchy governs the relations ofits pars in respect ro both masses and voids (1.22). And each of the ewo _major parts ofthe plan has distinct method of orientation; the one for the monks isbased on the centerline of the cloister and meeting room, while the one for lay people isa series of orientations that control a processional (1.23). The proposal for a courtyard house by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is equally rigorous composition- ally (1.24). Namerically itis two figures, one superimposed upon the other, chat produce three zones (1.25). Geometrically, itis restricted to relations between cir- cles and rectangles (1.26). The rectangles emerge from the superimposition of squares and rectangles produced by equilateral triangles, chat, in the proportion of 2:3 (1.27). Hierarchically, Mies made a clear distinction becween the formal court- yard, asic relates to an interior space, and the service courtyard (1.28). Finally, che system of orientation isa series of carefully controlled segments ofa processional from the exterior through the interior (1.29). Use of the five properties of composition asthe foundation of a design method does not constrain creativity it liberates creativity from arbitrariness by providing a realistic and systemati basis for decision making at an eay stage in the design process. A successful design is going to rely on these properties anyway; all of cheprojects in this book have these properties, whether they are by famous architects orby vernacular designers. Irs cherefore best to be conscious of them from the out- setand use them proactively, because the irst decisions made are the most critical to a design’ logic. 16 ‘Number: House of Rondane Boy, Tunis. Courtyard. Elevation. Number plays two ros in architectural com ‘positon. Fist, the designer arranges parts of ‘eomposiion in some way—sequentaty © ‘epetitvely—producing rythm. Rhythm, which isthe relation of similar and dissimilar parts, s in essence an arangoment of numbers. Te second rle of umber is symbotc, For exam ple, numbers connote unity, a duaiy a uum Fate, or inthe case ofthe four quartered ‘square an ideal form ofthe terrestiial word, __fA = 17 House of Rondane Bey. Diagram. In this exemple, the composition has tes Pens, le to ght, subtly Inccatig two similar bays flanking one central bay. The architect di- ‘ded the composition vertcally into two zones, ‘the top one, i tur, ito three and the lower ‘on into two. Despite the simcity ofthis arrangement, the rhythm appears complex ‘whan scanned both vertically and horizontal FIvE FORMAL PROPERTIES OF A COMPOSITION: ARCHITECTURAL EXAMPLES 78 ComPostrions iy ARCHITECTURE 18 Geometry: Church of Saint Michael, Hildesheim, Germany, 1010-883. View. In ths example of eary Romanesque church architecture, the geomtiic ‘conception dominates the fom, The plan i basic wih two chalrs (one at each end), two cossings, and two pats of transept, The cross ings are square in lan; the dimensions of this square produced the planning module for the entra church. With clean, crisp 6dges, minimal ‘apertures, and unadamed wall surfaces, itis a tour de force of elemental ‘tree-dimencional forms: cubes, cyinders, pyarids, and cones. De- _stoyed in World War Il and rebut inthe 1950s, the church is now United Nations Educational, Scenic and Gutural Organization {UNESCO) Worl Cultural Hertage site,19 Proportion: Schréder House, Utrecht, Netherlands, 1924. Gerrit Rietveld. Pian and section. DDespite the complety ofthe design, Rete led on traditional proportion for the buleing as a whole: the goktan section i the bess for both the plan and the section, (Note that these two crewings ae at cifferent scales The rationale for ‘tne uso of an abstract ato such as the gokien section has two theoretical bases. Fist, since much ofthe natural world appears to be ordered by the gon 9sc- tion tncuding our own bodies), humans are presumably predisposed to find t _acsthaticaly pleasing. The second theory i that because It canbe subdivided systematically to produce identical ratios at erent scalos, is use achieves a hamonic lation among the pars of a compost. FIVE FORMAL PROPERTIES OF A COMPOSITION: ARCHITECTURAL EXAMPLES 91.40 Hierarchy: Sdleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, 16th century. Mimar Sinan. View. ‘The center ofthis trge complex of bulking Is ‘a masque, Sinan perfected a compositional system, dared fom Byzantine precedents, by ‘which relatively small domes, ha domes, mon tumental arches, and buttresses supported @ genic caniral dame, The resus power- {uly hlerarchicel composition tht produces a cascade of volumes from the center to the pe riphory. nts entity, the composition harks back to an ancient ASslatic metephor ofthe cosmic mauntan that connects the terest work with the cosmos. 111 Formal Orientation: Three mosques in ‘Tripoli, Libya. Plans. ‘formal orientation of bulking, as cstinct from a processional orientation, fxs intemal cements ofa plan to an extemal phenome on—for example, @ cardinal direction, another building, ora vow. AS wth all mosques, i this, case itis a cistert referent, the Keaba in Mecca. Loft to right: Ahmed Pasha Keramani, Camita, Gur. 10 CompostrionsIN ARCHITECTURE42 Composrrionsin ARCHITECTURE112 Door: House of Ibn Arafa, Tunis, 19th century. Elevation, The door is of bronze and copper within a finely dotaod imastone portal that i, in tum, within @ rougher lmestone panel ofthe facade, 1313 Door. Number. Te compostion consists ofthe portals de scending in scale, ane within another, Door. Geometry. “Te geometry rales on the rlaion between @ sot of sar rectangles anda set of cries, Five FORMAL PROPERTIES OF A COMPOSITION: ARCHITECTURAL EXAMPLES 131.45 Door. Proportion. “Te cle that forms tha arch ste key to the propor ‘inal syst. ts replicated twice, with the coum ‘ence ofeach ofthe new crcles above and below it essing through is centr, producing two vsicas and ‘2 mari of equlatcl tangles. This order establishes ‘he posions of al major features of the composition. Door. Hierarchy. ‘The bronze doors the primary fg, the surrounding ‘arched portal isthe secondary Agu, and the rough Jmestone portals the tetiy figure. A constaation of miner objocts, such as Geoorative plaques, eres, ‘and door hances,suround the major elements ofthe ‘composition. Door. Orientation. A cenival axis of symmety organizes all ements of the composition monumentally and imps @foral cxder bayond. 116 14 ComposiTionsin ARCHITECTURE1.18 at Uf t i ‘ tI LL ltt] fi | q | fe) | ‘ t J JL tp I q ty 118 Cortosa del Galluzzo, near Florence, Italy, mid-14th century. Plan, cool Acciivol the scion of apron ant Florentine banking fami, founded the large complex of bulings in 1341 Trough ater eitons end mocica- ‘ins, became an important exam flat ln Renaissance architecture and ert, Pontormo contributed pain ings and frescoes forthe clotters wher he took refuge thar fom the plague in 1528-25. The plan fokows the austere prescription forthe Carthusian ore, with ech monk ving ina smal shaped house witha garden, a ratios ist approach to domestic that int ‘enced Le Gorbusier’s design for the Unité. Habtation projects in Marsiles ‘and Bet.1.19 Certosa del Galluzzo. Number. ‘A continous transverse wal divides the com plex inta two paris, each one focused on a Coustyard Ta the south ar al ofthe buildings associated wih he lay brothers end secular ‘vistors nelucing the church, whe to the orth ofthe walls alarge courtyard wit an ‘arcade on fou sides that exclusively served the resident monks. 1.20 Cortosa del Galluzzo, Geometry. Despite @ grea varity of buldng tyoes and functions, the entire plan is composed of reo: tangles that do not intersect but ae adjacent taone another 1.21 Certosa del Galluzzo. Proportion. “The predominant proportional feature of the ‘composition sa rectangle wih the rato of 2:8. Te ratio also determines the positions ofthe two entrances —one a he top ofthe approach ramp, the other opposite the church enty. 1.22 Certosa del Galluzzo. Hierarchy. “The church and the courtyard dominate the reat vara of bucings and spaces inthe south half of the plan. To the noth, hierarchy Isloss obvious; rom the couryarc, al ofthe monks’ residences appear equal, though the ‘ones atthe northwest and northeast comers enjoy larger gardens and the interior ofthe rortheast residence is sight large as wo |wtn tis apparent uniform boundary, the fo- cus ofthe courtyards the smal rectangular ‘cometary on the southside, 1.23 Certosa del Galluzzo, Orientation, “The two halves ofthe composition have der. lent typ0s of entations, An ax of symmetry ‘hat passes ftom the courtyard into a smal Cloister organizes the northern hal from the ‘mall cloister, monks could acoess the chap- {or house tothe west and the choir ofthe ‘church tothe east, Orientation inthe southern half snot axa, but rather processional, that 's, @ series of segments of movement fom ‘the exterior nt the church. 16 COMPOSITIONS IN ARCHITECTURE 1.20ARCHITECTURAL EXAMPLES 17 Five FORMAL PROPERTIES OF A COMPOSITION:1.24 Brick Courtyard House Proposal, 1934. Mies van der Rohe. Plan. “The house, one of several hypothetical designs by Migs from the 18205, is a compostion of ‘dass planes and thin nonbeerng brick part ‘tions beneath a fat of supported by sx slen- der steel columns. occuries pat of a paved space enclosed by a brick walln whch asin le opening serves asthe pedestian entry as wall as 2 criveway. The postion of the house vides the enclosed space into two courts: @ ‘service court tothe left and the formal cout ‘associated with the house's interior othe right ‘An exterior circular sti in the sorice cout leads tothe roo. n the interior, an arc of ser= lee spaces including the garage, ktchen, and bath—separates two leisure spaces: a forma ‘one defined by four columns facing the forma ‘court, and a mere intimate space centered an a hoart at the rear ofthe house, 18 CoMposrrions in ARCHITECTURE 1.25 Brick Courtyard House Proposal. Number. In this compaction, number can be interpreted ‘wo ways. On the one hand, Miss divided the ‘rectangular enclosure int tree zones: service ‘cour, house, and formal cour. On the other hand, the composition impiles thal the house is fan aulonamous form applied to single proax- isting ted enclosure, thus creating a calogue ‘between only two elements, 1.26 Brick Courtyard House Proposal. Geometry. “The plan isan abetract compaction of exces ‘and rectangles simi to contemporary Neo pleticist paintings by Pit Mondrian and Tho van Dossburg, 2s well as fo tha Constuctist ‘compastions of Kasmir Malevich ancl Alsxen- er Rodchenko,ry 4 Five FORMAL PROPERTIES OF A COMPOSITION: ARCHITECTURAL EXAMPLES 19127 127 Brick Courtyard House Proposal. Proportion. “There are two geometries working in tandem. “The ete enclosures inthe proportion of 1:2, thats, to squares, whereas the house and ‘the formal court are each 2:9 rectangles. The dlerence between, oF the remainder of, hese ‘wo systems determines the with ofthe serv lea cour. 20 Compostrions in ARCHITECTURE 1.28 1.28 Brick Courtyard House Proposal. Hierarchy. "Mies denotes the primary hiererchical postion ofthe main intaioe leisure space by defining its four comers with four steel columns. tis d- rectly, that is aval, related to the exterior for ‘mal court, The two interlocked squares estab- Sch he herarcty ofthe entire composition: tne ‘served and senice spaces. 1.29 1.28 Brick Courtyard House Proposal. Orientation. “Toe are two types of orntation operating in ‘this compoaton: formal ang processional ‘concave partion terinates an axis that s+ tabichas a formal centation through the main living space and its cout. The processional ar- entation consists of tree Segments of move ment: the approach to @ gap inthe ste fe cade, aright tun into the house, then a et ‘between the end ofa reception space and a ‘column and into the main interior isu space. A convex pation terminates this 8e- quence of movementsCHAPTER TWO NOTES ON THE PLAN (OST OF THE DRAWINGS IN THIS BOOK ARE PLANS OF ONE KIND OR another. This is not to suggest that an analysis of a building relies solely on its plan. Many important features of building and che ideas that lie behind them do not appear in a plan. However, in most cases the plan con- ‘veys the central organizing strategy ofa building Iis fall of clues as to the designer's values and atcicudes toward che landscape, theories of order, methods of construc~ tion, and the control of social relations, to name jst a few of many concerns. A plan is so powerful as 2 means of uniting diverse interests that architects cannot be blamed if chey sometimes equate the plan with the physical building. This is because aplan is nor just asec of data: itis iconic—it constrains and directs the way we think. Tc reveals a set of values, ideas, analogies, and metaphors that have shaped informa- sion in particular way. ‘Though plans purport to be factual, none are entirely so because each empha- sizes certain kinds of information at the expense of others. Plans are therefore interpretive, Facts such as dimensions, orientations, and relations among parts reside in a symbolic logic that is always abstract and far removed from the form of the building co which they refer. Every plan exists within a specerum of abstraction, from those that are to a scale proportional to the actual building to hose that are an impressionistic gesture. So all plans employ graphic editing because they cannot include al ofthe information known about the building for which they stand. Given this limitation, what a plan implies is usually more interesting and even more use- ful chan what it explicily tates. Tedie the drawings I use intensively. Due to the medium I employ and the con- tent I am trying to convey, I leave out some information in order to emphasize certain ideas of concern to the designers or ideas derived from the plan that may be useful elsewhere, My drawings are therefore hypotheses, since the plans I produce derive from “readings” of other plans. The process of graphic editing is not merely cone of simplification but rather an attempt to reveal an underlying concepeual order. In this respect, the act of drawing is an essential means of analysis in its own tight, rot merely a mode of representation. In my work, the ideas embedded in the plan are not preconceived: the act of drawing reveals them as I produce each graphic edit of che plan.Different kinds of plans provide different kinds of information. Sometimes a highly abscracted plan shorn of detail can reveal ideas not readily evident in highly derailed plans. Even a plan reduced to litele more than a gesture devoid of specifics such as dimensions can be more compelling iconographically than its more techni- cally correct antecedent. In the series of plans of the town hall at Saynatsalo, Finland, for example, each plan is a valid abstraction of the building insofar as each conveys a particular set of ideas. The frst drawing is similar to che most widely published plan of Aalto's building. Close to the representational end of the spectrum, the plan provides information about structure, scale, and movement, and the inclusion of furniture indicates the organization of the interior and the functions of spaces. The second drawingisafig- ‘ure/ground diagram, a kind of plan that is concerned with the silhouette of the building on its site, or its foorprint. The figural quality of the courtyard and the gaps between the two buildings take on greater significance in this version. The third