Landscape Architecture

Form Composition

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

Fattah_alwah@ibbuniv.edu.ye
 Form Composition
Design Themes
1. Circular Theme
Two potential types of circular themes are:
Overlapping circles Concentric circles

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
1. Circular Theme
Overlapping circles
- use a variety of circle sizes.
- each composition should have a dominant
space or form.
- when overlapping two circles, it is
recommended that the circumference of one
circle pass through or near the center of the
other circle .

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
1. Circular Theme
Overlapping circles

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
1. Circular Theme

Concentric circles
create a very strong composition due ‫تكوين قوي‬ -
to the focus of attention at the center
of the design
‫تأكيد أهمية المركز‬ -
The center of the circle is the focus of
attention in a concentric circular theme

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
1. Circular Theme

Concentric circles

Students’ work

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
2. Curvilinear Theme

The curvilinear theme

relies primarily on
“the soft touch,” in
which portions of
circles and ellipses
connect with each
other in smooth,
continuous transitions

The curvilinear design theme has continuous flowing lines

using the circumferences of nearby circles and ellipse
‫علوة‬ ‫عبدالفتاح‬/‫ د‬......
Landscape )Landscape Architecture
Architecture…. ( ‫الطبيعية‬Alwah
Dr. AbdulFattah ‫عمارة المناظر‬
 Form Composition
Design Themes
2. Curvilinear Theme

Intersecting lines in a curvilinear

design theme should make a right
angle

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
2. Curvilinear Theme

Curves should be strong and bold

in a curvilinear theme.

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
2. Curvilinear Theme

Students’ work

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
2. Curvilinear Theme

Students’ work

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
3. Rectangular Theme
is composed of squares and rectangles that establish 90-degree
relationships between all shapes and lines

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
3. Rectangular Theme
(1) the variety of sizes,
(2) the scale of the forms,
(3) the amount of overlap among the forms

This establishes
visual interest and a
hierarchy of spatial
importance within
the composition

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
3. Rectangular Theme

Too many short lines in a rectangular theme will give it a busy

disjointed appearance

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
3. Rectangular Theme

When overlapping two or more forms in a design, one guideline is to limit the overlap
to one-fourth, one-third, or one-half of the dimension of the adjoining shapes

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
3. Rectangular Theme Students’ work

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
3. Rectangular Theme Students’ work

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
3. Rectangular Theme Students’ work

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
3. Rectangular Theme Students’ work

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
4. Diagonal Theme
Pure diagonal
is essentially a rectangular theme turned at an
angle in relation to the house

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
4. Diagonal Theme
Modified diagonal

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 FormForm
Composition ‫تكوين الشكل‬
Composition
Design Themes
4. Diagonal Theme
Modified diagonal
is a combination of the rectangular
theme and the pure diagonal theme

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 FormForm
Composition ‫تكوين الشكل‬
Composition
Design Themes
4. Diagonal Theme

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
5. Arc and Tangent Theme
A design theme that is derived from a
combination of different themes is the arc and
tangent theme

This theme combines arcs from circles of the circular theme and straight lines
from the rectangular theme
Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah
 Form Composition
Design Themes
5. Arc and Tangent Theme

The designer needs to consider variety of size, scale, and overlap of forms as they
relate to the arc and tangent theme

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
5. Arc and Tangent Theme

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
6. Angular Theme
is composed of a series of angled lines that work
together to create an active and eye-catching design
composition

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
- Too many different
6. Angular Theme angles are apt to be used,
causing the composition
to seem uncontrolled and
chaotic

The angular design theme

offers an extremely bold and
dynamic design system..

It has a rugged character and

fits appropriately in areas that
have irregular or abrupt
topography with rock outcrops
and boulders.
Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah
 Form Composition
Design Themes
6. Angular Theme

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
6. Angular Theme

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
7. Combination Theme

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

 Form Composition
Design Themes
7. Combination Theme

Landscape Architecture…. Dr. AbdulFattah Alwah

Form Composition ‫تكوين الشكل‬
‫ المدمج‬،‫النسق المركب‬ Design Themes
Combination Theme