Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

College of Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment
Sta. Mesa, Manila City

DEALA, KHRIS JOSE JR L. November 17, 2023

BS ARCH 2-3 Ar. Erico G. Abordo

ACTIVITY 3
A. Reflection Paper

If I were to rank the Fundamentals of Architecture in ascending order, I would place Geometry at
first and Structure last. The Fundamentals I put above are Geometry, Additive and subtractive and
Unit to whole because for me, the first step in designing is making a form. If you have a form, it
will be easy for you to conceptualize your whole idea, and you will be able to move forward in
your design.

After that, I would consider the Circulation of space, Natural Light, and Massing. I consider them
equally because I think they are on the same page. After creating a form, you will be able to see the
massing of your structure. By doing so, you will be able to consider your circulation of space and
think how you will utilize the natural light. You can also do it in another way, consider first the
Natural Light then think how this will affect your Massing and Circulation of Space. Both way
ways are good in designing so, I think these fundamentals are on the same page.

The next fundamentals would be Symmetry and Balance and Repetitive to unique. They are also
on the same page for me because these fundamentals can be seen in various ways, façade, interior
planning, exterior design, functionality, spatial planning, etc. After that, I would consider the
Hierarchy. The reason why Hierarchy ranks at the bottom of the list is because I think that you can’t
put emphasis on your design without the actual plan and without polished concepts. Prioritizing the
functionality would always be my top priority in designing.

The last fundamentals that I would consider are Structure and Plan to section or elevation. I think
that’s a common sense because you can’t consider beams, walls, and columns without knowing the
massing and the forms of the structure. You can’t also plan a section or elevation without knowing
the circulation and the massing of the structure, so I think it would be logical to say that these two
fundamentals will rank last.

The basis of ranking these fundamentals is my own process in designing and the knowledge that I
gained from my Design professors. I also used logic in ranking these fundamentals because some
of them are connected to each other and could easily be rank most of the time. I think there is no
wrong answer here because it will always depend on your design approach (my Design 3 professor
always says that.) So, I think these ranking is mostly based on the knowledge that I gained from
my professors and my personal view as a designer.
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
College of Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment
Sta. Mesa, Manila City

DEALA, KHRIS JOSE JR L. November 17, 2023

BS ARCH 2-3 Ar. Erico G. Abordo

B. Comparative Analysis

The architect the exemplifies my ranking of 11 elements would be Louis Kahn. In fact, Kahn’s
process in designing was choosing a simple form, an authentic material, good circulation, and
modeling with the natural light. With these elements, Kahn created a structure that interacts to each
other, existing through their reflection of light. Also, according to Louis Kahn, “I use the square
to begin my solutions because the square is a non-choice, really. In the course of development, I
search for the forces that would disprove the square.” He always starts at square, a shape, and
disprove it, additive and subtractive. By doing so, he is able to create simple form, and then proceed
to finding authentic material that reflects to the character of the structure. He then considers natural
light to harmonize everything.

C. Also:

I also think that Louis Kahn is the architect that doesn’t exemplifies my rankings. While Kahn and
I prioritizes the elements, Geometry, Circulation of spaces, and Natural light, our preference in
aesthetics is somehow a little bit different. Kahn likes transparency and integrity in structure and
believes that structures should be functional with openly visible and expressive elements. With that,
exposed structural elements like concrete beams and columns were frequently integrated to his
design. I personally don’t like it that’s why the element, Structure, is the least priority. Even though
it is important to consider, I personally think that there are professionals who excels in the field.
Therefore, I place it at the bottom of the list, and I don’t see myself yet to use structural elements
as part of my design’s aesthetics.
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
College of Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment
Sta. Mesa, Manila City

DEALA, KHRIS JOSE JR L. November 17, 2023

BS ARCH 2-3 Ar. Erico G. Abordo

References:
https://www.archdaily.com/925464/the-creative-process-of-the-four-pioneers-of-modern-architecture
https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/know-your-architects/a3109-understanding-the-design-process-of-
10-famous-architects/
https://www.nauradika.com/blogs/news/louis-kahn-and-design