Architectural Design: The

principles, process and product.

Dr. Santosh Kumar Misra, Dean, BPUT and
Professor (Design Chair) at the
Piloo Mody College of Architecture, Cuttack.
 The theory.
• Before we move to the principles it is necessary to
understand what is the theory for a subject.
• Theory of an art or subject explains the principles on
which that art/subject is based.
• In other words, theory is the systematic statement of
principles, a formulation of apparent relationships or
underlying principles of certain observed phenomena.
• A principle is a fundamental, unchanging truth, it is
neither new or old, but timeless.
• A theory uses specific principles to explain phenomena.
• Principle is a rule that is widely accepted and
followed... ... A principle is a fundamental fact
on which other truths can be built.
 Theoretical Base for Architecture
• The theoretical base for Architecture is of two
types.
• One is that which is borrowed from the
theoretical base of allied subjects, such as
Engineering, Psychology, sociology and others.
• The other is the theoretical base intrinsic to
architecture itself.
• The source of this theory is from the following:
• 1. The writings and philosophies propagated by the
theoreticians in the subject from the ancient times.
Ex:- Vitruvius, Hippodamus, Le Corbusier and others
who followed.
• 2. The next source is from the projects that architects
have designed and building projects that stand today.
• 3. From the design competitions held all over the
world and inferences from them.
Heads of Theoretical Base in Architecture

• Theoretical base of architecture is large in its

variety but it can be looked at or studied
under the following heads.
• Normative.
• Thematic.
• Analogical.
• Proportional Systems.
• Chronological.
• Normatic.
Based on names, codes, standards and statements.
• Thematic
Based on themes, such as housing types, structural arrangement types, decoration
type, etc.
• Analogic
This is based on things which are similar and knowledge that already exists like bio-
mimic arch, etc.
• Proportional Systems
This is about making architecture beautiful and functional using a system of
proportions like the ‘Golden Section’, “Japanese Ken”, “Indian Vastu Sastra
Mandala” or the “Modular” of Corbusier.
• Chronological.
This Idea is dependent on the passage of time.
 Architectural Principles
• Now , having an idea about the theory for architecture, it is possible for
us to look at the principles that guide architecture.
• The principles are many and many architectural theorist have written
about them and tried to make a statement of them in different ways.
• They all derive their origins in different ways from the five heads
elaborated earlier namely:
• Normatic.
• Thematic
• Analogic
• Proportional Systems
• Chronological.
• A few of the principles have been stated here under for an idea purpose.
 Norms based Principles.
• Normative principle has as its basis in either a doctrine, system, type or measurement.
Doctrine type:
• Form follows function.
• Function should follow form.
• Less is more.
System Type:
Vitruvius propagated the principle that an architect should focus on three central ideas when preparing a
design for a building: firmitas (strength), utilitas(functionality), and venustas (beauty).
Vastu Sastra has laid out the norms and standards for buildings in India.
The National building code NBC are also norms and standards.
Type:
• English Tudour.
• Rajastani type
• Colonial .
• South Indian type.
Measurements:
Size of bed rooms
Distance of fire escape staircase.
 Theme based principles
• Based on themes, such as housing types, structural
arrangement types, decoration type, etc.
• Ranch, I-house, Gable front, Split-level, Tower,
Longhouse, House barn, Single-family attached, Movable
dwellings.
Structures can be classified in a number of ways:
Type:
Solid,Frame,Shell,Membrane,Composite.
Structural system:
Tensile ,Compressive, Shear, Bending, Composite.
• Thematic
Based on themes, such as housing types, structural
arrangement types, decoration type, etc.
• Construction Theory.
• Personal Styles.
• Functionalism
• Systems Building from prefabricated components
• Ecological Architecture
• Building as a Message
 Analogy based principles.
• Mathematical analogies.
• Romantic analogy.
• Mechanical analogy.
• Adhoc analogy.
• Dramaturical analogy.
• Biological analogy.
• Linguistic analogy.
• Problem solving analogy.
• Pattern language analogy.
• Mathematical analogies.
In this numbers and geometry provides important basis for decision making in
architecture.
• Romantic analogy.
This is a technique in architecture to evoke an emotional response of the observer –
this is done in two ways, either by calling up association or through exaggeration.
• Mechanical analogy.
Here the idea of a building being like a machine for living exemplifies the use of
mechanical analogies in architecture.
• Adhoc analogy.
While a traditional view of architecture would say that the task of a designer would be
to select appropriate elements and mould them together to achieve a ideal
solution. The adhocist approach is to respond to the immediate need, using
materials immediately available with out thinking about the Ideal.
• Dramaturical analogy.
Here the human activity is characterized as theater and the built environment seen as a
stage.
• Biological analogy.
Here the theory says, “ the building is a biological process”. Consider cellular growth,
biomorphic designs, bio-mimic, Etc.
• Linguistic analogy.
Linguist analogies take the view that buildings are meant to convey information to the
observer in any of the three ways:- 1. Grammatical model. 2. Expressionistic model. 3.
Semantics Model ( is the study of meaning)
• Problem solving analogy.
This analogy talks of rational,logical and systematic approach to design.
• Pattern language analogy.
Since people are biologically similar and behavior and the style of building is somewhat the
same, it is assumed that standards can be identified and then assembled together as
patterns to form a suitable design.
 Proportion based principles
• The Greek and Roman proportion system.
• The renaissance proportions.
• The Golden Ratio in Art and Architecture.
• Le Corbusier’s Modulor System.
• The Indian Proportioning system-
“Vastupurusa Mandala”.
• The Japaneses proportion system- “The Ken”.
 Proportional Systems
• The Greek and Roman proportion system.
• The renaissance proportions.
• The Golden Ratio in Art and Architecture.
• Le Corbusier’s Modulor System.
• The Indian Proportioning system-
“Vastupurusa Mandala”.
• The Japaneses proportion system- “The Ken”.
The Greek and Roman proportion system.
The Greek and Roman proportion system.
• The classical "orders" describe a kind of architectural grammar, first developed in
Greek architecture then adapted and extended by the Romans. Essentially, the
orders determine the shape, proportion and decoration of the basic architectural
elements: the vertical, supporting column (with its base, shaft and capital) and
the horizontal, supported entablature (divided into three registers, from bottom
to top: the architrave, frieze and cornice).

• The height of columns are calculated in terms of a ratio between the diameter of
the shaft at its base and the height of the column. A Doric column can be
described as seven diameters high, an Ionic column as eight diameters high and
a Corinthian column nine diameters high, although the actual ratios used vary
considerably in both ancient and revived examples, but keeping to the trend of
increasing slimness between the orders. Sometimes this is phrased as "lower
diameters high", to establish which part of the shaft has been measured.
 The renaissance proportions
• In a satisfyingly symmetrical fashion, the orders were rediscovered and codified
in reverse, with a rediscovery of the Roman orders during the Renaissance, only
for these to then be shunned in the 18th-century by purists who dug deeper and
unearthed what they deemed to be the purer Greek orders.
• The Roman orders, as defined by High Renaissance theorists from Leon Battista
Alberti to Sebastiano Serlio, comprised the Greek orders revisited (Doric, Ionic
and Corinthian) plus their own additions (Tuscan and Composite). They based
their definitions on the writings of Roman architect Vitruvius and on first-hand
observations of the buildings the latter described in his foundational first-century
BC treatise, De Architectura (Ten Books of Architecture). Each successive
generation came to the orders with fresh eyes and defined them anew. The 16th-
century Italian architect, theorist and archaeologist Andrea Palladio was the most
influential, as his I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura (Four Books of Architecture,
1570) were published and translated across Europe. Inigo Jones was highly
instrumental in spreading and implementing his ideas in Britain.
 The Golden Ratio in Art and Architecture.

• The golden ratio, also known as the divine

proportion, golden mean, or golden section,
is a number often encountered when taking
the ratios of distances in simple geometric
figures such as the pentagon, pentagram,
decagon and dodecahedron.
Golden Proportion
Golden section.
 Le Corbusier’s Modulor System
• The Modulor is
an anthropometric scale of proportions devised by
the Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier(1887–
1965).
• It was developed as a visual bridge between two
incompatible scales, the imperial and the metric system.
It is based on the height of a man with his arm raised.
• It was used as a system to set out a number of Le
Corbusier's buildings and was later codified into two
books.
Le Corbusier’s Modulor System
The Indian Proportioning system- “Vastu Sastra”
and “Vastupurusa Mandala”.
• Vastu shastra (vāstu śāstra) means science of architecture and
construction. Found in Indian subcontinent, these survive as manuals on
design, layout, measurements, ground preparation, space arrangement,
spatial geometry and other aspects of architecture. Vastu sastras incorporate
traditional Hindu and in some cases Buddhist beliefs. The designs are based
on integrating architecture with nature and ancient Indian beliefs utilizing
perfect geometric patterns (yantra), symmetry and directional alignments.
• Ancient Vastu Sastras discuss design of Mandir (temples), and include
chapters on the principles, design and layout of houses, towns, cities,
gardens, roads, water works, shops and other public necessities. While most
Vastu shastras describe rules of construction and architecture, a few include
chapters on astrology and rituals recommended for buildings.
• They are also referred to as Vastu veda, Vastu vidya, Thachu shastra, Thatchu
shasthra.
• The Vastu Purusha Mandala is an
indispensable part of vastu shastra and
constitutes the mathematical design. It is the
metaphysical plan of a building that
incorporates the cosmic bodies and
supernatural forces. Purusha refers to energy,
soul or Universal Principle. Mandala is the
generic name for any plan or chart which
symbolically represents the cosmos.
The Japaneses proportion system- “The Ken”
• The ken is a traditional Japanese unit of length, equal to six Japanese
feet (shaku). The exact value has varied over time and location but has
generally been a little shorter than 2 meters (6 ft 7 in). It is now
standardized as 1 9/11 meter.
• Although mostly supplanted by the metric system, this unit is a
common measurement in Japanese architecture, where it is used as a
proportion for the intervals between the pillars of traditional-style
buildings. In this context, it is commonly translated as "bay". The length
also appears in other contexts, such as the standard length of
the bō staff in Japanese martial arts and the standard dimensions of
the tatami mats. As these are used to cover the floors of most Japanese
houses, floor surfaces are still commonly measured not in square
meters but in "tatami" which are equivalent to half of a square ken.
A Zen butsuden is 5 ken across
 Chronology based principles.
• Chronology  is the science of arranging events
in their order of occurrence in time. Consider,
for example, the use of a timeline or sequence
of events.
 The process
• The design process is one going from an initial
state to a future imagined state. The process
more or less similar but having variation along
the way.
• A five stage design process consists of the
following: Initiation, preparation, proposal
making, evaluation and action.
Initiation Preparation

Proposal
Making

Evaluation Action
 Literature review.

• Literature Review is a very important source of information

for the students before starting a new project. Internet
survey also provides a lot of information regarding the
issue at hand. At this stage it must be pointed out that
there is a chance of the student being overwhelmed with
the excess information.
• The teacher should take care that the student does not put
the whole Time Savers Standard as his literature study.
What is expected of the student is to discern between the
core /fundamental information required for his/her project
from the rest of the information available to him/her.
 Case Studies.

• For architecture students “the Case Study Method “is a very

suitable way of finding out information for their subsequent
design work. However, just like a doctor seeing his patient for the
first time, where he looks at the patients’ heart beat with the
stethoscope, his blood levels by looking at his eyes, pressing the
patient’s stomach looking for possible problems, so too does the
Architect have to look at the case study in a methodological way.
One such methodology is suggested below.
• The case study building can be looked at under the following
heads; a) Architectural aspects b) Social aspects c) space and area
aspects d) Circulation aspects and finally e) Engineering aspects.
• In the architectural aspects matters such as form, roofing pattern,
materials used, configuration of the building blocks over the land, the
landscaping and other such matters can be looked into.
• Under social aspects the use of spaces by the people whether they are
successful or not, How the designs have been made taking the needs of
the local people and other such matter can be examined and recorded.
• Space and area Aspects will record the sizes/areas of the spaces
required for the various uses in the building under examination.
• In the Flow Aspects the circulation in the building, the connections
required between the different parts may be documented.
• Lastly the Engineering Aspects which would deal with the structural
design, the water supply, the sewer lines, electric power supply, air-
conditioning and other may be examined.
 Inferences.

• Inferences are the important directives written down in a language format

which has to be incorporated into the new design being worked upon.
Examples of inferences for a college building could be as follows:
• Area should be provided near the entrance to the property for parking.
• The whole area inside should be pedestrian.
• Spaces should be created for gathering of informal groups of students.
• Class rooms should be well lighted.
• Group of shops for stationery, photo copying, and food stuff should be provided.
• There should be courts for basketball, tennis, badminton along with a
swimming pool.
• The whole area should be well landscaped………………………………and so on.
• The inferences will be drawn up from both the literature review and the “case
studies”.
 Concept.

• Concept formation is a subject of separate study

by itself. But for architecture students it should
mean the lead Idea on which you start organizing
the layout and design of the architectural
project. It may also be referred as the super
organizing Idea for a project. This is the starting
point from which the plans and designs are made
while at the same time incorporating the
inference we have already derived.
 Breaking into Design.

• Having gone through the earlier four stages of literature

review, case studies, inferences and concept development
which may all be referred to as the analysis stages, we have
now reached the crucial point of coming up with a design.
• It is at this stage that the student needs tremendous hand
holding from the design teachers. Maximum attention must
be given at this stage for a good outcome.
• If this is successfully carried forward, the student will, from
here on make the presentation drawing, the plans, the
elevations, sections, views, walk through etc. and be on the
way to complete the architectural designs.
 The product.
• The use of platonic forms has been the
strength of great architects. These are pure
forms and can be used in variations to
produce exceptional architecture.
Glass house by Philip Johnson
Martin House by F.L.Wright
Falling waters by F. L. Wright.
 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Design by SUBU Design Architecture.
Barcelona Pavilion by Ludwig Mies van der
Rohe, 1929
Luce Memorial Chapel by Chen Chi-Kwan and
I.M. Pei, 1963
Science Centre, Macau.
Notre Dame du Haut by Le Corbusier, 1954
Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku,
Azerbaijan. Zaha Hadid.
Feed back to the Contemporary Principles

1. The social orientation is very important, and a

special concern is to be there for the anonymous
client.
2. Planning should be open ended. Plans should
incorporate to accommodate the changing
conditions that is encountered over time.
3. The setting in which a building is placed should be
very carefully factored in. There should be a inter
play between architecture and the environment,
each intensifying the other.
1. A emphasis upon the architectural use of horizontal
planes and different levels. More forceful use of
artificial platforms as urbanistic elements.
2. A stronger relationship to the past; not expressed in
forms but in the sense of a inner relationship and a
desire for continuity.
3. Further strengthening of sculptural tendencies in
architecture. A freer relationship between inner and
outer space and volumes in space.
4. The right of expression above pure function.
Thank you