FORM VISUAL

PROPERTIES OF
FORM
• Architectural form is the point of
contact between mass and space • Shape
• Form often includes a sense of three- • Size
dimensional mass or volume, shape • Color
refers more specifically to the • Texture
essential aspect of form that governs • Position
its appearance. • Orientation
• Visual Inertia
VISUAL PROPERTIES OF FORM
• Shape : The characteristic outline or
surface configuration of particular
form. Shape is the principal aspect by
which we identify and categories
forms.

• Our perception of shape depends on the

degree of visual contrast that exists
along the contour separating a figure
from its ground or between a form and
its field.
VISUAL PROPERTIES OF FORM
• In architecture, we are concerned with
the shapes of: - floor, wall, and ceiling
planes that enclose space - door and
window openings within a spatial
enclosure
CHURCH OF LIGHT, TADAO ANDO

Chapel of Notre Dame Du Haut

THE PANTHEON,ROME
VISUAL PROPERTIES OF FORM

SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE, ISTANBUL

CENTRAL PAVILION,HORYU-JI TEMPLE,JAPAN
VISUAL PROPERTIES OF FORM
• Size - The physical dimensions of
length, width, and depth of form,
while these dimensions determine the
properties of a form, its scale is
determined by its size relative to other
forms in its contexts.
VISUAL PROPERTIES OF FORM
• Color - A phenomenon of light and
visual perception that may be
described in terms of an individual’s
perception of hue, saturation, and
tonal value. Color is the attribute that
most clearly distinguishes a form
from its environment. It also affects
the visual weight of a form.
VISUAL PROPERTIES OF FORM
• Texture - The visual and especially
tactile quality given to a surface by
the size, shape, arrangement, and
proportions of the parts. Texture also
determines the degree to which the
surface of a form reflect or absorb
incident light.
VISUAL PROPERTIES OF FORM
• Position The location of a form
relative to its environment or the
visual filed within which it is seen.
VISUAL PROPERTIES OF FORM
• Orientation The direction of a form
relative to the ground plane, the
compass points, other forms, or to the
person viewing the form.
VISUAL PROPERTIES OF FORM
• Visual Inertia
The degree of concentration and stability
of a form. The visual inertia of a form
depends on its geometry as well as its
orientation relative to the ground plane,
the pull of gravity, and our line of sight.
PRIMARY SHAPES
• The most significant are the primary
shapes: the circle, the triangle, and the
square.
• Circle:
A plane curve every point of which is
equidistant from a fixed point within the
curve.
The Circle is a centralized, introverted
figure that is normally stable and self-
centering in its environment.
• Placing a circle in the center of a field
reinforces its inherent centrality. Associating
it with straight or angular forms or placing an
element along its circumference, however,
can induce in the circle an apparent rotary
motion.

ROMAN THEATRE ACCORDING TO

VITRUVIUS
• TRIANGLE
Triangle signifies stability. When resting on one of its
side, the triangle is extremely stable figure.
When tipped to stand on one of its vertices, however,
it can either be balanced in a precarious state of
equilibrium or be unstable and tend to fall over onto
one of its sides.

MODERN ART MUSEUM,CARACAS BY OSCAR NIEMEYER THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA

• SQUARE
It is a static and neutral figure having no preferred
direction. Like the triangle, square is sable when
resting on one of its sides and dynamic when
standing on one of its corners.

BATHHOUSE,JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER BY LOUIS KHAN AGORA OF EPHESUS, ASIA MINOR

 Visual effect
PRIMARY SOLIDS • Externally pure convex form.
SPHERE • Has no points of interest to
• Sphere is body that consists of regular , focus
continuous surface. • Defined by vague outline of
• It has no lines , edges or corners circle, whole mass appears as
immense dot.
• Neither horizontal or vertical emphasis
• It is a form which is closed within itself.

MAUPERTIUS, PROJECT FOR AN

FLOATING PAVILION FOR AGRICULTURAL LODGE,1775,CLAUDE-
SHANGAI THE SPHERE BUILDIG, SHANGAI NICOLAS
GUANGZHOU CIRCLE (LUCKY COIN
AL DAR HEADQUATERS, ABU DHABI
BUILDING), CHINA
DERIVATIVES OF SPHERE
HEMISPHERE
• Cut horizontally in half.
• Cut portion forms an edge , circular in plan.
• The dome and the edge portion give the visual AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE,
character CANBERRA

SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE, ISTHANBUL

THE GREAT SANCHI ST.LOUIS GATEWAY ARCH, MISSOURI

STUPA
CUBE
• Six equal square sides
• Angle between any two adjacent faces being right
angle
• Cube is static form . • The vertical blank square
• It is very stable unless it stands in corners. neither invites nor
repulses .visually and physically
• The cube remains as highly recognizable form.
impenetrable , uninviting
appearance.
• Because the directions are
equally emphasized , the mass
as a whole has no directional
quality and neutral.
• Visual force is given by edges.

VILLA SAVOYE,BY LE CORBUSIER

DERIVATIVES OF CUBE
CUBOID
• Altering the equal sides of the cube, cuboid is obtained.
• The volume is spread in particular direction either
horizontal or vertical , irrespective of the surface.
• Each mass has a longer side and Shorter side.
• Surface lines are emphasized than corners.

SEAGRAM BUILDING BY MIES VAN DE

ROHE & PHILIP JOHNSON
A STREET IN DUBLIN
PYRAMID
• Made up of tapering and inclined surface
and gather together to form an apex , a
corner where the whole mass culminates.
• Eye will travel towards the corner.
• The directional quality is stronger than
that of a rectilinear tower.

GOPURAM AT MADURAI
MEENAKSHI TEMPLE
CYLINDER
• A solid generated by revolution of a rectangle about one of its
sides.
• Centralized about its axis passing through the centers of its two
circular faces.
• Easily extended along the axis.
• Stable if rests on one of its circular faces.

NEHRU CENTER, MUMBAI

BMW HEADQUARTERS, MUNICH
Curvature and circular movement continue alongside a strong
vertical movement. the resultant is spiral. spiral ramp and
spiral stairs suits a space.

SOLOMON R GUGGENHEIM
MUSEUM, NEW YORK BY F L
CONE
• A solid generated by revolution of a right triangle about one of its
sides.
• Highly stable form when resting on its circular base.
• Can also rest on its apex in a precarious state of balance.

PROJECT FOR A CONICAL CENOTAPH, ETIENNE-LOUIS BOULEE

 IRREGULAR FORMS

GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM AT BILBAO BY FRANK GEHRY LOUIS VUITTON FOUNDATION AT PARIS BY

FRANK GEHRY

CULTURAL CENTER AT AZERBAIJAN BY ZAHA HADID