Architecture 101: Module 2 - Form

Architectural Form

• Architectural form acts as the interface between mass and space, shaping the interaction between structures and their surroundings.
• Form involves the arrangement and coordination of elements, creating a coherent visual impression.

Shape

• Shape refers to the characteristic outline of a form, crucial for identification and categorization.
• Key examples of forms include the pyramid, cube, and sphere, with corresponding shapes like circle, triangle, square.

Visual Properties of Forms

• Size: Concerns the physical dimensions—length, width, and depth—affecting proportions and contextual scale.
• Color: Influences visual perception through hue, saturation, and tonal value, distinguishing forms from their environment and affecting visual weight.
• Texture: Defines visual and tactile qualities, affecting light reflection or absorption based on the arrangement of a form's parts.

Relational Properties of Forms

• Position: The location of a form in relation to its environment and visual field.
• Orientation: The directional alignment of a form concerning the ground and other forms.
• Visual Inertia: Refers to a form's perceived stability and concentration, influenced by geometry and orientation.

Shape in Architecture

• Shapes include floor, wall, and ceiling planes, as well as door and window openings, contributing to spatial enclosure and building silhouette.

Primary Shapes

• Circle: All points are equidistant from a fixed point, forming a plane curve.
• Triangle: A plane figure with three sides and three angles.
• Square: A plane figure with four equal sides and right angles.

Surfaces

• Surface: Represents a two-dimensional figure or a boundary of a three-dimensional solid.

Types of Surfaces

• Cylindrical Surfaces: Created by sliding a straight line along a plane curve, can be circular, elliptic, or parabolic.
• Translational Surfaces: Formed by moving a plane curve along a straight line.
• Ruled Surfaces: Generated through the movement of a straight line, simpler to construct.
• Rotational Surfaces: Created by rotating a plane curve around an axis.
• Paraboloids: Surfaces intersected by planes yield parabolas and ellipses or hyperbolas.
• Parabolas: Generated by a moving point equidistant from a fixed line and point.
• Hyperbolic Paraboloids: Created by sliding parabolas with different curvatures.

Curved Surfaces

• Saddle Surfaces: Exhibit dual curvature, acting as arch-like structures and may demonstrate beam behavior if unassisted at the edges.

Example of Innovative Design

• Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles by Frank Gehry exemplifies complex architectural forms utilizing varied surfaces and shapes.