Theory of Architecture

Wednesday, August 18, 2021 6:39 PM

Introduction to Theory of Architecture

-The space within the area.

Watch Video:
Golden Section - The Concept of the Golden Ratio

Anthropometry - The Proportions of Man and its Mathematics

Proponents of the Theories

Anthropometry
- Is the comparative study of the measurements and capabilities of the human body.

Etymology
'anthrops' (human)
'metron' (measure)

Basic Concepts
• Static Anthropometry - spaces that are not moving.
• Functional Anthropometry - movements of a certain space.
 Marcus Vitruvius Pollio - A Roman Architect.
Leonardo Da Vinci - Made the Human Proportion.

Relevance
- the use of anthropometrics in building design aims to ensure that every person is as comfortable as
possible.

Architect's role
- Adapt to the users needs/ requirements.
- be able to understand spatial relationships between the user and the space itself.

Ergonomics
- is a branch of science related to the design of spaces, products and systems to the best fit those who use
them.

Etymology
'ergon' (work)
'nomos' (laws)

Basic Concepts
• Anthropometry - Body sizes, shapes, variations.
• Biomechanics - Muscles, levers, forces, strength.
• Environmental Relevance: Light, temperature, noise, radiation, vision, and so on.
• Applied psychology: Learning, errors, differences.
• Social psychology: Group behavior, communication.

Cogon grass - has a certain characteristics that is not easy to unripen. (Used as a roof in some rainy places)
What is Architecture?
Wednesday, August 25, 2021 12:52 PM

"Architecture is what nature cannot make"

- Louis Kahn

"The art and science of designing and building structures, or large groups of
structures, in keeping with aesthetic and functional criteria."
- Cyril M. Harris

"Architecture is utilitas, firmitas, and venustas (trans. Utility, firmness, and

delight)'
- Vitruvius

Three Requirements of Architecture | Vitruvius

1. Utilitas - utility, use, function
2. Firmitas - firmness, strength
3. Venustas - delight, beauty, aesthetics

What kind of information do you need?

• Functional requirements
• Laws and standards
• Review past projects
• Statistical data
• Creative intuition

Theory
• A system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one
based on general principles independent of the thing to be
explained.

Architectural Theory
• Architectural theory is the act of thinking, discussing, and writing
about architecture.
• Architectural theory is taught in most architecture schools and is
practiced by the world's leading architects.
Ten Books of Architecture
• The Education of the ARCHITECT
○ Must be equipped with many branches of learning: drawing,
geometry, history, philosophy, medicine, astronomy, and
music.
○ PRACTICE: Continuous exercise of manual work
○ THEORY: ability to demonstrate and explain.
• (1) Urban planning; (2) Dwellings; (3) Temples; (4) The 3 Orders; (5)
Public buildings; (6) Considerations for the Site; (7) Building
materials; (8) Water, (9) Use of astronomy in architecture; (10)
Machines for building.

Personal Attitudes
Design Methods Culture /
And Practices Economy /
ARCHITECTURAL Politics
THEORY
Observations Observations of
of Nature Human Nature

Theory and Architectural Practice

It is impossible to practice architecture without having at least some form of
theory.

Theory
 • Sets the attitude to practice
• Asks questions
• Thought process that informs decisions

Practice
• Involves doing and making things
• Involves the use of actual building materials

ARCHITECTURAL
DESIGN THEORY
Is the scientific Is the artistic process
process of evaluating of inventing new
existing information information

Why study Architectural Theory?

• To answer questions about design
○ What do I want to do?
○ How will I be able to accomplish it?
• To talk about architecture
○ Explain concepts
○ Defend your design
○ Develop new theories

"Theory too, is practice"

- Michel Foucault

2 Approaches to Architecture

1. Architecture as an Art
• A basic response
• A way of seeing and communicating
• It is subjective
• Deals with emotions and optimism
Malate Parish Church - Fernando Amorsolo

Guggenheim Museum / Bilbao, Spain / Frank Gehry

Guggenheim Museum / Bilbao, Spain / Frank Gehry

Casa Batlo / Antonio Gaidi

/ Barcelona

2. Architecture as a Science

• Processing of information
• Detection of patterns of order
• Development of laws
• It is objective
• Deals with facts, realism
Art or Science?
• Architecture is both a question and an answer
• It is a process
• It is a way of understanding
• ARCHITECTURE CAN BE BOTH
• Art + Science has a common purpose: to overcome chaos > but via
different routes

Historical Development of Architecture

Architecture Architecture
as a Response as a Defense

ARCHITECTURE
Architecture Architecture
as an Ideal as Fine Art

" Architecture is an expression of values - the way we build is a reflection of the way we live."
- Sir Norman Foster

Architecture as a Response
 Based upon the need for shelter
 Domestic / Folk architecture
 Focused more on craftmanship and building, rather than design.
“Architecture is always related to power and related to large interests, whether
financial or political.”
- Bernard Tschumi

Architecture as Defense
 Organized cities / urban planning
 A way to rearrange our concept of the world
 Defensive architecture
 Mechanical applications - architects had to design battlements as well as mechanism to
breach defenses.
 A way to conquer countries.
"Architecture is always dream and function, expression of a utopia and
instrument of a convenience."
- Roland Barthes

Architecture as an Ideal
 Aspiration toward beauty / utopia
 Architecture in combination with painting, sculpture, etc.
 Return to the classical
 Embark upon the study of architecture - formalization of theories?

St. Peter's Basilica / Vatican, Rome

Schonbrunn Palace / Vienna, Austria

Notre Dome Cathedral / Paris, France

Hall of Mirrors, Palais du Versailles, France

"Architecture is vital and enduring because it contains us; it describes

space, space we move through, exit in and use."
- Richard Meier

Architecture as Fine Art

 What is fine art?
It is a creative art, especially visual art, whose products are to be appreciated
primarily or solely for their imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content
 Useful = common / Fine = rarefied
 An expression of an evolved society.
National Gallery / London

Louvre Museum / I.M. Pei

Heydar Aliyev Center / Azerbaijan / Zaha Hadid

Asahi Beer Hall / Tokyo, Japan / Philippe Starck

Yayoi Kusama / Japan

Fields of Architecture:
 civil/structural engineering
 environmental management/ planning
 historical preservation
 green architecture
 construction management
 lighting design
 naval architecture
 interior design
 so on and so forth

Architecture courses include:

 urban planning/design
 building technology
 building utilities
Shape and Form
Wednesday, September 1, 2021 1:20 PM

Primary Elements of Form

- Point
- Line
- Plane
- Volume

1. Point
• Indicates a position in a space
• No length, no depth
• Static; it has no movement
• Serves to mark:
○ Two ends of a line
○ Intersection of two lines
○ Corner
○ Centers

2. Line
• Extended point
• With length, direction, and position
• Joins, links, supports, surrounds, or intersects other visual elements
• Articulate edges and surface
• Lines have a character: thick or thin, bold or tentative; graceful or ragged.
• Vertical line: equilibrium and balance
• Horizontal Line: Stability; the horizon
• Oblique or diagonal line: dynamic, visually active, unbalanced

Menhir
Prehistoric
monolith

Linear elements:
Column of Marcus Aurelius
Indian Stambha
Egyptian Obelisk

3. Plane
• Extended line
• With length and width
• Can have shape, color, patters, texture, orientation, and position
• Defines the boundaries of a volume
 • Shape > primary identifying characteristic of a plane

Farnsworth House / Mies Van Der Rohe

3 Types of Planes

1. Over head plane

- Roof / ceiling plane
- Plane above interior space
- Plane that defines upper enclosure
2. Wall plane
- Vertically oriented
- Visually active in defining the limits of space
- Vital to the shaping and enclosure of space
3. Base plane
- horizontally oriented
- Defines the bottom enclosure
- Physical foundation and visual base

Barcelona Pavilion / Mies Van Der Rohe

4. Volume
- A plane extended in a direction other than its intrinsic direction
- Three dimensions : length x width x depth
- All volumes have: points, lines, and planes
 - Form > is the primary identifying characteristic of volume
- In architecture, volume can either be:
- (1) a quantity of space displaced by the mass of the building (elevations)
- (2) a portion of space contained and defined by the wall floor, and ceiling planes (plans
and section)

FORM
▪ External appearance that can be recognized
▪ Can refer to internal structure or external outline

Factors that affect Form

▪ Shape - The characteristic outline or surface configuration; the principal aspect by which we
identify form.
▪ Size - Physical dimensions
▪ Color - Phenomenon of light and visual perception; the aspect that most clearly distinguishes a
form.
▪ Texture - Tactile quality of the surface

Properties of Form

1. Position - It is the location of form relative to its environment or the visual field within which it
is seen.
2. Orientation- It is the direction of a form relative to the ground plane, compass points, other
forms or to the viewer.
3. Visual Inertia - It is 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

SHAPE
▪ The characteristic outline or surface configuration of a particular form.
▪ The principal aspect by which we identify and categorize form

In architecture, we are concerned with:

▪ Floor, wall, and ceiling planes that enclose space
▪ Door and window openings within a spatial enclosure
▪ Silhouettes and contours of building forms

Primary Shapes:
- Circle
- Triangle
- Square

SOLIDS
Primary Solids

▪ Sphere
 - Generated by the revolution of a semicircle about its diameter.
- At all points, its surface is equidistant from the center
- Self-centering and stable
- Can evince movement if placed on a slope
- Retains circular shape from any viewpoint

Sphere skyscraper concept for

Dubai Technopark, James Law Cybertecture Edifici Sphere, by EQUIP Xavier Claramunt

Seine Musicale, by Shigeru Ban

Edifici Sphere, by EQUIP Xavier Claramunt

The Spheres, Amazon complex, Seattle, by NBBJ

The Spheres, Amazon complex, Seattle, by NBBJ

▪ Cylinder
- A solid generated by the revolution of a rectangle about one of its sides
- Centralized about the axis that process through the center of its two circular faces
- It can be extended along its axis
- Stable If it rests on one of its faces
- Unstable if axis is parallel to an incline
 - It can be extended along its axis
- Stable If it rests on one of its faces
- Unstable if axis is parallel to an incline

St. Wenceslav, by Atelier St. Stephen, Prague

St. Wenceslav, by Atelier
St. Stephen, Prague

Concrete Tube House, by RB+P, Bucharest, Romania

Cylindrical stairway structure

▪ Cone
- Generated by the revolution of a right triangle about one of its sides
- Highly stable when resting on its circular base
- It can rest on its apex, but state of balance is precarious.

Cirque du Soleil Bldg., Montreal

Yakhchal, traditional cold storage facility, Iran
Cathedral of Maringa, Brazil Trulli, traditional houses, Italy Midland Water Tower, Johannesburg, South Africa

▪ Pyramid
- Polyhedron; having a polygonal base and triangular faces meeting at a common point
- Similar properties to cone
- Since all surfaces are flat planes, it is hard and angular
- Stable on all sides

Chichen Itza, Mexico

Great Pyramid, Giza, Egypt

Manhattan Pyramid, Bjarke Ingles Slovak Radio Building, Bratislava

▪ Cube
- Prismatic solid bounded by six equal square sides.
- The angle between any two adjacent faces being a right angle
- Static form
- Lacks movement and direction
- Stable except when resting on its edges
Cube Tube, Jinhua, China, by Sako Architects

D' Arenberg Cube, Winery complex, Adelaide, by

Chester Osborne

Orange Cube, France, by Jakob + McFarlane

Joburg House, Amsterdam, by Marc Koehler

The Transformations of forms

▪ Dimensional Transformation
- A form can be transformed by altering one or more of its dimensions
- Form still retains its identity in the family forms

Georgia Pacific Tower / SOM

 ▪ Subtractive Transformation
- A form can be transformed by subtracting a portion of its volume
- The form can either retain its original identity or transformed into another form family.

Gwathmey Residence / New York / Gwathmey + Siegel

▪ Additive Transformation
- Form can be transformed by the addition of elements to its volume
- The number and sizes of the elements being attached determined if identity is retained or
transformed.

Relationship of Additive Form

 ▪ Spatial tension
- Relies on the close proximity of the forms or their sharing of common visual traits such as
shape, color, or material

▪ Edge to edge contact

- Forms share a common edge and can pivot about that edge

▪ Face to face contact

- Requires that two forms have corresponding planar surface that are parallel to each other.

▪ Interlocking volumes
- Forms interpenetrate each other's space. The forms need not share any visual traits

Configuration of Forms

▪ Centralized form - Secondary Forms clustered around a dominant central form

▪ Linear form - Series of forms arranged in a row

▪ Radial Forms - Linear forms extending form a central form.

▪ Clustered Form - Forms grouped together by proximity or the sharing of a common visual trait.
▪ Grid Form - Modular forms whose relationships are regulated by three dimensional grids.

▪
 Visual Organization and Circulation
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 2:06 PM

Visual Organization
How do you organize your space?

Order
Is an arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, patter, or method.

Chaos - is complete disorder and confusion

How do you achieve order?

• We need to balance order + chaos
• Spatial relationships
• Elements of Circulation
• Ordering Principles: Rhythm, Pattern, Repetition, Transformation

Spatial Relationships

1. Space within a space

- Enveloping quality
- Larger space as a container/ filter

2. Interlocking spaces
- Overlapping
- Shared space
- Retains individual identity
- Tension

3. Adjacent spaces
- Spaces separated by a plane
- Degree of separation/ enclosure depends on plane

4. Spaces linked by a common feature

- Intermediate space
 - Separation
- Transition
- Communication

Circulation
Refers to how people move through space

The experience of space

Space is not static. It is affected by time, sequence, and a space.

What affects circulation?

1. Direction - Horizontal or vertical movement?

2. Type - Public or Private?
3. Frequency - Commonly or rarely used?
4. Time - AM? PM? 24H?

Also: Efficiency and Economy

Elements of Circulation

1. Approach
- Purpose: preparation, orientation
- Does approach end when you enter the building?

3 Kinds of Approach
1. Frontal
2. Oblique
3. Spiral

Approach as a crescendo?
- Crescendo
- Tension up
- Tension down
 - Tension down

2. Entrance
- From outside to inside
- Separation/ Connection

Types of Entrances

- Flushed - continuity
- Projected - transitional/ extroverted
- Recessed - hidden/ sheltering/ introverted

3. Configuration of the path

- The sequence of spaces
- Intersections
- Stopping points
- Orientation
- Path as Narrative: what is your story? How do you make users understand it?
Types of Paths
1. Linear
2. Radial
3. Spiral
4. Grid
5. Network
6. Composite

4. Path-space relationships
- Edges
- Nodes
- Terminations

3 Kinds of Path-Space Relationships

1. Pass-by Space
- Integrity of each space is maintained
- Flexible configuration
- Path = link

2. Pass-through Spaces
- Creates patterns of rest and movements
- Axially, obliquely, or along its edge
3. Path terminates in a space
- Location of the space establishes the path
- Highlight function / symbolism

5. Form of the circulation space

- Not merely corridors
- Accommodate the needs/ movement of people
- Promenade/ Pause/ Rest/ View
 Form of Circulation Space
Determined by:
1. Articulation boundaries
2. Scale, proportion, light, and view
3. Entrances
4. Changes in level

3 Basic Forms of Circulation Space

1. Enclosed
- Segregation of Public/ private
- Relates to spaces it links through entrances in a wall plane

2. Open on one side

- Balcony/ Gallery
- Visual and spatial continuity with the spaces it links

3. Open on both sides

- Colonnaded passageway
- Physical extension of the space it passes through

Rhythm, Pattern, Repetition, Transformation

Rhythm
• Movement characterized by a patterned recurrence of elements of motifs at regular and irregular intervals
• Uses repetition and patterns
• Continuity
• Anticipation
• Can have emphasis

Repetition
• Repetition creates patterns
• How do we group elements?
- Proximity
- Visual Characteristics
- Size
- Shape
- Details/ Characteristics
 Transformation
- Exploration: Where creativity comes into play
- Adaptation and retooling to suit needs
- Respond + Develop NOT copy

Spatial Organizations:
- Centralized
- Linear
- Radial
- Clustered
- Grid
 Architectural ordering orientations
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 1:42 PM

Ordering Principles
1. Axis
- Is a line
- An axis is a regulating device
- An axis needs a start and a finish; a termination at both ends
- It can be reinforced by defining edges
- Can be established by symmetrical balance of forms and spaces

Terminating points
Points in space
Can be composed of:
- vertical linear elements
- Centralized building forms
(National Mall/ Washington D.C)

Vertical planes
Can be composed of:
- Symmetrical building facades or fronts, preceded by a forecourt or
similar open space

Well-defined spaces
These spaces are generally centralized or regular in form

Gateways
- Axis opens outward
- It leads the eyes toward a view or vista beyond
( Salk Institutive / Louis Khan)

Axis affects Balance and Gravity

Balance - Equilibrium; is the distribution of the visual weight of objects,
colors, texture, and space

Gravity- Tendency/ pull toward a point or object of influence

Visual Weight - Draws your eyes; Used to establish focal points and
create balance.

Asymmetrical Balance
- Axis in not centrally located
- Informal
- Subtle and elusive
- Difficult to attain
- Requires 'training' our eyes
- Has 'tension'
- Interesting composition
 Gravitational Balance
- Most natural; adapted to surroundings
- Often not attained by conscious compositions
- 'sense' rather than 'see' equilibrium
- Can involve: placement, size, proportions, quality and direction
- Involves 'anchors'

Symmetry
- The balanced distribution and arrangement of equivalent forms and
spaces on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane, or about the center of
an axis.

Two types of Symmetrical Balance

Bilateral Symmetry
- Equal weight and importance on both sides of a composition

Radial
- Achieve a visual balance through objects that are through objects that are
regularly arranged and radiate from a central point eradiate from

Hierarchy
- The articulation of the importance or significance of a from or space by its
size, shape, or placement relative to other forms and spaces of the
organization

Types of Hierarchy
Hierarchy by size
- Larger forms and volumes usually dominate smaller ones
- Smaller volumes in a well-defined setting can also dominate a
composition

Hierarchy by Shape
- Different shapes can signify dominance
- Contrast is critical/ need to break free from regularity
- Also needs to complement the composition as a whole

Hierarchy by Placement
- Important when analyzing space:
- Terminate of a linear sequence or axial organization
- The centerpiece of a symmetrical organization
- The focus of a centralized r radial composition
- Being offset above, below, or in the foreground of the composition

Hierarchy of Functions
Important when analyzing space
- Primary space
- Secondary space
- Tertiary space
- Liminal space
 Proxemics
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 1:16 PM

The Cultural Basis of Architectural Design

What is culture?
• The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of
a particular nation, people, or other social group
• the attitudes and behavior characteristic of a particular
social group
• a refined understanding or appreciation of the arts and
other manifestations of human intellectual achievement
regarded collectively

Culture and Architecture

• Does culture affect built form and space?
• Does this affect the way we react to places that are
'foreign'?
• Is there a big difference in cultural impressions vs. reality?

What are your impressions of the following countries?

• United States of America
• Saudi Arabia
• Spain
• Japan
• India
• China

“Humans are territorial animals, everyday people claim space,

built on it and this way, mark their territory”
- Edward Hall (1989; p: 59)

Territoriality
- Basic study in the concept of Human Behavior
- It is behavior by which an organism characteristically lays
claim to an area and defends it against members of its own
and other species
- Individuals are generally unaware of the norms of
proxemics within their own culture, but begin to notice
them when placed within a culturally diverse setting

• Primary Territory - Communicating with someone in their

personal space
• Secondary Territory – Also a place where you are (both) able to
feel comfortable, but less personal ownership
• Public Territory – Common ground or a neutral territory; not
owned by ourselves or by our partner in communication
• Interaction Territory - Is a temporary private space where you
 could have an intimate conversation

Defensible Space
• A residential environment whose physical characteristics—
building layout and site plan—function to allow inhabitants
themselves to become key agents in ensuring their security
• Developed by Oscar Newman
• Published Defensible Space in 1972

Proxemics
• It is defined as the use and perception of one’s social and
personal space, such as in seating and spatial arrangements
• The relative positioning of your body in relation to when you are
communicating with others
• Measurable distances between people as they interact

Edward T. Hall
• Anthropologist
• Created the Theory of Proxemics in 1959
• Discovered Humans are distinctly aware of their perception of
space and territory
• Discovered that Humans have four distinct comfort distances.
• His studies were universal for Americans, but world wide findings
are very different

Three categories of Proxemics

1. Distance
2. Space
3. Mode of Behavior

1.0 According to Distance

• Public distance (210 cm+) - voice shifts to higher volumes, eye
contact is minimized
• Social distance (122-210 cm) - more formal interactions; no
touch, only visual and auditory stimuli
• Personal distance (46-122 cm) - interactions with friends; vision
is no longer blurred, vocalizations increase
• Intimate distance (0-46 cm) - close relationships; increased
perception of heat and olfactory stimuli

2.0 According to Space

• Fixed Feature Space – This space is formed by walls and
territorial buildings.
• Semi Fixed Space – This category of space is more important in
interpersonal communication.
• Informal Space – This refers to the private space which people
maintain when they interact.
 2 types of Semi-Fixed Space
• Sociofugal Space: It keeps the people away from the process of
communication
• Sociopetal Space: It brings the people together and stimulates
involvement in the process of communication

3.0 According to Modes of Behavior and

Perception
Understanding different variable gives a person the ability to
read the behavior of the people they interact with

1. Postural Sex Identifier

2. Sociofugal and Sociopetal Axis
3. Kinesthetic Behavior
4. Touch Code
5. Visual Code
6. Voice Loudness
7. Thermal Code
8. Olfactory Code

Imagine that your first job after graduation is with a

multinational oil company. Because of your analytical skills, lack
of prejudice, and interpersonal flexibility, your boss has selected
you to be part of a negotiating team sent to Saudi Arabia. After
checking into your hotel room, you take a long, cool shower and
then head for the lobby to meet your counterpart with the
Arabian firm. After the first five minutes, you know it’s going to
be a long day.

Josef comes on way too strong. He stands so close that his face is
only a foot away from yours. There’s no letup in his penetrating
gaze, and his voice is too loud. The smell of his breath is even
more disconcerting, and you shudder at the feel of his hand on
your arm. He strikes you suddenly as a pushy rug merchant.

As for Josef, you quickly confirm his worst fears about

Americans. He sees you as devious and aloof because you avert
your eyes, deny him your breath, and cover up your natural body
scent. Despite his overtures of friendship, you coldly back away
and hold him at arm’s length. He begins to picture you as an Ugly
American. He thinks it’ll be a long day too.

Other forms of Communication

• Kinesics - It is defined as body motions that include gestures,

body movements, postures, facial and eye behaviors

• Para-linguistics - the study of the vocal elements that accompany

speech such as pitch, rate, volume, rhythm, and articulation

Understanding Proxemics
• Do you think distance affects the way we interact with people?
• How close would you stand next to a close friend or family
member? How close would you stand to someone you just met?
How close would you stand to your boss?
• Does the physical environment affect how you situate yourself
within a room / space?

Proxemics at work

• What other situations do you think an understanding of

proxemics could be utilized?
• How do you feel when someone invades your personal space?
• How would you handle culturally diverse backgrounds with
regards to territoriality and personal space?

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

A motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model

of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a
pyramid

• human beings are motivated by a hierarchy of needs.

• needs are organized in a hierarchy of
• the order of needs is not rigid but instead may be flexible based
on external circumstances or individual differences.
• most behavior is multi-motivated, that is, simultaneously
determined by more than one basic need.
Conceptualization
Thursday, December 16, 2021 8:38 AM

Generating Forms and Spaces

Four ways to generate
Building Design*

*according to John Broadbent

1. Pragmatic Design
• In which available materials are used
• Trial and error until solution is found
• Design system can be used with new materials
• Designer has to have good grasp of the strengths and
weaknesses of the materials and techniques

2. Typological Design / Iconic Design

• In which there is a fixed “mental image” of what a culture’s
building form should be
• Often encouraged by traditions and intangible heritage that
informs the building form
• Asks the designer to ‘examine’ not ‘copy’ existing solutions and
modify them to meet new conditions

3. Analogical Design (Organic)

• Drawing analogies with other fields and contexts to create a
new way of structuring the problem
• People do not approach a problem the same way > make use of
this to stimulate creativity
• Formal and structural analogies
• Analogies to nature, science, art

4. Canonical Design
• Geometric design; uses planning grids and proportioning
systems
• Form is generated by two or three dimensional geometric
system
• Vitruvius, Alberti, and Le Corbusier’s Modulor system > attempt
to produce canonical rules that would result in iconoclastic
designs
 Amorphous Forms
Thursday, December 16, 2021 8:40 AM

Properties of Matter
• Solid
• Liquid
• Gas
• Plasma

• Solid
- It is characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to changes of shape or volume
- Does not flow to take on the shape of its container, nor does it expand to fill the entire volume
available to it like a gas does

Types:
1. Crystalline Solids
2. Amorphous Solids

Amorphous solid
• Does not have a fixed shape or form
• Any substance that lacks long-range order or geometrical shape

Amorphous Architecture
• No rules of form, proportion, symmetry
• Architecture that seems to spring from nothing
• Arbitrary shapes and capricious flourishes

The Endless House

• Frederick Kiesler, 1958
• House with curved walls that looked like a hornet’s nest
• Unbuilt
• A building as a metaphor for life and art: no beginning and no end
• Process over form
• Journey above destination
(Above) The Second Goetheanum; The Stuttgart Eurythmeum
Anthroposophy
• Rudolf Steiner (Austria, 1861-1925)
• Better known as a philosopher, writer, and creator of the Waldorf system of education
• His buildings ignore the usual ideas of structure in the physical world to express an underlying
spiritual world

(Above) Centre Pompidou, Paris; (bottom) Mummers Theater, Oklahoma

Metabolism
• Architectural movement widespread in Japan, Europe, and the U.S.
• Buildings are like living organisms > they should be able to morph over time
• Proportion and symmetry were irrelevant
Texture and Building Materials
Thursday, December 16, 2021 8:40 AM

Texture
• Tactile / feeling / touch
• Quality of materials
• Can differentiate spaces from one another
• Evoke meanings

Building Materials
• Varied materials and applications
• Interior / Exterior
• Making designs reality
• Challenge: finding the right kind of material for the purpose / look you want to achieve
• Need: understand materials and their properties

Common Building Materials

• Wood
• Concrete
• Stone
• Glass
• Steel

1. Wood
• Traditional building material
• Organic; Complex chemical properties
• Versatile material---structural supports, finishing, furniture
• Lowest carbon footprint of any building material

Two primary categories of Wood

• Hardwood (any leaf-bearing tree) – heavier and more dense; used for walls, ceilings, floors;
kamagong, ipil, molave, tindalo, guijo, narra, yakal
• Softwood (any cone-bearing tree) – doors, furniture, and window frames; pine, hickory, beech,
ash, birch, cedar

Philippine hardwoods (Dark- light)

From L-R: Kamagong, dungon, ipil, dao, tindalo, molave, guijo, narra, langka, saplungan, yakal

Benefits of wood

• Thermal properties
• Acoustic properties
• Electrical properties
• Tensile strength
• Lightness
• Working properties
Disadvantages of wood
¡Shrinkage and swelling – wood absorbs and
loses moisture

¡Deterioration – Biotic (decay and mold fungi,

bacteria, and insects); Abiotic (sun, wind,
water, chemicals, and fire)