Primary Element

Misiker S.
The main reference:
Francis D.K. Ching (1996), Architecture: Form, Space, & Order, Jhon Wiley & Sons, INC,
1
New York.
 PRIMARY ELEMENTS
- Point and Point Elements
- Line and Linear Elements
- Plane and Planer Elements
- Volume and Volumetric Elements

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 Elements
The primary elements of form- point, one- dimensional lines, two-
dimensional planes, and three- dimensional volumes can be seen to exist
in all special environments.

As conceptual elements, the point, Line, plane, and Volume are not visible
except to the mind’s eye but we can sense the presence of:

• Points marking positions in space

• Lines defining edges of planes
• Planes defining boundaries of volume
• Volume of forms and space

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 PRIMARY ELEMENTS

“AllPictorial form begins with the point that sets itself in

motion … The point moves … and the line comes into being—
the first dimension.
If the line shifts to form a plane, we obtain a two-dimensional
element.
In the movement from plane to spaces, the clash of planes
gives rise to body (three-dimensional) … A summary of the
kinetic energies which move the point into a line, the line into
a plane, and the plane into a spatial dimension”.
Paul Klee

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 PRIMARY ELEMENTS

Point indicates a position

A point extended becomes a

Line with properties of:

- length
- direction
- position

A line extended becomes a

Plane with properties of:

- length and width - shape
- surface - orientation
- position

A plane extended becomes a

Volume with properties of:

- length, width and depth
- form and space - surface
5 - orientation - position
 POINT

A point marks a position in space. Conceptually, it

has no length, width or depth, and is therefore
static, centralized, directionless.

As the prime element in the vocabulary of form, a point

can serve to mark:
- the two ends of a line
- the intersection of two lines
- the meeting of lines at the corner of a plane or volume
- the center of a field

Although a point theoretically has neither shape nor

form, it begins to make its presence felt when placed
within a visual field. At the center of its environment, a
point is stable and at rest, organizing surrounding
elements about itself and dominating its field.

When the point is moved off-center, however, its field

becomes more aggressive and begins to compete for
visual supremacy.
Visual tension is created between the point and its field.
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 POINT ELEMENTS

A point has no dimension. To visibly mark a position in

space or on the ground plane, a point must be projected
vertically into a linear form, as a column, obelisk, or
tower. Any such columnar element is seen in plan as a
point and therefore retains the visual characteristics of a
point. Other point-generated forms that share these
same visual attributes are the:

Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome, C. 1544,

Michelangelo.
The equestrian status of Marcus Aurelius
marks the center of this urban space.
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 ‫الكعبة المشرفة ‪ ..‬مركز الكون والتكوين المعماري للحرم المكي‬

‫‪8‬‬
 LINE

A Line is a critical element in the

formation of any visual construction.

It can serve to:

- join, link, support, surround, or

intersect other visual elements.

- describe the edges of and give shape to

planes.

- articulate the surface of planes.

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 LINE
Although a line theoretically has only one dimension, it
must have some degree of thickness to become visible.
It is seen as a line simply because its length dominates
its width. The character of a line, whether taut or limp,
bold or tentative, graceful or ragged, is determined by
our perception of its length- width ratio, its contour, and
its degree of continuity.

Even the simple repetition of like or similar elements, if

continuous enough, can be regarded as a line. This type
of line has significant textural qualities.

The orientation of a line affects its role in a visual

construction. While a vertical line can express a state of
equilibrium with the force of gravity, symbolize the
human condition, or mark a position in space, a
horizontal line can represent stability, the ground plane,
the horizon, or a body at rest.

An oblique line is a deviation from the vertical or

horizontal. It may be seen as a vertical line falling or a
horizontal line rising. In either case, whether it is falling
toward a point on the ground plane or rising to a place in
the sky, it is dynamic and visually active in its
unbalanced state.
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 LINEAR ELEMENTS

House 10. 1966, John Hejduk

Although architectural space exists in three dimensions, it can be linear in form to
accommodate the path of movement through a building and link its spaces to one another.

Cornell University Undergraduate

Housing. Ithaca, New York, 1974, Richard
Meier.
Buildings also can be linear in form,
particularly when they consist of repetitive
spaces organized along a circulation path.
As illustrated here, linear building forms
have the ability enclose exterior spaces as
well as adapt to the environmental
conditions of a site.

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 LINEAR ELEMENTS

Crown Hall. School of Architecture and Urban

Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, 1956,
Mies van der Rohe.

At a smaller scale, lines articulate the edges and

surfaces of planes and volumes. The lines can be
expressed by joints within or between building
materials, by frames around window or door openings,
or by a structural grid of columns and beams. How these
linear elements affect the texture of a surface will
depend on their visual weight, spacing, and direction . Seagram Building. New York City, 1956-58,
Mies van der Rohe and philip Johnson.
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 PLANE
A line extended in a direction other than its intrinsic
direction becomes a plane.
Conceptually, a plane has length and width, but no depth.

Shape is the primary identifying characteristic of a plane.

It is determined by the contour of the line forming the
edges of a plane. Because our perception of shape can be
distorted by perspective foreshortening, we see the true
shape of a plane only when view it frontally.

The supplementary properties of a plane—its surface

color, pattern, and texture—affect its visual weight and
stability.

In the composition of a visual construction, a plane

serves to define the limits or boundaries of a volume. If
architecture as a visual art deals specifically with the
formation of three-dimensional volumes of mass and
space, then the plane should be regarded as a key
element in the vocabulary of architectural design.

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 PLANE
Planes in architecture define three-dimensional volumes
of mass and space. The properties of each plane—size,
shape, color, texture—as well as their spatial relationship
to one another ultimately determine the visual attributes
of the form they define and the qualities of space they
enclose.

In Architectural design, we manipulate three generic types

of planes:

Overhead Plane
The overhead plane can be either the roof plane that
shelters the interior spaces of a building from the climatic
elements, or the ceiling plane that forms the upper
enclosing surface of a room.
Wall Plane
The wall plane, because of its vertical orientation, is
active in our normal field of vision and vital to the shaping
and enclosure of architectural space.

Base Plane
The base plane can be either the ground plane that serves
as the physical foundation and visual base for building
forms, or the floor plane that forms the lower enclosing
surface of a room upon which we walk.
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 PLANAR ELEMENTS

While we walk on a floor and

have physical contact with walls,
the ceiling plane is usually out
of our reach and is almost
always a purely visual event in a
space. It may be the underside
of an overhead floor or roof
plane and express the form of its
structure as it spans the space
between its supports, or it may
be suspended as the upper
enclosing surface of a room or
hall.

Hangar, Design I, 1935, Pier Luigi Nervi.

The lamella structure expresses the way forces are resolved
and channeled down to the roof supports.

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 PLANAR ELEMENTS

A roof plane can extend outward

to form overhangs that shield
door and widow openings from
sun or rain, or continue
downward further still to relate
itself more closely to the ground
plane. In warm climates, it can
be elevated to allow cooling
breezes to flow across and
through the interior spaces of
building.

Robie House, Chicago, 1909, Frank Lloyd Wright.

The low sloping roof planes and broad overhangs are
characteristic of the Prairie School of Architecture.

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 PLANAR ELEMENTS

Kaufmann House (Falling Water), Connellsville,

Pennsylvania, 1936-37, Frank Lloyd Wright.
Reinforced concrete slabs express the horizontality of the floor or
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roof planes as they cantilever outward from a central core.
 PLANAR ELEMENTS

Schroder House, Utrecht, 1924-25, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld.

Asymmetrical compositions of simple rectangular forms and
primary colors characterized the de Stijl school of art and
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architecture.
 VOLUME
A plane extended in a direction other than its intrinsic
direction becomes a volume. Conceptually, a volume has
three dimensions: length, width and depth.

All volumes can be analyzed and understood to consist of:

- points or vertices where several planes come together
- lines or edges where two planes meet
- planes or surfaces which define the limits or boundaries of a volume.

Form is the primary identifying characteristic of a volume.

It established by the shapes and interrelationships of the
planes that describe the boundaries of the volume.

As the three-dimensional element in the vocabulary of

architectural design, a volume can be either a solid—
space displaced by mass—or a void—space contained or
enclosed by planes.

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 VOLUME
In architecture, a volume can be seen to
be either a portion of space contained
and defined by wall, floor, and ceiling or
roof planes, or a quantity of space
displaced by the mass of building. It is
important to perceive this duality,
especially when reading orthographic
plans, elevations and sections.

Plan and Section

Space defined by wall, floor, and ceiling or roof planes.

Elevation
Space displaced by the mass of a building.

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Notre Dame Du Haut, Ronchamp, France,
1950-55, Le Corbusier.
 VOLUMETRIC ELEMENTS

Villa Savoye, Poissy, France, 1928-31, Le Corbusier.

Building forms that stand as an object in the landscape can

be read as occupying volume in space.

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 VOLUMETRIC ELEMENTS

Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome, C. 1544, Michelangelo.

A series of buildings enclose an urban square.

Building forms that serve as containers can be read as

masses that define volumes of space.

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 Form

Misiker S.
The main reference:
Francis D.K. Ching (1996), Architecture: Form, Space, & Order, Jhon Wiley & Sons, INC,
23
New York.
 Contents
What is a Form?
Characteristics of Form
Shape to Form in Architecture
Regular And Irregular Forms
Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Articulation of Form

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 What is a Form?

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 What is a Form?
• Form can be described as a reference to both the internal
structure and external outline, often in the shape of a three
dimensional mass or volume.

• The form is an inclusive term that has several meanings and

synonyms and is used in architecture as an important
element of design. It refers to a shape or configuration of a
building. The Form in Architecture may refer to
 An external appearance that can be recognized. Ex: A
chair/bed.
 A particular condition it manifests. Ex: water in the form
of ice.
 Art and design – a structural form of work.
 Internal structure and external outline.

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 Characteristics of Form
1. Shape
The characteristic outline of a particular form. The shape is the
principal aspect by which we identify and categorize forms. It
also refers to the surface configuration of the volumetric form.
It is the primary means by which we recognize, identify, and
categorize particular figures and 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.

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 Characteristics of Form
2. Size/ Mass
Size includes the physical dimensions of a form – Length,
width, and depth. These dimensions determine the proportions
and scale of a form. Mass combines with shape to create a
form. Mass refers to the size or physical bulk of a building.

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 Characteristics of Form
3. Color
An individual’s perception of hue, saturation, and tonal value. It
clearly distinguishes a form from its environment. It also affects
the visual weight of the form.

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 Characteristics of Form
4. Texture
The visual and especially tactile quality is given to a surface by
the size, shape, arrangement, and proportions of the
parts. Texture also determines the degree to which the
surfaces of a form reflect or absorb incident light.

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 Characteristics of Form
5. Position
Position refers to where the form is located related to its
environment.

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 Characteristics of Form
6. Orientation
The direction of a form relative to the ground plane, the
compass points, other forms, or to the person viewing the form.

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 Characteristics of Form
7. 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.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
We perceive shape by its contour or silhouette, rather than by
detail.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
Primary shapes
The most significant primary shapes are
Circle – A plane curve every point is equidistant from a fixed
point within a curve.
Triangle – A plane figure bounded by three sides and having
three angles.
Square – A plane figure having four equal sides and four right
angles.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
Circle
The circle is a centralized
figure that is normally stable
and self-centering in its
environment. Placing an
element along its
circumference or angular
forms can induce circular
motion.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
Triangle
A triangle signifies stability. While
the triangle is extremely stable
when resting on its sides, it tends to
fall on one of its sides when it
stands on one of its vertices.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
Square
The square is a symmetrical figure having two equal and
perpendicular axes. All other rectangles can be considered as
variations of the square varying in height or width. Similar to a
triangle, the square is stable when it rests on one of its sides and
tends to fall when it stands on one of its vertices.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
Primary solids
Primary shapes generate volumes known as “platonic solids.” A
circle generates a sphere and cylinder, Triangle forms a cone and
pyramid, whereas a square produces a cube.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
Primary solids
Sphere – A solid generated by the revolution of a semicircle about
its diameter, whose surface is at all points equidistant from the
center.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
Primary solids
Cylinder – A solid generated by the revolution of a rectangle about
one of its sides.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
Primary solids
Cone – A solid generated by the revolution of the right triangle about
one of its sides.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
Primary solids
Pyramid – A polyhedron having a polygonal base and triangular
faces meeting at a common point or vertex.

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 Shape to Form in Architecture
Primary solids
Cube – A prismatic solid bounded by six equal sides, the angle
between any two adjacent faces being a right angle.

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 Regular And Irregular Forms
Regular forms
• Refer to those whose parts are related to one another in a
consistent and orderly manner.
• Stable in nature.
• Symmetrical about one or more axes.
• Examples: sphere, cone, cylinder, cube, and pyramid.
• Forms can retain their regularity even when transformed
• dimensionally or by the addition or subtraction of elements.
Irregular forms
• Refer to those whose parts are dissimilar in nature and related to
one another in an inconsistent manner.
• Asymmetrical in nature.
• Dynamic
• Can be regular forms from which irregular elements have been
subtracted.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture

All other forms can be understood to be transformations of the

primary solids, variations that are generated by the manipulation
of one or more dimensions or by the addition or subtraction of
elements.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture

Dimensional Transformation
A form can be transformed by altering one or more of its dimensions
and still retain its identity as a member of a family of forms. A cube,
for example, can be transformed into similar prismatic forms through
discrete changes in
height, width, or length. It can be compressed into a planar form or
be stretched out into a linear one.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Dimensional Transformation
A sphere can be transformed into any number of ovoid or ellipsoidal
forms by elongating it along an axis.

A Pyramid can be transformed by altering the dimensions of the

base, modifying the height of the apex, or tilting the normally vertical
axis.

A Cube can be transformed into similar prismatic forms by

shortening or elongating its height, width, or depth.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Subtractive Transformation
A form can be transformed by subtracting a portion of its volume.
Depending on the extent of the subtractive process, the form can
retain its initial identity or be transformed into a form of another family.
For example, a cube can retain its identity as a cube even though a
portion of it is removed, or be transformed into a series of regular
polyhedrons that begin to approximate a sphere.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Subtractive Transformation

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Subtractive Transformation
Spatial volumes may be subtracted from a form to create
• Recessed entrances
• Positive courtyard spaces
• Window openings are shaded by vertical and horizontal surfaces
of the recess.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Additive Transformation
A form can be transformed by the addition of elements to
its volume. The nature of the additive process and the
number and relative sizes of the elements being attached
determine whether the identity of the initial form is altered
or retained.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Additive Transformation
Basic possibilities for grouping two or more forms are by

Spatial Tension---------

Edge-to-edge contact--

Face-to-face contact--------

Interlocking volumes---
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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Additive Transformation
Centralized Form
A number of secondary forms clustered about a dominant, central
parent form. Centralized forms require the visual dominance of a
geometrically regular, centrally located form such as a sphere, cone,
or cylinder.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Additive Transformation
Linear Form in Architecture
A linear form can result from a proportional change in a form’s
dimensions or the arrangement of a series of discrete forms along a
line.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Additive Transformation
Radial Form
A Radial form consists of linear forms that extend outward from a
centrally located core element in a radiating manner. It combines the
aspects of centrality and linearity into a single composition.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Additive Transformation
Clustered Form
While a centralized organization
has a strong geometric basis
for the ordering of its forms, a
clustered organization groups
its forms according to functional
requirements of size, shape, or
proximity.

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 Transformation of Forms In Architecture
Additive Transformation
Grid Form
A grid is a system of two or more intersecting sets of regularly spaced
parallel lines. It generates a geometric pattern of regularly spaced
points at the intersections of the grid lines and regularly shaped fields
defined by the grid lines themselves.

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 Articulation of Form
Articulation refers to the manner in which the surfaces of a form come
together to define its shape and volume.
An articulated form clearly reveals the precise nature of its parts and
their relationships to each other and to the whole.
Its surfaces appear as discrete planes with distinct shapes and their
overall configuration is legible and easily perceived.
In a similar manner, an articulated group of forms accentuates the
joints between the constituent parts in order to visually express their
individuality.

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