aesthetics -
& DESIGN II
ARCH 1 2 0 3: FARJANA JESMIN
PART A ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology
VISUAL-ORDERING TECHNIQUES
VISUAL-ORDERING TECHNIQUES
1. Proximity Diagramming
2. Sign and Symbols
3. Gestalts
Figure/Ground
Center of the gravity
Configuration
Similarity
Proximity
Symmetry
Closure and Good Continuation
Form Reproduction
4. Vignettes
5. Archetypes
6. Patterns
PROXIMITY DIAGRAMMING
§ Proximity is only a starting place for forming the ideas a building is to express.
§ An analysis technique that useful in generating a preliminary sense of the building’s potential
form.
§ Have a number of potential form combinations that will differ significantly in their visual
expression.
§ The architect develops the various alternative diagrams and selects the diagram that most
closely matches the desired building expression.
§ These can be augmented by requirements developing out of the site analysis and tentative
construction type.
§ Generate a few alternatives so that the expressive potentials of each can be evaluated.
A Schedule of Accommodation (SoA) in architecture is a comprehensive list detailing all the spaces required for a building
project, including their size and function.
The SoA itemizes each room type and its associated area, capturing the specific needs of the building's users.
It serves as a crucial briefing tool, guiding the design process and ensuring the final building meets the needs of its users.
Depending on the building type and the severity of the requirements- the Site , the Program, or the
technological elements could be dominant.
Example – A typical modern high school with a gymnasium
The proximity diagram for these two activities can treat the gym (large strong physical form) as a separate element
or combine it with other part of school.
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
§ Very direct methods of expression and major form-giving design technique.
§ To focus the attention of building users by conveying an understanding of the function
of the building or spaces.
Example: Parthenon become a symbol for governmental functions. its style is classic.
Likewise, the form of Churches have been extremely symbolic and direct in their
imagery.
§ Generally derived from the dominant characteristics of the activity being
symbolized.
§ Applied over functional and programmatic concerns.
§ Widely used because it brings all
the parts of a problem together to
reinforce a meaning and give a
wholeness to the total composition.
§ Selecting the most appropriate
symbol is the most difficult part of
a problem.
§ Otherwise, the building is out of
site and in fact absurd.
Example: High school design.
The image of a book symbolises the concept of learning and thus, if one tries to incorporate its form into
a structure, then the symbol is too superficial and does not accurately reflect the learning function.
A more successful attempt may symbolise the kind of setting in which learning has historically taken place.
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
Numerous possible interpretations of what something should be and therefore what
symbol convey the correct image.
It is important that image selection be based on the client, program, site and
construction issues previously presented.
GESTALTS
§ While symbols speak of ideas, other specific organizations express relationships
between parts of visual composition.
§ A field of psychology has developed around the idea that human mind is structured
to perceive the environment in a way that organizes our visual field into distinct and
related parts. This area of study is called gestalts psychology.
§ Our relationship to a buildings is continuously changing as we use them.
§ Gestalts can be used to organized perceptions and guide us through a building.
It is human nature to group similar things together. In Gestalt, similar elements are visually grouped, regardless of
their distance to each other. Similar things can be grouped by color, shape, or size. Our relationship to a buildings is
continuously changing as we use them.
The principle of proximity refers to how close the elements are to each other. The strongest proximity relationships
are those elements overlapping each other. However, just by grouping elements into a single section can also have a
strong proximity effect.
The principle of closure suggests an idea that your brain will fill in the missing parts of a design or image to create a
whole.
The principle of continuity suggests that the human eye follows a path when viewing the lines, regardless of how these
lines are drawn.
The figure or ground principle is like the closure principle in the sense that the figure/ground principle takes
advantage of the way the brain perceives negative space.
VIGNETTES
§ Vignettes are images of spaces that have emotional connotations.
§ The images are forms associated with past pleasurable experiences, and they are
only generally remembered by their overall or dominant gestalts.
§ The essence of the space has been preserved while the detail has vanished.
§ Architects collect these images as they study buildings and places.
§ In a lifetime of experiences, many vignettes are recalled, and some can become the
ideas around which spaces are formed.
§ Example: The image of a good outdoor restaurant with fine view, small round tables,
bright canopies, fresh flowers and soft-wood railings.
These characteristics create the essence of the space. It does not matter much whether the canopies are
yellow or orange as long as they are bright. This vignettes can now be the genesis of a design for a
similar setting.
It can be successful only if the user of the space has the same emotional response to the vignettes as the
designer had. For this reason ,such images must be carefully coordinated with the user before the final
design is adopted.
ARCHETYPES
§ The word archetype means "original pattern from which copies are made."
An archetype is a universally recognized symbol, pattern of behavior, or prototype that
serves as a model for other things.
§ In architecture, an archetype refers to a fundamental, recurring pattern or model
that serves as a basis for the design of buildings and spaces.
§ Architects continually looking for this optimum ordering patterns, both in the buildings
they visit and in the preliminary research they do for a particular project.
§ Many building types such as churches and shopping centres follow specific patterns
based on careful research into the optimum form for their specific use.
§ High density housing, schools, hospitals, etc.
The Amphitheater is an open-air
venue with a central performance area
surrounded by rising tiers of seating. It
is designed for large-scale public
gatherings, performances, and
spectacles.
The original spatial form gets repeated
and reinterpreted across time and
cultures. Roman Colosseum is a famous
example of it.
ARCHETYPES
§ The archetypical prototypes evolve over time.
§ The words saltbox, townhouse and ranch immediately bring images to mind. A client
may very well want a particular image that, in some very, represents a particular
way of life.
§ The design problem then becomes fitting the program and site requirements into a
shell with the correct imagery.
§ An architect style is in itself archetypical in that it is symbolic of the attitude he
brings to any project.
PATTERNS
§ Abstracted form the building programs to yield performance requirements that will
define the building’s enclosure, structure and environmental control.
§ Each system has a pattern and range of use that must be matched to the
requirements of the function of the building.
§ An architect can choose to express any of these patterns as they are applied to
serve the needs of the building program and in fact, these patterns may define very
directly the form of the building.
§ Example: In the early 20th century, the high-rise office buildings were depended on
the structural innovation; recently architects have been letting the structure follow the
building form.
The design is a careful balancing of the requirements of many patterns, with the architect deciding which
patterns should be dominant.
Example – A typical modern high school with a gymnasium
Both buildings may require different structural patterning; however the visual impression of continuity between the
two functions may be maintained by not expressing the structure on the exterior, emphasizing instead a pattern of
enclosure that is same for both parts.
Architect should analyze alternatives ways of expressing
all the objectives and choose the best and simplest one.
The task is challenging and meeting this challenge is
the enjoyment derived from architecture.
THANK YOU!
