SPACE ARTICULATION

ARCH 512 | Theory of Architectural Design II

Slideshow developed by: Arch. Edeliza V. Macalandag, UAP Bohol Island State University | College of Architecture & Engineering

We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel; But it is on the space where there is nothing that the utility of the wheel depends. We turn clay to make a vessel; But it is on the space where there is nothing that the utility of the vessel depends. We pierce doors and windows to make a house; and it is on these spaces where there is nothing that the utility of the house depends. Therefore, just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the utility of what is not.
-Lao-tzu, Tao Te Ching, 6th century B.C.

architecturedraftsman.blogspot.com

Temple of Kailasnath Ellora, India | 600-1000 AD

Through the volume of space, we move, see forms, hear sounds, feel breezes, smell the fragrances of a flower garden in bloom.

Space is a material substance like wood or stone. Yet it is an inherently formless vapor. Its dimensions & scale, the quality of its light all of these qualities depend on our perception of the spatial boundaries defined by elements of form.

The Pantheon Rome, A.D. 120-124

Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1951

As space begins to be captured, enclosed, molded, and organized by the elements of mass, architecture comes into being.

Architectural space is a concretization of mans existential or experiential space.

ELEMENTS FIGURES

ELEMENTS BACKGROUND

FORM & SPACE: THE UNITY OF OPPOSITES

FIGURES & THEIR BACKGROUNDS ARE MORE THAN OPPOSING ELEMENTS. TOGETHER THEY FORM AN INSEPARABLE REALITY A UNITY OF OPPOSITES JUST AS THE ELEMENTS OF FORM AND SPACE TOGETHER FROM THE REALITY OF ARCHITECTURE.

FIGURES & THEIR BACKGROUNDS ARE MORE THAN OPPOSING ELEMENTS. TOGETHER THEY FORM AN INSEPARABLE REALITY A UNITY OF OPPOSITES JUST AS THE ELEMENTS OF FORM AND SPACE TOGETHER FROM THE REALITY OF ARCHITECTURE.

http://darwaza.bloxi.jp/images/3082_0bhabb_o.jpg

Line defining the boundary between solid mass and spatial void

The form of solid mass rendered as a figure.

The form of the spatial void rendered as a figure.

Fragment of a Map of Rome drawn by Giambattista Nolli in 1749

http://bastiaanluijk.com/waystostudy.html

SPACE ARTICULATION

Defining Spaces

http://www.theblueroom.net.au/journal/2009/11/24/interactive-nolli-map-website.html

The symbiotic relationship of the forms of mass and space in architecture can be examined and found to exist at several different scales.

http://www.theblueroom.net.au/journal/2009/11/24/interactive-nolli-map-website.html

The symbiotic relationship of the forms of mass and space in architecture can be examined and found to exist at several different scales.

Bilbao, Spain
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44442306@N04/4356653613/sizes/l/in/photostream/

We should be concerned not only with the form of the building but also its impact on the space around it.

Singapore skyline at night

http://shadowness.com/a/singapore-skyline-at-night

At an urban scale, we should carefully consider the role of a building in the existing urban fabric.

Guggenheim New York Frank Lloyd Wright

http://archinect.com/forum/thread/103601/7-wonders-of-modern-postmodern-contemporary-architecture

Continue the urban fabric of the place

Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri Eero Saarinen, 1967

http://www.connectthemidwest.com/2010/01/st-louis/

Form a backdrop for other buildings

Sharp Center for Design Ontario Center for Art & Design Will Alsop
http://experienceyork.apps01.yorku.ca/wordpress/2010/10/14/reading-week-already/

Define a positive urban space

Sidney Opera House Jrn Utzon, 1973

http://famouswonders.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/sydney-opera-house.jpg

Stand free as a significant object in space

http://vincentloy.wordpress.com/2010/07/page/2/

Taishan, Shandong, China

http://unescopostcard.blogspot.com/2010/07/cn437-mount-taishan-1987.html

Relating the form of a building to the space around it.

At the scale of a building site

Form a wall along an edge of its site and begin to define a positive outdoor space.

Merge its interior space with the private outdoor space of a walled site.

Enclose a portion of its site as an outdoor room and shelter it from undesirable climatic conditions.

Surround and enclose a courtyard or atrium space within its volume an introverted scheme.

Monastery of St. Meletios on Mt. Kithairon, Greece, 9 AD

Rila Monastery Sofia, Bulgaria

http://i.images.cdn.fotopedia.com/flickr-2981070655-hd/World_Heritage_Sites/Europe/Eastern_Europe/Bulgaria/Rila_Monastery/Rila_Monastery-hd-3.jpg

Stand as a distinct object in space and dominate its site through its form & topographical positioning an extroverted scheme.

Stretch out & present a broad face to address a view, terminate an axis or define an edge of an urban space.

Stand free within its site but extend to its interior spaces to merge with private exterior space.

Stand as a positive form in negative space.

The relation of the building to its context is of utmost importance. Architecture should never lose the natural and meaningful connection with their surroundings.

Rolex Learning Center Lausanne, Switzerland by Sanaa, 2010

http://www.archidir.com/architecture/rolex-learning-center-by-sanaa-in-lausanne-switzerland/

The relation of the building to its context is of utmost importance. Architecture should never lose the natural and meaningful connection with their surroundings.

Rolex Learning Center Lausanne, Switzerland by Sanaa, 2010

http://www.archidir.com/architecture/rolex-learning-center-by-sanaa-in-lausanne-switzerland/

Walls are usually read as the positive elements of a plan. But, the white spaces in between, should not be seen simply as background for the walls, but also as figures in the drawing that have shape and form.

Even at the scale of a room, articles of furnishings can either stand as forms within a field of space or serve to define the form of a spatial field.

Addendum

Proxemics (Personal Space & Territoriality)

http://mhinterior.blogspot.com/2011/02/proxemics-personal-space-territoriality.html

Proxemics is the study of measurable distances between people as they interact.

Anthropometrics is the measurement of the size and proportion of the human body.

http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2782365620073673480kamqlK

http://www.theatre.vt.edu/destop/asressa_website/Images/Anthropometrics_Large.PNG

Ergonomics is the science of making the work environment safer and more comfortable for workers using design and anthropometric data.

http://saveyourself.ca/resources/images/ergonomics-comic-strip.jpghttp://saveyourself.ca/resources/images/ergonomics-comic-strip.jpg

http://www.ergonomicoffices.net/ergonomic-office-9/

Surf Chair
http://lylover.com/portfolio/surfchair/

The windows of the observation deck are located around the apex of the arch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gateway_Arch_windows.jpg

References:
Salvan, George S. Architectural Theories of Design. JMC Press, Inc, 1986. Ching, Francis D.K. Architecture: Form, Space and Order, 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2007. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/engin/guides/anthropometry.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/proxemics