Theory of Architecture

Daniel Burnham

"Make no little plans. Think big"

Aesthetic

Branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of art, beauty, and taste, with a view to establish the meaning and validity of critical judgments concerning works of art.

Beauty

The aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives intense pleasure to the senses or deep satisfaction to the mind or spirit whether arising from harmony of form or color, excellence of craft, truthfulness, originality, or other, often unspecifiable property.

Taste

Critical judgment, discernment, or appreciation of what is fitting, harmonious, or beautiful prevailing in a culture or personal to an individual.

Tectonics

The science or art of shaping, ornamenting, or assembling materials in construction.

Technology (Applied Science)

The branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical methods and materials and their interrelation with life, society and the environment.

Edmund Bacon

"It's in the doing that the idea comes."

Point

Marks a position in space

Line

Connection of two or more points of an infinitely longer path (length, direction, position)

Plane

A series of parallel lines or a transparent spatial membrane which can be stretched between two parallel lines (length and width, shape, surface, orientation, position).

Volume

Points or vertices where several planes come together. Has length, width and depth, it indicates form, shape, surface, orientation and position in 3D.

Form

Is the primary identifying characteristic of volume

3 Transformation of Form.

1. Dimensional

2. Subtractive

3. Additive

4 Kinds of Additive Forms.

1. Spatial Tension

2. Edge to Edge Contact

3. Face to Face Contact

4. Interlocking Volumes

Centralized Form

A number of secondary forms clustered about a dominant central parent form.

Linear Form

A series of forms arranged sequentially in a row.

Radial Form

A composition of linear forms extending outward from a central form in a radial manner.

Clustered Form

A collection of forms grouped together by proximity or the sharing of a common visual trait.

Grid Form

A set of modular forms related and regulated by a three-dimensional grid.

4 Principles of Organization.

1. Space within a Space

2. Interlocking Spaces

3. Adjacent Spaces

4. Spaces linked by a Common Space

Axis

A line established by two points in space, about which forms and spaces can be arranged in a regular or irregular manner. An axis must be terminated at both its ends by a significant form or space.

Hierarchy

In most, if not all, architectural compositions, real differences exist among their forms and space, reflecting the degree of importance of these spaces, as well as the functional, formal, and symbolic roles they play in the organization.

Datum

Refers to a line, plane or volume to which other elements in a composition relate.

Rhythm

Refers to any movement characterized by a patterned recurrence of elements or motifs at a regular or irregular intervals.

Approach

The distant view.

Entrance

From outside to Inside.

Configuration of the Path

The sequence of spaces.

Path-Space Relationship

Edges, nodes, and terminations of the path.

Form of the Circulation Space

Corridors, halls, galleries, stairways and rooms.

5 Space organizations

1. Centralized

2. Linear

3. Radial

4. Clustered

5. Grid

Categories of Proportion

1. Material

2. Structural

3. Manufactured

Types of proportion

1. Relative and Absolute

2. Arithmetic, Geometric and Harmonic

Theories of Proportion

1. Ken

2. Golden Section (0.618)

3. Classical Orders

4. Renaissance Theories

5. Modulor

6. Anthropometry

Design Stages

1. Initiation

2. Preparation

3. Proposal-making

4. Evaluation

5. Cycles, Feedback, Iteration

Design Philosophy

A statement of the beliefs, values or viewpoints from which the development of the design solutions take off, They are often formed out of universally held principles and thus become bases for socially desirable design objectives.

Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe

"Less is more."

Aldo Leopold

"Ecology is a harmonious relation to land is more intricate and of more consequence to civilization than the historians of progress seem to realize. Civilization is not, as they often assume, the enslavement of a stable and constant earth. It is a state of mutual and independent cooperation between humans, animals, plants and soils, which may be disrupted at any moment by the failure of any of them.

Doxiadis

A human settlement is made up of five ekistic elements, which are interactive and independent with each other. These are man, nature, shells, networks and society.

De Stijl

Pursuit of social renewal through ideal abstraction; close relationship between architecture and the fine arts; pristine, geometric but more decorative than Bauhaus.

Dutch in origin, its style was one of austere abstractions, law of equilibrium and clarity of art.

Ethnocentrism

Habitual disposition to judge foreign people or groups by the standards and practices of one's own culture or ethnic group.

Critical Regionalism

Factoring in cultural variations and contextual realities.

Eclecticism

Free trade and travel resulted to the mixed style of architecture.

Art Nouveau

No traces of historical style, use of glass and metal.

International Style

Transcends culture and nations.

Robert Venturi

Less is Bore / "Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture"

Modernism

Open planning and free of historic detail

Academism

19th century, also related to Beaux Arts

Metabolism

1960's movement in Tokyo about organic architecture.

Revivalism

Revival of the classical Greek and Roman

Arts and Crafts Movement

19th century conservative detachment from industrial revolution, proponent of which is William Morris.

Functionalism

Put emphasis on practical resolution of a building's needs; free plan, no dominant facade white walls.

Brutalism

The use of raw concrete appeared to be unfinished.

Chinoiserie

The influence of Chinese style in Western architecture.

Constructivism

A Russian movement of geometric shapes and use industrial materials

Purism

Simplicity, proponent of which is Le Corbusier

Historicism

Use of past historical styles.

Organic Architecture

Style based on natural growth from the environment.

Bauhaus Movement

Rational design where art and technology are united

Corporatism

The business of architecture focuses on proficiency of the process and product of architecture.

Deconstructivism

Proponent of which is Jacques Derrida, breaking the norms of a box.

Physiological

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

Breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion

Safety

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

Security of body, of employment, of resources, of morality, of the family, of health, of property.

Love/Belonging

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

Friendship, family, sexual intimacy

Esteem

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

Self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect by others.

Self-actualization

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

Morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts

Persian

Character: Light and Airy Magnificence

Materials: Stone, Brick, Timber

Structures: Palaces elevated on platforms

Greek Architecture

Character: Simplicity & Harmony

Purity of Line

Perfection of Proportions

Refinement of Details

Materials: Marble

Structures: Temples

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

"Firmitas, Utilitas, Venustas"

(Strength, Function, Beauty)

Roman Architecture

Character: Vastness and Magnificence

Ostentation and Ornateness

Materials: Concrete

Structures: Temples, Basilicas, Thermae, Ampitheaters, Utilities

Romanesque Architecture

Character: Sober and Dignified

Materials: Salvaged from Roman Structures, stone, timber, brick(Germany)

Structures: Churches

Gothic Architecture

Character: Lofty & Aspiring Quality, Structural Honesty, Economy in Materials

Materials: Stone

Structure: Cathedrals

Renaissance Architecture

Character: Use of classic Roman orders, Dignity & Formality achieved through symmetry

Structures: Churches, Palaces

Renaissance Buildings

Tend to have a square, symmetrical appearance with central columns and windows, arches supported by piers or columns, decorated flat ceilings and domes.

Leon Battista Alberti

Developed a clever system of classical pilasters and architraves which could be superimposed on any earlier smooth surface called, "ornamentum"

Andrea Palladio

Father of modern picture books of architecture.

Contained little theory, but could be copied by less literate architects.

Philibert de l'orme

-contested Roman architecture as the ideal

-rejected the doctrine of absolute beauty of measures

-pointed out differences in proportions of the Pantheon

-"perceptive psychology": the actual form did not alone determine its beauty; the final impression was only created when somebody was looking into the column

Baroque Architecture

A European style of architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries.

It was based upon the transformation of classical forms with an inventive use of space and decoration.

Characterized by ornate detail, exuberant curvaceous decoration and grand sweeping gestures with spatially complex compositions

Rococo Style

Not a style in its own right, but is the last phase of the Baroque. Prominent in early 18th century France, Rococo developed from Baroque as a reaction to the heavy, opulent aesthetic, and instead was more light, playful and graceful. Placed emphasis upon asymmetry, curves and natural forms (such as tree branches, clouds, flowers or seashells), and detailing was frequently highlighted in gold

Anthropocentrism

The human being is the most important entity in the universe. The world is perceived according to the values and experiences of the human being.

Anthropomorphism

Human qualities are associated with non-human entities/events such as form, values, and emotions.

Anthropometrics

Study of measurements of the human body

Ergonomics

An applied science concerned with the characteristics of people that need to be considered in the design of devices and systems in order that people and things will interact effectively and safely.

Atomists

Man is part of the universe. The elements making up man are the same elements making up the whole universe.

(Thales, Heraclitus, Empedocles)

Sophists

Man is the source of all measurements for all things; man is a free entity who can chart his own direction.

(Protagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)

Medieval/Christian Theologians

Man has no power over the laws of the universe.

Vitruvius

He denounced that a building should reflect measurements and proportions of the human body.

Alberti

"There is humanism in architecture. The concept of beauty is based in order of numbers and Euclidean geometry."

Soft Architecture

The building or environment can be personalized without damage to them or without difficult surgery.

Personalization and Personalized Space

Manifestation of desire for control and an expression of aesthetic taste as well as an effort to make environment fit activity better.

Staking claim to places.

Territory

A delimited space that a person or a group of persons uses and defends as an exclusive preserve.

Privacy

The ability of individuals or group of individuals to control their visual, auditory, and olfactory interactions with others. The ability to control interactions to have options and to achieve the desired level of interaction.

Solitude

The state of being free from observation by others

Intimacy

The state of being with another person but free from the outside world.

Anonimity

The state of being unknown even in a crowd.

Reserve

The state in which a person employs psychological barriers to control unwanted intrusions.

1-18 inches

Intimate level of space

18-48 inches

Personal level of space

4-12 feet

Social level of space

12 or more feet

Public distance

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Documented architectural theory in the first book in architecture.