XIV / ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

1
Primary Elements
"All pictorial form begins withthe point that sets itself in mot ion .. .

Thepoint moves ... andthe linecomes int obeing-thefirst dimension.

Ifthe line shiftsto form aplane, weobta in atwo-dimensional element.

Int he movement from plane to spaces. t he clash ofplanes gives rise to

body(t hree-dimensional)... Asummary of t he kinetic energies

which move the point into aline,the line into aplane.

andtheplane into aspat ialdimension."

Paul Klee
TheThinkingEye: TheNotebooksofPaulKlee
(English translation)
1961
PRIMARY ELEMENTS

Thisopening chapter presentst heprimary element sofform in t heorder of

their growth from the point to aone-dimensional line, from the line to atwo­
dimensional plane. and from theplane to athree-d imensional volum e. Each
element isfirst considered as aconceptual element,t henas avisual element
in the vocabulary ofarchitectural design.

As conceptual element s,thepoint, line, plane,and volumearenot visible

except to t he mind's eye. Whilethey do not act ually exist, we nevertheless feel
their presence.Wecansense apoint at the meeting oftwo lines, aline marking
the contour of aplane, aplane enclosinga volume, and t he volume of anobject
thatoccupiesspace.

When made visible to the eye on paper or in three-dimensionalspace,these

elements become form with characteristicsofsubstance,shape, size,color,
and texture.Aswe experiencethese form sin our environment, we should be
ableto perceive intheir structuretheexistenceoftheprimary elements of
point, line, plane, and volume.

2/ ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

 PRIMARY ELEMENTS

As the primegenerator ofform, the

Point indicat esaposit ioninspace. • Point

Line

",:2 :] ) Plane
\_~ l '

, 1 ,;

can have direction

Volume

, 1
;....,.. . J
.:

';
';
.x.

PRIMARY ELEMENTS / 3
POINT

Apoint marks aposition in space.Conceptually, it has no

• length, width,ordepth. andistherefore static,centralized,
and directionless.

As the prime element inthe vocabulary ofform. apointcan

serveto ma rk:

t hetwoendsofaline
t he intersection oftwolines
t he meet ing oflines att he corner of aplane or volume
thecenter of afield

/ Alt hough apoint theoretica lly has neit her shape nor form,
/
/ it begins tomakeits presence felt whenplacedwithin avisual
field.At the cent erofitsenvironment, apoint isstableand
• at rest.organizing surrounding elements about itself and
dom inat ing its field.

/ stable, static

When the point is moved off-center. however, it sfield becomes

•
moreaggressive and begins to compete forvisualsupremacy.
Visual tension iscreatedbetweent hepoint anditsfield.
/
/ \
/ \
/
/
visual tension
I \

4/ ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

 POINT ELEMENTS

•
T

Apoint has no dimension.To visibly mark a position in space oron the

groundplane. apoint must be projectedverticallyinto alinearform, as a
column,obelisk, ortower. Any such col umnar element isseenin plan as a
point and therefore retains the visual characteristics ofapoint.Other
point-generated forms t hat share t hese same visualattributes are t he: Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome. c. 1544, Michelangelo Buonarroti.
Theequestrianstat ueof MarcusAurelius marks thecenter of t hisurban space.

• circle
o
@\:.0
.......

<
.
..·:
.... ' ..
"- "

Tholes of Polycleitos. Epidauros.

Greece, c.350B.C. • 8
'/!/'~ ~.';;:­

• cylinder Baptisteryat Pisa, Italy.

1153-1265, Diot i Salvi

A
\:t~
• sphere Cenotaph for Sir Isaac Newton.
Project, 1784. Et ienn e-LouisBoulee

Mont S.Michel, France, 13t hcent uryand later.

The pyramidal composition culminat esin aspire t hat serves to establish

t his fortified monast eryas aspecificplace int helandscape.

PRIMARY ELEMENTS / 5
TWO POINTS

Two points describe alinethat connects them. Although the points givet his .(----------- ---).
linefinitelengt h. the line can also be con sidered a segment of an infinitely
longerpath.
.----------.

...,..
I

-t _ ._~ '1'­
I
\
1:11 \

(/ I

I
( l '. I

t J I
I

J
I

Two pointsfurthersuggest an axis perpendicular tothe linethey describe I

and about which they aresymmetrical.Becausethis axis may be infinitein I

length. it can beat times moredominant than the described line. ,

I

In both cases. however.the described line and the perpendicularaxisare I

optica lly more dominant than t he infinite numberoflinesthatmay pass r

through eachofthe individual points. I

J
I

..v

6/ ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE , & ORDER

 TWO POINTS

Twopoints established inspace by columnarelementsorcent ra lized

forms candefine an axis,an ordering device used t hroughout history .
·i~ ~I~i l il
iiI!lli
toorganize buildingformsandspaces. -----L,~~;t%r:',

Torii, Ise Shrine. Mie Prefect ure,Japan.A.D.690

In pla n. two pointscande note agateway

signifying pa ssage from one place to
another. Extendedvertically,thetwo
pointsdefine bothaplaneof entry andan
approachperpendicularto it.

. .... _---_.

The Mall, Washington, D.C.,lies along theaxisestablished bythe LincolnMemorial,t he Washington Monument.and t he United States Capitol bUild ing.

PRIMARY ELEMENTS / 7
LINE

•••• • • • • • , •• , • " • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • • , •• , . , •• , • ., 0 . ' •• w w " , •• 00' • • -) _

" '.
Apoint extendedbecomesaline.Conceptually, a
linehaslength,but no width ordepth. Whereas a
point is by nature static,aline, in describing the path
ofapoint in motion, iscapable ofvisually expressing
direction. movement, and growth.

"

....
.,
Ow

Alineisacrit icalelement in the

formation ofanyvisual construction.
o

·v
.
o o It ca nserve to:

o 0 • join, link,support,surround. or
L intersect other visual elements

• describe the edges ofand give shapeto planes

• articulatethesurfaces of planes

8 / ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

 1.1 NE

Although alinetheoret icallyhas only one dimension.

it must have some degree ofthickness to become
visible. It isseenas a linesimplybecause its
length dominates its width. Thecha racter ofaline,
whethertautor limp. bold ortentative,graceful ........... .. ' .

orragged,isdetermined by our perception ofits

lengt h- widt hratio, its contour, and itsdegree of • 1I!:!lIIumIUIIIIIUlilnUIIlI IIUUlIlIlIlIJlllUl!Jl IUIUIIIIIIJnlm llllllllllllllll
continuity.

Even thesimple repetition oflike orsimilar abc9dtf5ghpj/JdmnoP1rstlJIJw:£!1z(&fPS,/234S'b7 89 Q

element s,if continuous enough,ca nbe regarded
asaline.Thistype ofline hassignificant textura l
qualities.
tt':t,*,~i:',*,T~¢*~~~ i:' 1: ***************

.."
Theorientation ofaline affects its role inavisua l
construction. While avertical linecanexpress .... 'l.' ~fj.
a state ofequillbrlum with t he force ofgravity,
-­ "" ~ ~
symbolize the human condition, or markaposition ('I
in space,ahorizont al line can represent stability, ( \ .. .. _ -
the ground plane,t he horizon, orabody atrest.
A ~
11 ....

- _.

An obliqueline isadeviation from

the vertical orhorizontal.
It maybeseen as a
verticallinefal ling ora
horizontal linerising. In eit her
case. whether it isfalling towa rda
point ontheground planeor rising to a
place in the sky,it isdynamicand visually
active in itsunbalanced state.

PRIMARY ELEMENTS / 9
LINEAR ELEMENTS

Vertical linearelements. suchas columns. obelisks,and towers,have been

used throughout historytocommemorate sig nificant events and establish
particularpointsin space.

Bell Tower,Church at Vuoksenniska,

Finland, 1956,AlvarAalto
r

Menhir, Column of Marcus Aurelius, Obelisk of Luxor,

aprehist oric monument consist ingofan PiazzaColonna, Rome, A.D. 174. Placede laConcord e, Paris.The obelisk,which
upright megalith, usuallystanding alone Thiscylindrical shaft commemorates marked t he entra nce to the Amon temple at Luxor,
but sometimes aligned with others. the emperor's victory over Germanic was given by theviceroy ofEgypt, Mohamed Ali, to
tribesnorth ofthe Danube. Louis Phillipeandinstalled in1836.

t- _-- 4 . _ • . __• • . •• • •• . • • _ _ · . ·· · . · · · . · . ··._ · · . __ · ·_ •• ,

Vertical linear elements canalso defineatransparent volume of

space. Inthe exampleillustrated tothe left, four minaret towers
out line aspatial fie ld from whichthedomeoftheSelimMosque
rises insplendor.

Selim Mosque, Edlrne,Turkey,

A.D. 1569- 75

10/ ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

 LINEAR ELEMENTS

-'7--- - - -- - -- -- - - - - - - )
Linear members that possess thenecessarymaterial
strengt hcanperform st ruct ural functions. In t hesethree
examples, linearelement s:

express movement across space

providesupport foranoverhead plane

form at hree-dimensional structural frame

forarchitectural space

t iii

~~~~~~ ~tJl: "·-II-­ - - -H­ . ,,-i ' :"'" -i-~-.iI " tI

.; :; 1­ . 1[

Katsura Imperial Villa, Kyoto,Japan, 17th century /~;~ ~~~'~~~~

Linearcolumnsandbeamstogether formathree-dimensionalframework for architectural space. ~~~~:::::~_ ~ : _:_,,' __:.::~ :~=::~::::::"': :':-::::====':" "-':::':"::=

PRIMARY ElEMENTS / 11
LINEAR ELEMENTS

Alinecan be animagined elementrather t hanavisible one in

architecture. An exampleistheaxis, aregulat inglineest ablished
by t wo distantpoint sinspace and about which elements are
symmetricallyarra nged.

Villa Aldobrandlnl,Italy,1598-1603, Giacomo Del la Porta

L _ ===:JD!

House 10, 1966,JohnHejduk

Although architectural space existsin three dimensions, it can belinearin

form to accommodatet he pathofmovement through abUilding andlinkit s
spaces to one another.

Cornell University Undergraduate Housing,Ithaca,NewYork,

1974, Richard Meier

12/ ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

 LINEAR ELEMENTS

Town Hall. Saynatsalo, Finland,1950-52,AlvarAalto

At asmaller scale,linesarticulate t heedges and surfaces of planes and

volumes. Theselinescanbeexpressed by joints within orbetween building
materials, by frames around window or door openings, orby astructural grid
ofcolumnsand beams. How these linear element saffect thetextureofa
surface willdependon t heir visual weight,spacing,and direction.

Crown Hall,School ofArchitectureandUrbanDesign,Illinois Institute of Seagram Building.New YorkCity.1956- 58,Miesvan de Rohe

Technology. Chicago. 1956. Miesvan der Rohe and Philip Johnson

PRIMARY ELEMENTS / 13

FROM LINE TO PLANE

The closer the lines, the stronger the

sense of plane.

Two parallel lines havethe ability t oVisually describeaplane. Atransparent

spatial membrane canbestretched between t hemt oacknowledgetheir visual
relationship. The closertheselines areto each other, thestronger willbethe
senseof pla ne they convey,
O · 0 ·· o · ._ ~--

Aseries of parallel lines,through their repetitiveness, reinforcesour

perception ofthe plane they describe, Asthese lines extendt hemselves along
the planethey describe. theimpliedplanebecomes real andtheoriginal voids
between the lines revert to being mere interrupt ions ofthe planarsurface.

The diagramsillustrate thetransformation of arow ofround columns. initially

supportingaportion ofawall, then evolVinginto squarepiers which arean
integral part ofthewall plane. and finally becoming pilasters-remnantsof
theoriginal columns occurring asareliefalongt he surface oft he wall.

The column isacertain strengthened part ofawall, carried up perpendicular

fromthe foundation to thetop . . , Arowofcolumnsisindeednothing but a
I .i I -J .+ 1 __ '1 wall.openand discontinued in several places," Leon Battista Alberti

14/ ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

 I.INEAR ELEMENTS DEFINING PLANES

L{:JJ
cr C3' c:::I t;t' 0
-0
D
""
OO
0 G
O
0
, 00
0 ' t:7 r;;::J C:7 t 1
IIOO
0 (I l)

OO.
0 Q

D"
D"~:
~ = = '1l~.' ~if'==]
= = Glf(:'
D' , .-.Ill::> = = ." . 0
: ~ ·· 0
D" D~"'--
I:r• • 0
0 • • u
1'1
D" == ~. ==" 0
D" :: ~ -~- , W:: " 0
a ..................
D' •••• ,-

Altes Museum, Berlin, 1823-30, Karl Friedrich von Schinkel

A rowof columnssupporting an entablat ure-s-acolonnade- is

often used todefinethepulJlic faceor facadeof alJuilding, especially JI!IJC'lJ JCJO= X D q b
j
'l
one thatfrontsonamajor civicspace.A colonnaded facade can 43 •••••• iIIG •••••••••••• e

bepenetrated easilyfor entry,offersadegreeof shelterfrom 0 0 ( 0) 0 $"8 0 0 0 0 0 0 •

-
• 00.00 ....
~~
00 ° "' ° . 0 ° . ° "" %
.. ~=--
0 0 • • 0 ••
-
theelements,and form s asemi-transpa rent screen that unifies
individual lJuildingforms lJehind it.

The Ba5ilica, Vicenza, Italy.

AndreaPallad io designedt histwo-storyloggia in1545 to wrap
aroundan existing medieval structure.Thisaddition not only
l' - \
lJuttressed theexist ingstructurebut alsoacted asascreenthat I

disguised theirregularity of theoriginal core andpresented a

StoaofAttalus front ingt he Agorain Athens
uniform but elegant face tothe Piazzadel Signori.

PRIMARY ELEMENTS / 15
LINEAR ELEMENTS DEFINING PLANES

inner space inner space

CloisterofMoissac Abbey,France,c.1100

In addition to t he st ruct ural role columnsplay insupporting an These two examplesillustrate how columns can
overheadfloor or roof plane. they can articulatethe penet rable definethe edgesof an exterior spacedefined
boundariesofspatial zoneswhichmesheasilywith adjacent within the mass ofabuilding aswellas articulate
spaces. theedges ofabuilding mass in space.

Temple ofAthena Pollas,

Priene. c.334B.C., Pythius

St. Philibert, Iournus, France, 950-1120.

This view oft he naveshows how rowsofcolumns
can providearhythmicmeasure of space.

16/ ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

 I.INEAR ELEMENTS DEFINING PLANES

Cary House, Mill Valley,Ca lifornia. 1963.Joseph Esherick Trellised Courtyard. Georgia O'Keefe Residence.
Abiquiu. northwest of SanteFe. New Mexico

The linearmembersoftr ellisesand pergolas canprovide amoderatedegree of

definitionandenclosure foroutdoor spaces whileallowing filteredsun light and
breezesto penetrate.

Vertical andhorizontal linear elementstogether ca ndefineavolumeof space

such as the solariumillustrated to the right. Note that the formof t hevolume
isdetermined solely by the configuration oft helinear element s.

Solarium ofCondominium Unit 1, Sea Ranch.Californ ia.1966. MLTW

PRIMARY ElEMENTS / 17
PLANE

_-------1I Aline extended in adirection other than

--------- --- -~
rI - --
_--
I its intrinsic direction becomes aplane.
_....~
--- ---- -----
I
I
I
Conceptually, aplane has length and width, but
- -- ~ 1 I
.: »>: _ . -
I I no depth.
------------- --~ I I

.-­ I
I
I
I
I

- - - - - -- - -
.-­ ----- ~
. - - - oj
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I :
---- --- - - - -)
I
I --­ .J

--- --­
I _- ­

r-- L------­

DD
00

Shape isthe primary identifying characteristic

D LJ
h.
,

perspective's effect
ofaplane. It isdetermined by the contour of
the line forming the edges ofaplane. Because
our perception ofshape can be distorted by
perspectiveforeshortening, we see the true
shape ofaplane only when we view it frontally.

The supplementaryproperties ofapla ne-its

surface color, pattern,and texture-affect it s
I
\~,l
visual weight and stability.

properties of plane

In the composition ofavisual construct ion, a

planeserves to define the limits orboundaries
ofavolume. Ifarchitecture as avisual art
deals specifically with the formation ofthree­
dimensional vo lumes ofmass and space. then
the plane should beregarded as akey element in
thevocabulary ofarchitect uraldesign.

define boundaries

18/ ARCHITECTURE : FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

 PLANE

Planesin architecturedefine three-dimensional

volumes of massand space.Thepropertiesof each
plane-size,shape,color,texture-aswellas mass
t heir spatial relationshipt oone anotherultimately
determine thevisual attribut es of t heform t hey
defineand t he qualitiesof thespace theyenclose.

space

Inarchit ectura ldesign,we manipulate threegeneric

types ofpianes:

Overhead Plane
Theoverhead plane can be either theroof plane that
spansandshelterstheinterior spaces of abuilding
fromthe climatic element s, ortheceiling planethat
formsthe upperenclosin gsurface of aroom .

Wall Plane
Thewall plane, becauseofitsvertical orientat ion ,
isact ivein our normal field ofvision and vital to the
shapingand enclosure of architectural space.

Base Plane
Thebase planecanbeeit her theground planethat
servesas the physical foundation andvisual base for
building forms,orthefloorplanethat formsthe lower
enclosing surfaceofaroom upon wh ich we walk.

PRIMARY ElEMENTS / 19
PLANAR ELEMENTS

The ground plane ultimatelysupports allarchitectural

construction.Along with climateand other environmental
condit ionsof asite. t hetopographical character oft he ground
elevated ground plane
planeinfluences theform ofthebuilding that risesfrom it. The
building canmergewiththe ground plane. rest firmlyonit.or
be elevatedabove it.

Theground planeit self can bemanipulated aswellto establish

apodium forabuilding form.It canbe elevatedto honor a
sacred or significant place; bermedto defineoutdoor spaces
orbufferagainst undesirable condit ions; carved orterraced
to provide asuitableplatform onwhich to build;orstepped to
allowchanges in elevationto be easiiy t raversed.

Mortuary Temple ofQueen Hatshepsut,

Derel-Ba hari,Thebes,1511-1480 B.C..Senmut.

Threeterraces approachedby ramps rise toward t he baseof

thecliffswheret hechiefsanctuaryiscutdeep into the rock.

Machu Picchu,anancient Incan cityestablished c.1500 in

t heAndes Mountainsonasaddlebetweentwo peaks.8000

ft. abovethe Urubamba Riverin south-cent ral Peru.

20/ ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

 PLANAR ELEMENTS

Sitting Area, Lawrence House, , I

Sea Ranch, California,1966, MLTWI ~~
Moore-Turnbull

effect of texture

Thefloor plane isthe horizontalelement thatsustainst he forceofgravity as

wemove aroundand place object sforour use on it.It may be adurablecovering
oftheground plane oramore artificial, elevated plane spanning the space
between itssupports.Ineither case,thetexture and density of t heflooring
material influences both the acoust ical quality ofaspace andhow wefeel aswe
walk across its surface.

Whilethepragmatic,supportivenatureofthefloor planelimitsthe extent

towhichit can bemanipulated,it isnonetheless an importantelement of
architect ural design.Itsshape, color, and pattern determine to what degree
it definesspat ial boundariesorserves as aunii)ting element for the different
parts ofaspace.

Like theground plane, theform ofafloor plane can be stepped orterraced to

break t he scaleofaspacedown to human dimensions and create platformsfor
sitting, viewing, or performing. It can beelevatedto define asacredorhonorific
place.It can berendered as aneutral ground againstwhich otherelementsina /
..,.- ..-..- /~ ... i
space are seenas figures. /

Emperor's Seat, Imperial Palace, Kyoto,Japan,17thcentury

Bacardi Office Building,

Santiago de Cuba,1958,
Mies van der Rohe

PRIMARY ELEMENTS / 21

PLANAR ELEMENTS

-- - --_._ - ~ . - - -'- - '-' .'

--- -------------.,,;
.---- -- - ~-

./
5. Maria Novella, Florence, 1456-70. ~. ~ -_ .. --~
Th~Ren'aissance Tacii(fe ljYAlliertlpres'ents-ap~b lic fa~;~~ asquare.

wall plans and openings exterior walls define a street

_ _ - --- . --~. - ----- .. 10--- - - _ .

Ext erior wall planes isolateaportion of space to create acont rolledinterior Uffizi Palace, 1560- 65, Giorgio Vasari.

environment. Their const ruct ionprovides both privacy andprotection from the This Florentine street defined by thetwowings oftheUffizi

climatic element sforthe interiorspaces ofabuilding, while openingswit hinor PalacelinksthePiazzadellaSignoria withtheRiver Arno.

bet ween t heir boundaries reestablishaconnection with theexterior environ­

ment.Asexterior wa lls mold interior space,they simultaneously shape exterior
space anddescribe the form ,ma ssing, andimage ofabU ildingin space.

Asadesign element,theplane ofan exterior wall canbearticulatedas the

frontorprimaryfacadeof abuilding. In urban situations, t hese facadesserve
aswallst hat define courtyards, st reets,andsuch public gatheringplaces as
squaresandmarketplaces.

exterior walls define a space

Piazza ofSan Marco, Venice.

Thecontinuous facadesof buildingsform
the"walls"of theurban space.

22 / ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER

 PLANAR ELEMENTS

- it
g
I: 1 I - . ", .
II ------ ~t

D
_..Jl...":!.­

1/
! / ,
; '~ Acompelling way to usethe vertical wall plane isas asupporting element int he
1/ 1
I :/ i bearing-wall st ruct ural system.Whenarranged in aparallel series tosupport
I (/ ' an overheadfloororroof plane, bearing walls definelinear slotsof space with
/ .
strong direct io nal qualities.Thesespaces ca nberelated t oone anot her onlyby
interrupt ing t he bearingwalls to createperpendicularzonesofspace.
Feyrlssac Residence, Cherchell. North Africa, 1942, LeCorbu sier

bearing walls

Country House in Brick. Project.1923. Mies va nder Rohe - - - -- ­ ....._'"'I""'.....,.~~

i

I I
L_ ~
-­
In theproject to theright, freestandingbrickbearing walls,
toget her wit hL-shapedandT-shaped configurations of
pla nes.create aninterlockingseries ofspaces.

PRIMARY ElEMENTS / 23
PLANAR ELEMENTS
Interiorwall planes govern the sizeand shape of the internal spaces orrooms
withinabUilding. Their visual properties,t heir relat ionshipto oneanot her, and
the sizeand distribution of openings within their boundaries det erminebot h
thequality ofthespaces they defineand thedegreeto whichadjoining spaces
relat et ooneanot her.
Subway pyramid mall- Malaysia
24/ ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER
Concert Hall, Project,1942,
Mies van der Rohe
Asadesign element,awall plane canmergewith thefloor orceilingplane. or be
articulatedas anelement isolated from adjacent planes. It can be treated as a
passive orrecedingbackdrop forot her elementsin the space, orit canassert
itself as aVisuallyactiveelement withinaroom by virtue ofitsform,color.
texture, or material.
While walls provide privacy forinteriorspaces and se rveas barriersthatlimit
ou r movement, doorways and windows reestablish continuitywith neighboring
spaces and allow t he passage of light, heat,and sound.As they increase in size,
these openings begin to erodet henatural sense of enclosure walls provide.
Views seenthrough theopenings become part ofthespatial experience.
Galleria mall in Abu Dhabi
Finnish Pavilion, New YorkWorld's Fair, 1939, AlvarAalto

Hangar, Design 1,1935. PierLUigi Nervi.
Thelamella structureexpressesthe wayforces are resolved and channeled
down to t he roof supports.
While we wa lk onafloor and havephysical contactwit hwalls.t he ceiling plane
isusuallyout of our reach and isalmost always apurelyvisual event in aspace.
It may be the undersideofanoverhead floororroof planeandexpress the
form of it sstructure as it spansthe space bet weenits supports,orit may be
suspended as theupperenclosingsurface of aroom or hall.
Church at Vuoksenniska, Finland,1956,Alvar Aalt o.
Theform of theceilingplanedefinesaprogressionofspaces and enhancestheir acoust ical quality.
PLANAR ELEMENTS
Brick House. New Canaan.Connecticut. 1949.Philip
Johnson.Thedetach ed va ult edceiling plane appearsto float
abovethe bed.
Asadetached lining,theceiling plane cansymbolize t he sky vaultorbe the
primary sheltering element that unifiest hedifferent partsofaspace. It can
serveas arepository forfrescoes andother meansofartistic expreSSionorbe
treated simply as apassiveor receding surface. It canberaised orlowered to
alter t he scale ofaspace or to definespatial zoneswithin aroom.Itsform ca n
bema nipulatedt ocontrolthe quality of light orsound within aspace.
PRIMARY ELEMENTS / 25
PLANAR ELEMENTS
Dolmen. aprehistoric monument consist ing oftwo or more largeupright
stonessupporting ahorizontal stoneslab.foundespecially in Britain and
Franceandusuallyregarded asaburialplaceforanimportant person.
Robie House,Chicago.1909.Frank LloydWright .
Thelow sloping roof planesand broad overhangs arecharacteristic
ofthePrairieSchool ofArchitecture.
Shodhan House, Ahmedabad. India, 1956, Le Corbusier.
Agrid ofcolumns elevates t he reinforced concreteroof slab above the
main volume ofthehouse.
26 I ARCHITECTURE: FORM, SPACE, & ORDER
The roofplaneistheessent ial shelteringelementthatprotects
theinterior ofabuilding from the climaticelements.The form
andgeometryofitsst ruct ure isestablishedbythemanner in
which it spansacrossspaceto bear onits supportsandslopesto
shed rai nand melting snow. Asadesign element.theroof plane
issignificant becauseoftheimpact it canhaveon theform and
silhouette ofabuildingwithin its setting.
Theroof planecan behidden from view by the exterior wallsofa
building ormergewith thewalls to emphasize the volume ofthe
building mass. It ca nbeexpressedasasingle sheltering form that
encompasses avariety ofspaces beneath it scanopy,or comprise
anumber ofhat sthatarticulate aseriesofspaceswithin asingle
bUilding.
Aroof planecanextend outward to formoverhangst hat shield
door and window openings fromsunorrain,or continuedownward
further stillto relate itselfmore closely to the ground plane.In
warm climates,it can be elevatedtoallowcooling breezestoflow
acrossand through theinterior spaces ofabu ilding.
 PLANAR ELEMENTS

Fallingwater (Kaufmann House),

near Ohiopyle, Pen nsylvania,1936-37, >
Frank LloydWright.
Rei nforcedconcreteslabs express .. . . . . .....

t he horizontalit yof the floor and roof

pl anesas they ca ntilever outwardfrom
acentral vertical core.

Theoverall form ofabuildingcanbeendowedwit hadistinctlyplanar

quality by ca refully int roducing openingsthat exposetheedges of
vertical and horizontal planes. These planesca nbefurther differentiated
andaccentuated bychanges in color,texture,ormaterial.

, 01'
~I
, ,

"
I
l.
':::'~ .

~"" '' ' -_. :::;::::::.::,.~==~ ~~===========]

..,,\ ,....wo.\v ......~ .. _

~J
Schroder House,Utrecht,1924-25,Gerrit ThomasRietveld.
Asymmetrical compositions ofsimplerectangular forms and primary
colorscharacterized the deStijlschool ofartand architecture.
:
r­ .

L-__________________ ___'
- - - - - - -

PRIMARY ElEMENTS / 27
VOLUME

Aplane extended inadirectionot her thanit sintrinsic

directionbecomesavolume. Conceptually.avolume has
threedimensions: lengt h. Width.anddepth.

All volumes canl7e analyzed and underst oodto consist

of:
points orve rtices where several planes come together
- -­ - - . lines oredges where two planes meet
- - - .- - ----. planes or surfacesthat definethe limits orl70undaries
ofa vo lume

Formist he primary identifying characteristic

ofavolume.It isestal7 lished l7ythe shapesand
interrelationships of t he planesthatdescribe the
l70undaries ofthevol ume.

shape is the primary identifying

characteristic of a plane

void - space solid space- mass

Ast hethree-dimensional element in t hevocal7ulary of

architect ural design.avolume canbe either asolid­
space displaced l7y mass-oravoid-spacecontained
orenclosedby planes.

28/ ARCHITECTURE : FORM , SPACE, & ORDER

 VOLUME

, ...
., ..- ..-
•...
~
. ...... ~

(~. ,

•
., ...... "',:

...., \ N
" ":;~ .•. .;.

J?

Plan and Section In architecture.avolu mecan be seento be either aportion ofspace contained
Space defined by wa ll.floor.and ceiling orroof planes and defined by wa ll.floor.and ceiling orroof pla nes. oraquantity of space
displaced bythe massofabUilding . It isimportant to perceivet hisdua lity.
especia llywhenreadingorthographic plans.elevations. and sections.

Elevation
Space displacedby t he
mass ofabUilding

I Notre Dame Du Haut, Ronchamp. France.1950- 55, LeCorbusier

J- - - - - - - - - -­ - - - ­- - - - - - ­- - - - - - - ­--'

PRIMARY ELEMENTS / 29
VOLUMETRIC ELEMENTS

Building formst hat standas objects in t helandscape

can be read as occupying volumes in space.

Doric Temple at Segesta , Sicily,c. 424- 416 B.C. Olivium mall in Turkey Villa Garches, Vaucresson, France. 1926- 27. LeCorbusier

30 I ARCHITECTURE: FORM , SPACE, & ORDER

 VOLUMETRIC ELEMENTS

Buildingformsthat serve as containerscanberead

as massest hat definevolumesofspace.

Piazza Maggiore, Sabbioneta, Italy.

Olivium mall in TurkeyAseries ofbUildings enclose anurban square.

Palazzo Thlene, Vicenza.ltaly.

1545, Andrea Palladia.

The interiorrooms surround acortile­

theprincipal courtyardof an Italian pa lazzo.

walls define a volume of space

Buddhist Chaitya Hall at Karli,

Maharashtra, India, A.D. 100-125.

The sanct uaryisavolumeof space carvedout

ofthemassof solid rock.

PRIMARY ELEMENTS / 31