Architecture and the

Primary Elements of Form

Prepared by: ARCH. Norma Alarcon
and Arch. Willa R. Solomon
 Etymology
Architecture
Latin: architectura,
from the Greek
ἀρχιτέκτων
 arkhitekton, from ἀρχι- "chief" and
 τέκτων "builder, carpenter, mason"

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/parthenon-quarry.h
ARCHITECTURE

the art or science of building,

- “Merriam Webster”
 art or practice of designing and building
structures especially habitable structures in
accordance with the principles determined by
aesthetic and practical or material
considerations

- “Merriam Webster”

http://www.homedug.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Awesome-Tropical-Home-in-Singapore-l-
Swimming-Pool.jpg
Formation or construction whether the result
of conscious act of growth or of random
disposition of the parts
- “Merriam Webster”
 The exercise or an instance of the exercise of art and science of
architecture
 “Merriam Webster”

http://www.stourbridge.ac.uk/courses/in/built-environment/media/images/architect-with-student.jpg
 A method or style of building characterized by certain
peculiarities of structure or ornamentation
 “Merriam Webster”
 The art and science of designing and building structures, or large
groups of structure, in keeping with aesthetic and functional criteria
 “Cyril M. Harris”

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=419478&page=2
 Structures built in accordance with such
principles
 “Cyril M. Harris”

http://hdwallpaper-s.com/18__Spain_Architecture_Exhibition_hd_wallpaper.html
 utilitas, firmitas, and venustas—generally
translated as “utility, firmness, and delight”.
- "Vitruvius"
The 3 requirements of architecture:
11

 Utilitas - utility, use, function

 Firmitas - firmness, strength
 Venustas – delight, beauty, aesthetics
- Vitruvius

The erection of structures devoid of beauty is mere building – a

trade & not an art. Edifices in which strength & stability alone
are sought & in the designing of which, only utilitarian
considerations have been followed, are works of engineering.
 12

ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING

Logical function Utility

Strength Strength

Beautiful composition Economy

PRIMARY
ELEMENTS
Arch. Ma. Antonia Jennifer E. Nardo, M.Arch.
PRIMARY ELEMENTS
This lecture will present the primary
elements of form in the order of their
growth: from the POINT to a one-
dimensional LINE, from the LINE to a two-
dimensional PLANE, and from the PLANE
to a three-dimensional VOLUME
Each element is first considered as a
conceptual element, then as a visual
element in the vocabulary of architectural
design
PRIMARY ELEMENTS
POINT
POINT
Marks a position in space
Conceptually, it has no length, width or depth
It is static, centralized and directionless
As the prime element in the vocabulary of
form, it serves to mark:

THE TWO ENDS OF A LINE

THE MEETING OF LINES AT THE
THE CENTER OF A FIELD
CORNER OF A PLANE OR VOLUME

THE INTERSECTION OF TWO LINES

To mark a position in space or on the
ground plane, a point must be projected
vertically into a linear form

BECOMES A
LINE WITH
LENGTH,
POINT IS
DIRECTION
EXTENDED
AND
POSITION

POINT Obelisk of Thutmose I, Karnak

Other point-generated forms that
share these same visual
attributes are the:
CIRCLE

Plan of the Tholos at Epidaurus

CYLINDER

Baptistery at Pisa, Italy

SPHERE

Cenotaph for Sir Isaac Newton

PRIMARY ELEMENTS
LINE
LINE
A point extended
A line is a critical element in the formation of
any visual construction
It can serve to:

JOIN OR LINK OTHER

VISUAL ELEMENTS
SUPPORT VISUAL
ELEMENTS

SURROUND OR
INTERSECT OTHER
VISUAL ELEMENTS
 DESCRIBE THE EDGES OF
AND GIVE SHAPE TO PLANES

SQUARE

TRIANGLE
ARTICULATE THE SURFACES OF PLANES
 Characteristics of the line:
27

Straight Line is sturdy. It is masculine & belongs to

architecture with a determined mission to fulfill. However,
it has its moods.

• Vertical line – expresses the spirit

of the Gothic; it is proud & exalted;
it is inspiration.
• Horizontal line – represents 28
the horizon of the seascape; it
is calm and peaceful, it is
repose.
• Diagonal line – symbolizes the flight of geese; it is
vigorous or even angry, it is action. 29
 Characteristics of the line:
30

Curved Line is more subtle than the straight. It is more

graceful & sensitive. It is feminine & represents that
architecture which caters to the emotional rather than
the physical.
LINE
The orientation of a line affects its role in a
visual construction
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 may be seen as a vertical line
falling or a horizontal line rising
Vertical elements have been
used throughout history to
commemorate significant
events and establish
particular points in space

Column of Marcus Aurelius

 Hagia Sophia, Constantinople

Vertical linear elements can also define a transparent

volume of space, as in the example above, the four
minarets outline a spatial field which the dome of
Hagia Sophia rises in splendor
• Linear members that possess the
necessary material strength can perform
structural functions
• Linear elements express movement across
space

Salginatobel Bridge, Switzerland

• Linear members provide support for an
overhead plane

Caryatid Porch,
The Erechtheion, Athens
• Linear members form a three-dimensional
structural frame for architectural space

Katsura Palace, Kyoto, Japan

• A line can be an imagined element rather than
a visible one in architecture
• An example is the AXIS, a regulating line
established by two distant points in space and
about which elements are symmetrically
arranged

National Mall, Washington D.C.

• Two parallel lines have the ability to visually
describe a plane
• The closer these lines are to each other, the
stronger will be the sense of plane they convey

Colonnade
PRIMARY ELEMENTS
PLANE
PLANE
A line extended in a direction other than its
intrinsic direction
Conceptually has length and width but no
depth
• Planes in architecture define three-
dimensional volumes of mass and space
• The properties of each plane – size, shape,
color and texture – as well as their spatial
relationship to one another 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
• Wall plane
• Base plane
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 that forms the
upper enclosing surface of the 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 either be 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.
• The ground plane ultimately supports all
architectural construction
• It can be manipulated to establish a podium
for a building form
• It can be elevated to honor a sacred or
significant place; bermed to define outdoor
spaces or buffer against undesirable
conditions; carved or terraced to provide a
suitable platform on which to build; or
stepped to allow changes in elevation to be
easily traversed
 Acropolis, Athens
Elevated to honor a sacred,
significant place

Mortuary Temple of Queen

Hatshepsut
Terraces approached by
ramps rise toward the cliffs
where the sanctuary is cut
deep into the rock
• The wall planes isolate a portion of space to
create a controlled interior environment
• Their construction provides both privacy and
protection from the climatic elements for the
interior spaces of a building, while openings
within or between their boundaries
reestablish a connection with the exterior
environment
• The ceiling plane is usually out of reach and is
almost always a purely visual event in a space
• It can be raised or lowered to alter the scale of
a space or to define spatial zones within a
room
• Its form can be manipulated to control the
quality of light or sound within a space
• The roof plane is the essential sheltering
element that protects the interior of a building
from climatic elements
• The form and geometry of its structure is
established by the manner it spans across
space to bear on its supports and slopes to
shed rain and melting snow
• As a design element, the roof plane is
significant because of the impact it can have
on the form and silhouette of a building within
its setting
Schroder House, Gerrit Rietveld
The overall form of the building can
be endowed with a distinctly planar
quality by introducing openings
which expose the edges of vertical
and horizontal places

Falling Water,
Frank Lloyd Wright
Slabs express the
horizontality of the roof
planes as they cantilever
outward from a central
vertical core
PRIMARY ELEMENTS
VOLUME
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

Planes or surfaces which

define the limits or
boundaries of a volume

Lines or edges where two

planes meet
• Form is the primary identifying characteristic
of a volume
• It is 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
• 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 a
building
• Plan and Section – space defined by wall, floor
and ceiling
• Elevation – space displaced by the mass of a
building
FLOOR PLAN
space defined by wall,
floor and ceiling
 ELEVATION
space displaced by the mass of a building
Building forms that stand as objects in the
landscape can be read as occupying volumes in
space

San Miguel Building, Ortigas

Building forms that serve as containers can be
read as masses that define volumes of space

Piazza Maggiore, Bologna

DESIGN EXERCISE 2:
 Using exactly 100 cotton buds, create a
building form using the principles of the
primary elements of form
the cotton tips signify the points,
the handle signify the lines,
the connected buds signify the planes; and,
the creation signifying the volume
 Explain your design concept
References:
 Architecture Form, Space And Order by Francis D.K. Ching,
John, Witley & Sons, 2007
 Arch. Ma. Antonia Jennifer E. Nardo, M.Arch. Powerpoint