Form & Space

THE UNITY OF OPPOSITES:

In order for us to see a visual field or composition, our eyes divide what we are looking at into two groups: positive elements and negative elements. We perceive positive elements as figures (form) and negative elements as the background for the figures (space).

The way we see a composition or visual field depends on how we interpret they way the positive and negative elements interact with each other.

When put together, figures and their backgrounds create a unity of opposites.

In the diagrammatic example below, the pink box represents the positive element and the black background represents the negative element. Because they are opposites, together they make unity of opposites.

See below an example of this with form and space in architecture. The structure highlighted in red is the positive element and the background is the negative element.

Photo: Dynia, Stephen. John Dodge Residence. (2012).

Overlay: Mine

DEFINING SPACE WITH HORIZONTAL ELEMENTS

Just as a two dimensional figure on a piece of paper defines what the space around it is shaped like, a three dimensional figure does the same thing in the space that its in.

When we define space with horizontal elements, we are looking at the effect that horizontal elements has on the space around it.

There are 4 types of horizontal elements that are commonly seen: base plane, elevated base plane, depressed base plane, and an overhead plane.

See below a diagrammatic example of an elevated base plane.

Below is a picture of a depressed base plane as a pool.

Photo: Wettling Architects. Hamptons Cottage. (2013).

Overlay: Mine

DEFINING SPACE WITH VERTICAL LINEAR ELEMENTS:

Vertical linear elements have a greater presence than horizontal elements do. They are important in separating one space from another and establishing a common boundary between interior and exterior spaces.

They serve to structurally support floor and roof planes and are essential for controlling the flow of air, heat, and sound through interior spaces.

A vertical linear element defines the perpendicular edges of a volume of space. The different types of vertical linear elements include single vertical planes, L-shaped planes, parallel planes, U-shaped planes, and closure planes.

See below a diagrammatic example of an L-shaped vertical plane.

A vertical element can also assert itself when centered in a space. It becomes the center of the visual field and defines spaces between itself and surround planes. See below an example of this.

The Eiffel Tower does this because of how it is positioned in the city. It serves to separate areas of the space its in.

Photo: Eiffel, Gustatave. Eiffel Tower. (1889).

Overlay: Mine

QUALITIES OF ARCHITECTURAL SPACE:

The qualities of architectural space go beyond the basic patterns of linear and planar elements that make up discrete volumes of space. The qualities of an architectural space include form, proportion, scale, texture, light, and sound. These qualities all depend on the enclosure of the space.

The qualities of a room are influenced by the size, shape, and location of openings or voids in an enclosing form of a space. These qualities include degree of enclosure, view or outlook, and light.

The degree of enclosure is the form of the space, the view or outlook is the focus of the space, and light is the illumination of its surfaces and forms.

See below a diagrammatic example of an enclosure with openings or voids and notice how they affect the form of the enclosure.

See below how the half wall and cased opening change the degree of enclosure in this living room.

OPENINGS IN SPACE-DEFINING ELEMENTS:

Without openings in an enclosing space, there would be no spatial or visual continuity with adjacent spaces. Such openings include windows, which allow light and airflow in a space and doors, which offer entry into rooms affecting the movement through the rooms.

Even though openings provide all these things for a space, depending on their size and quantity, they can weaken the enclosure of a space.

Openings occur within planes, at corners, or between planes.

See below a diagrammatic example of an opening within a plane.

See below a corner opening and notice how it changes the form of the enclosure.