Principles of Architecture

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PORTFOLIO AISHWARYA NAIR

INTRODUCTION

“Art is meant to disturb, science reassures.�- George Braque Composition plays an important role in any design, be it a mere spoon or a large metropolis. An artist or designer expresses emotions and motives through their unique creativity and imagination. The outcomes may or may not make sense to the audience user. This may also raise a variety of questions regarding the use of lines, colors or various other elements which are essential components of the composition of any design.

Design principles, established over centuries provide guidelines which help establish pleasing designs. Sometimes designers break away from norms and create ripples which become waves to establish new directions in design.

Architecture is a form of art where various design elements come together to compose three-dimensional form following various design principles. It's an act to compose a building design with the surrounding environment in a visual canvas.

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BALANCE

Every design element carries a visual weight; some elements could be heavy and some could be light as perceived by the human eye. When integrated, the elements may create a balance, i.e the equal distribution of weight in its visual canvas or disrupt it totally.

Symmetry in this visual frame is responsible for the balancing act. It defines the distribution of design elements in a composition.

A snap from the Louvre Museum (pictured left) shows the balance between the play of light and colors with equal amounts of black, white and grey; while the other shows the balance created by the distribution of colors and built elements and seen in the picture frame.

Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabii UAE (2018)

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Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester UK (2019)

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EMPHASIS

Various designs have an element which stands out and highlights the important feature or element of a composition. This may or may not be monotonous in nature. It draws the attention of many viewers and thus becomes the focus or emphasis of the design as seen in the visual canvas.

This principle uses visual manipulation in order to make a certain design or its element attractive.

The point of emphasis in both the pictures creates illusions to the onlookers; the one from the mosque (pictured left) focuses on a man reading his afternoon prayers as the play of light and symmetry surrounds him gracefully, while the installation of a cow in the second image (pictured right) is the main point of attraction; it creates excitement and confusion and also breaks the monotony of the heritage building.

Jama Masjid, Ahmedabad ,Gujarat India (2018)

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Edinburgh, Scotland (2019)

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REPITITION

The word “repetition� simply defines the reusing of an element throughout a design. Although this principle brings monotony, repetition also gives one a sense of order, consistency and cohesiveness.

Repetition also works in creating a design pattern which may be either regular or irregular. However, when different repetitive patterns are composed together in one canvas, it creates a sense of visual unity in the design.

The similarity between both the images is the perspective created due to the repetition of built elements (buttresses and columns respectively), which creates a focal point of interests.

Milan Cathedral, Milan Italy (2016)

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Adalaj Stepwell, Adalaj, Gujarat India, (2018)

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RHYTHM

It is the use of repetitive pattern of an element or a group of elements in a design which results in an organize movement in space and time. Like in music, a set of notes creates a rhythm, which makes the music flow. Similarly in architecture and design, several elements when grouped and repeated in a pattern, create a sense of fluidity and unity in a design composition; the design thus looks pleasing.

The rhythmic flow is seen in both the picture frames due to the repetition of tinted glass and angular windows on the edge of the building at regular intervals. This maintains the aesthetic flow of the building with its surrounding environment.

Crubicle Stack, Sheffield, UK (2019)

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O'Shea South Student Residence, Edinburgh Scotland, (2019)

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CONTRAST

Similar to emphasis, contrast is used as a tool for highlighting a certain element in a design.

The elements such as color, lines, masses, scale, proportion, etc are manipulated in such a manner that it stands out as an aesthetic element of the design in the visual canvas.

It also creates visual interest, excitement and drama towards the built design and its surrounding environment.

The spiraled bridge (pictured left) happens to be the contrasting structure which connects one old building to another, thus signifying the connection between the old and the new era, while in terms of color, the segregation of black and white is seen in the image on the right. This also signifies the effective use of solids and voids in architectural design.

Bridge of Aspiration ,Covent Garden London, UK, (2019)

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Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi UAE (2018)

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UNITY

This principle deals with the visual composition of a design which emerges out of interdependent relationship between the various design elements present in the visual canvas. The use of repetitive elements, color, texture, form and proportion of the material and shape brings an aesthetic feature to the visual canvas, depending upon how they are arranged.

The unity of the design elements is what makes good art or design attractive and also showcases the unique creativity and the imagination of the designer.

The composition of built elements with installations, flora, and fauna, colors, textures and light are seen in the three picture frames.

Top Right: Mill Hill Chapel, Leeds, Uk (2019) Bottom Right: Buckingham Palace, London UK (2019)

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Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome Italy (2016)

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