Solid/Void: An Analysis of 20 Principles of Architecture - Autumn Clayton

solid void an analysis of 20 principles of architecture autumn clayton

analysis anal·​y·​sis |

: a detailed examination of anything complex in order to understand its nature or to determine its essential features : a thorough study

This book applies the definition of a solid to void relationship to each of the 20 architectural principles by examining the ways in which it can be put into the context of a solid/void relationship. The text and images used to explain each principle support each other and give a visual of how the principles can be applied in the topic of solid/ void.

table of contents grid digitization plane surface abstraction lines light datum mass space

shadow movement materials scale environment dialogue defamiliarization texture perspective analysis

grid

Grids are often composed using lines, and the intersecting lines create shapes.

The two parts of the grid, the lines and the shapes between them can both be interpreted as either a solid or a void depending on how the grid is formed.

For example, in the images to the left and below, the lines form the solid while the spaces between form the void. this is because the grids are the physical entity and open space is seen as a void. If lines were seen as empty space, and the shapes were the tangible pieces, then the relationship would be inverse.

digitization

When something is digitized, it is taken out of its original context while still keeping some aspects of the physical version. In doing this, choosing colors and experimenting with ways to represent things, the solid/void relationship that was found can be changed. For example, using different colors can make the solid/void relationship read differently if the colors chosen all relate to each other, but if the color could also uphold the preexisting solid/void relationship.

plane

Planes can be presented as two-dimensional, or they can be molded and manipulated to create interesting forms. In the pictures to the left and below, a singular plane has been molded into a form that has closer surfaces as well as empty spaces.

The solid/void relationship can be found in the way the plane is transformed from two-dimensional to a three-dimensional form. In the model displayed in the images, the plane is curved, so void spaces can be found both within the curves and outside of the curves. If a plane had been folded to create a rectangular movement, voids could be found in the rectangular prisms in between the plane.

surface

Surfaces can be manipulated and can also be applied to every object or architectural work in some way. The way that each surface interacts with factors around it creates the solid/ void relationship. In the image to the left, the curved surfaces are scored, and they interact with the light to create shadows and different shades.

These shadows create void regions.

The way that surfaces shift inwards or outwards can also create a solid/void relationship. For example, if a surface has parts that extend towards the viewer and parts that are recessed, the viewer’s perspective will identify the recessed parts as a void.

abstraction

When an object is abstracted, it allows the object to be taken out of its original context and circumstances and be seen in a new way. In this process, the solid/void relationship that existed or failed to do so can be taken and reinterpreted. In the abstraction process that is illustrated in the images to the left and below, the image to the left was abstracted from the image below. The solid/void relationship that existed in the original house is taken out of context and re-applied as the abstraction is drawn in two dimensions and then modeled.

lines

When lines are implemented on paper, a solid/void relationship can be pulled from the frequency of the lines. In the diagram below, the lines are not close together, so there is not a clear appearance of a void, but when lines are drawn close together, they become denser and weight is added to those sections. This can apply in larger architectural works as well, if line elements are frequent, a weight will be added to those elements and they can form solids or voids as they relate to other parts of the work.

light

Light can come from many different sources and can be shown in different forms. Diffused light and direct light can have different effects on the things they illuminate, but any light will create a distinction between what it touches and what it does not.

Shadows, for example, are a visual representation of what the light has access to and what it does not have access to. Considering diffused light as opposed to direct light, direct light will create a solid/void relationship with crisp shadows that become crisp voids.

With diffused light, the shadows are less crisp, so the solids and voids run together and fade into one another.

datum

A datum is an organizing element that is repeated throughout a structure. In the model to the left, the datum is a circle, and the model is organized around the circles, even though they are not visually perceived from every perspective. Because a datum organizes elements in a structure, it can also organize solids and voids within a structure.

For example, if a building is formed around recessed squares, the squares are a datum and it also organizes the void regions within the structure.

mass

Rather than featuring a solid to void relationship within the mass, masses create a solid to void relationship between the mass and the surrounding air, or void space.

The mass itself fulfills the solid part of the relationship while the space around it creates the void. This can explain why masses in architecture tend to draw attention. The mass itself stands out because it is perceived as a solid that exists in a field of void space.

space

Space can be thought of as the thing that exists in and around the intersections between multiple axes.

When physical items, such as those in the images below and to the left, occupy space the way that they are organized in the field creates a solid/ void relationship. For example, in the picture below, the objects are all offset from each other, so the objects themselves form the solids and the voids are formed by the spaces that fall in between the offset objects.

shadow

Shadows have an inverse relationship to solid objects regarding solid/void relationships. While objects become the solids and the space around them becomes the void, shadows exist in the excess space, and they are immediately identified as voids when they are close to the subject. For example, in the picture to the left, the shadows exist as voids and are so strong in their presence that they almost become the focus and if they are not shown in context could even be interpreted as solid.

movement

When an architectural work, a model, or a sketch implies motion, then the portions of the work that do not imply motion can be understood in context as a void. For example, in the clay model below, the extending, twisted arms suggest movement, but the central mass acts as a void. Instead of it being a visual void though, it is a void in the sense that something is absent, in this case, motion is absent.

materials

Materials come in different colors, textures, and shapes. Because of this, different relationships between different materials can create a solid/void relationship. For example, in the wood pieces in the image below, the darker grains create a void-like space. In the clay models to the left, the material is malleable, so the idea that applies to movement applies. There is not as much of a visual solid/void relationship, but there is a solid/void relationship based on sections that have been molded and suggest transformation and sections that do not.

scale

Similar to the way perspective relates to solid/void relationships, implementing scale in a composition changes the way certain aspects are seen. If a solid/void relationship occurs because of texture, or material, adding scaled elements can make that relationship more or less prominent depending on the differences in size between the separate elements.

environment

The environment that something is placed in can establish that object as either a solid or void. How solid/void relationships can relate to other principles also relate to an object and its environment. The solid/void relationship can be established based on texture, material, contrast, and perspective. If a simple, planar object is placed in an intricate, complex environment, then the object could be taken out of context and interpreted as the void in the entire composition. For example, in the image to the left, the object is somewhat simple and there is a void in complexity in the spaces that the object visually exists.

dialogue:

contrast

A solid/void relationship is essentially a form of contrast, so in architectural work, if contrast can be applied, then a solid/ void relationship can be found within the parts of the work that are contrasting.

For example, in the image below, as explained in the material and texture sections, there is a solid/ void created that is based around the contrasting elements that are found within the compositions as a whole, such as a background, the planar pieces, and the dowels. In the image to the left, the white model contrasts the black background and creates a solid/void relationship between the focus and its surroundings.

defamiliarization

When work is a defamiliarized version of something else, the extracted elements of the original can be implemented into a network of solid/void relationships. Opposingly, if the original work featured a solid/void relationship, a defamiliarized version can lessen the relation or choose to implement it differently. In the image to the left, the darker shapes create a void-like entity, but in the original model, those portions are the lightest shade and are interpreted as solids. The composition below is a collage of the parts of the sydney opera house.

The relationshuo between pieces has changed so the solid/void relationship is altered.

texture

The relationship between texture and solid/ void is similar to the one between material and solid/void. In the image to the left, the smooth yet porous texture of the materials has a solid/ void relationship between the smooth areas and the areas that are organic and recessed.

The same material is juxtaposed to another rough, spongy material below and a solid/ void relationship can be found in the way the textures relate to each other. For example, in the image, both materials have a texture that is somewhat organic, so the places where that organic quality is not found create a void.

perspective

When objects are viewed from different perspectives, the differences in the views are sometimes so drastic that the different views of the object could be interpreted as entirely new and separate works. Because of this, one object can have multiple solid/void relationships that change depending on the perspective.

The images to the left and below are the same composition but from different perspectives. The relationship within the composition changes drastically because of the different views.

analysis

Analyzing a work is about creating an argument that can be defended. An argument can be made for there being a solid/void relationship in almost any work even if that relationship is not the main focus that the work was based around. In the images to the left and below, a solid/void relationship was not the basis for design, but by thinking critically about the relationships between materials, textures, perspectives, and the other principles outlined in this book, an argument for a solid/void relationship can be made.