26 Principles of Architecture - Human Perception

CINDY HO

26 PRINCIPLES OF ARCHITECTURE:

HUMAN PERCEPTION

Table of C Organization/ Simplification Geometry Grids Datum Order Defamiliarization

Cog

Abs An Co Co T

Sight Light and Shadow Planes Color Perspective Solid and Void

Contents Touch Mass Space Material Structure Fabrication

gnition

straction nalysis oncept ontext Tropes

Movement/ Interaction Movement Transformation Environment Dialogue Circulation Program

COGN

NITION

Abstraction Abstraction attempts to simplify or reduce complex structures into concepts and components that are easier for the eyes and mind to perceive.

The original elevation of St. Peter’s Basilica was abstracted to its geometric components, as well as extending its horizontal and vertical lines. Its domes imply basic circular or spherical shapes while the stories and columns are represented by the repetition of rectangles and lines. These elements may be connected by triangles.

Abstracting, or “breaking it down�, allows us to understand more about its structure as a hierarchy of parts rather than an elaborate whole.

Top Middle Original Elevation of St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican (Rome, 1684)

Bottom Right Abstration of St. Peter’s Basilica Front Elevation

Analysis

Artisan House Morphogenesis, 2015 Photography by Edmund Sumner and Jatinder Marwaha

In order for us to understand a particular concept or the reasoning behind a decision, humans use the process of analysis. Analysis allows us to form our own “argument�/interpretation based on certain givens or how we abstract a complex design into its simpler components.

Based on the elevation of the Artisan House, it could be interpreted as a layering of various planes. The human eye could complete the shape of each plane so that it would appear as a rectangle that has been cut at an angle to create trapezoidal forms.

Concept

A concept is what bridges the abstract form of an idea, and it allows people to apply it so that it may have a solidified form. It may start as a general idea behind a design or as a solution to a problem, but is rather flexible. It may start as sketches for a model or to test the relationship of certain notions.

These sketches demonstrate concepts for how I planned to create my grid facades. The top left was attempting to show an “overhanging” while the top right used “overlapping”. The bottom right shows the concept behind how to put the faces together to form a cube.

Context

Sketch of Kokko Housing - Tadao Ando, 1983

The Kokko Housing shows an example of how the context (such as the slope of the ground) affects how it was designed.

Our human perception tends to groups things of similar likeness together, so the context is very important when considering a design. It should fit into the context of where it is situated.

There are many different types of context, including the physical, infrastructural, ephemeral, and environmental, that play a role in how a design or structure is perceived.

China Academy of Arts Museum - Kengo Kuma, 2015 Photography by Eiichi Kano

Kuma’s museum references the context of both its surroundings and its materiality. It was designed to follow the same context as other domestic buildings in the area and makes usage of local materials. It also considers the topography and orientation of light.

Tropes

Sketch of JFK Airport Terminal

Tropes are another abstract concept that allow people to perceive architectural designs and constructions in terms of rhetorical figures.

For instance, the use of metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, irony, hyperbole, and personification all communicate a new level of meaning or interpretation.

It allows us to compare an “unknown� with familiar attributes or to emphasize certain ideas.

The JFK Airport serves as a metaphor for a sense of weightlessness or motion. It looks like a bird or an insect, which could represent flight.

The 9/11 Memorial shows a sense of irony - as you get closer, it gets deeper in a pool instead of the high-rising skyscraper.

It could also be a symbol for the “small size� of the footprint versus the large amount of lives lost.

9/11 Memorial - Michael Arad & Peter Walker, 2011

ORGANIZ SIMPLIFI

ZATION/ ICATION

Geometry These disagrams show the basic geometries of the SIS Building elevation. The composition largely consists of rectangles, squares, and cylinders. These geometries can also inply other shapes such as the triangle of the pyramid at the top.

Diagram of components: SIS Building - Terry Farrell, 1994

Geometries are some of the most basics ways that humans categorize complex forms into simpler ones.

It if often easiest to derive the most common and basic shapes such as rectangles, circles, and triangles.

Based on the Gestalt Principle of Closure, we also prefer complete shapes, so we automatically fill in the gaps between elements to form a whole or complete image.

Grids

Top left Original/Given Elevation

Top Right

Abstracted Elevation

Grids provide the basic underlying lines for the viewer and designer. They help us to break down the pieces in order to order or organize what we see into easily comprehensible patterns.

They create a sense of proportionality that our perceptions are often drawn towards (due to our human proportionality and the “harmonic proportions� of nature). At the same time, it can emphasize elements that may be more organic versus the more linear and grid-like.

This grid was abstracted from a given elevation of a pre-exisitng precedent. Although some of the lines overlap or are incomplete, our eyes still perceive them as creating a modular grid.

Datum

Diagram of Section of Artisan House

In this case, the section of the Artisan house has very strong horizontal aspects because of the main horizontal datum of the ground level and the split between the floors.

The dowel model (bottom right) makes use of its horizontal and vertical datums to illustrate a strong cubic form.

Datums are important in how humans understand what they see because it serves as the initial point of reference that combines the surrounding elements into a differentiable whole. We tend to look at things in a hierarchical order, and the datum is the most identifiable object.

Order

Sketch of Nakagin Capsule Tower - Kisho Kurokawa, 1970

These two structures show the importance of order in how we would break down or simplify their complex designs. Both of them appear to have repetitive modules. Even within those modules, they could be grouped, such as how the left side of the sketch shows the modules being linear, while the right side is grouped in a more organic/overlapping pattern.

Habitat 67 - Moshe Safdie, 1967 Photography by Wladyslaw

Order is another principle that gives organization to many layers of complexity or “randomness�. People use order when they look for a sense of repetition, aggregation, or hierarchy.

This corresponds to a Gestalt Principle known as Common Region, where we group elements in same region to show contrast form other groups. We also rely on Proximity, which is when we group closertogether elements and separate farther ones.

Defamiliarization

This elevation of the SIS Building can be broken down into recognizable parts, but when they are rearranged, it can turn into an unfamiliar form or structure.

SIS Building - Te

Recomposition 1

Defamiliarization can be a process of organization that takes that we already know and can easily understand and turn it into something strange or unfamiliar.

This can often make a structure seem more complex or harder for the human eye to understand because we are reversing the process of attempting to break it down into components we can recognize.

erry Farrell, 1994

Recomposition 2

SIG

GHT

Light and Shadow The intensities of light play a large role in how much light and shadow that human eyes perceive. Often, our eyes are “deceived� to see different values of depth, flat planes, or sharp edges.

Diffuse light, as seen by the top right image, creates softer edges and blurrier shadows. In contrast, direct light creates much sharper shadows, both along the planes and the combination of planes and lines.

Top Right Diffuse Light on Continuous Plane

Bottom Left Direct Light on Continuous Plane

Bottom Right Direct Light on Lines and Planes

Planes

Left and Middle

Continuous Plane Model

Top Right

Lines and Planes Model

Planes can be seen as two-dimensional compositional elements, but planes also have the ability to create space or three-dimensional volumes.

They can be interpreted as walls or boundaries, ground planes, the planes of a roof, or even picture planes.

Their thicknesses and orientation can have an impact on if we even interpret them as planes at all. There is a particular point when a plane could shift to being seen as a mass and vice versa.

Color

Color is an integral concept to how to perceptive the designed and the natural world. It is very important as it influences our sensory, mental, and emotional perception.

For instance, certain color palettes are more effective for contrast, some have a particular emotional connotation, and others have symbolic meanings. The usage of various shades, tones, and tints is what can give depth to a “flat� picture.

Top Left Triadic Colors

Bottom Left

Split-Complementary Colors

Bottom Right

Analogous Colors

Perspective

Sketch of Casa Estudio Luis BarragĂĄn - Luis Barragan, 1947

The sketch of part of Barragan’s studio shows how there can be two vanishing points within one picture, which changes our perception of depth.

As for the Kantana Institute, depending on where the viewer is and the placement of the windows along the striation, they are each given a different character of depth or shadow.

Kantana Film & Animation Institute - Bangkok Project Studio, 2011

Perspective can obviously play a role on how we perceive a structure or certain portions of it. It is a technique that gives the illusion of three-dimensional volumes or spatial relationships based on the view point of the observer.

There are varying degrees of perspective, which can be seen by how many vanishing points there are: onepoint, two-point, three-point, four-point, and zeropoint

Solid and Void

Sketch of Castelgrande Museum Elevator Shaft

The combination of solids and voids is what gives our perception a sense of three-dimenstionality, where solids are the presence of physical matter where void is the absence or intangible “space�.

It could be compared to the relationship of light and shadow, but on a more three-dimensional scale.

Jantar Mantar Sundial - Maharaja Jai Singh II, 1724 Photographed by Khushnam Polad

TOU

UCH

Mass

Top Left Expand

Middle Left Scale

Bottom Left Overlap

Top Right Interlock

Middle Right Rotate

Bottom Right

Lift

Mass insinuates a sense of threedimensionality as it is largely perceived in terms of its general/ complete form or shape.

In these compositions, the materials of dominoes, ping-pong balls, and rocks establish different interpretations of form: rectilinear, spherical, or organic.

When masses of similar composition/shapes are grouped, they tend to work well together to create a sense of organization. Separating them creates greater contrast between individual parts of the whole mass.

Different combinations and orientations of the individual components can also imply different actions or forms. This can be seen in the six arrangements representing different verbs.

Space The massing of the rocks, dominoes, and pingpong balls could imply different spaces if the compositions were to be interpreted as a structure. The pingpong balls are comparatively large, hollow, and spherical, which give the illusion of lots of space whereas rocks are seen as small, solid, and compressed.

The way they are arranged also play a role in our perception of space. The top left composition is “interlocking”, so it appears tighter. The bottom right is “expanding”, which implies more space.

Space can refer to the implied volume of a structure, and through our human experiences of touch or being within the space itself, we get a better understanding of the building’s form.

Space is relative to how the human body perceives itself in terms of relative position or direction.

For instance, if we perceive ourselves as “small”, the space is thus given a large or open connotation. On the other hand, if we ourselves are “big”, the space becomes tight or constricted.

Space could also be interpreted in terms of its function, as it is separated into public or private spaces.

Material

Material becomes a crucial component in how we interpret a structure or design because each material has a particular behavior or associated connotation. It relates to our senses because it transforms how a surface operates.

There are many characteristics of material such as texture, degree of thickness, permeability, transparency/opaqueness, matte or reflective, and dark or light.

Based on its qualities, different materials are chosen for different purposes. For example, the dominoes, rocks, and pingpong balls in the top left are all solid and relatively thick. The clay in the bottom left is very malleable.

Masomi’s building used local and sustainable materials that is similar to clay or concrete. From looking at the picture, we can perceive it as being cool, smooth, and dry.

Niamey 2000 - Atelier Masomi, 2016

Structure

Sketch of Golden Gate Bridge - Irving Morrow, 1937

Structure for a building or design could be seen as the human parallel of the skeleton. It serves a critical purpose as it acts as the measure that counters gravity and transfers loads to the ground.

This could relate to how we tend to build or put elements together, as commonly seen by our walls, column, beams, slabs, and “hybrids�. Additionally, it could relate to how we perceive ourselves in terms of the ground, and structures are something we expect to be strong and sturdy.

Fabrication

Sketch of Bruder Klaus Field Chapel - Peter Zumthor, 2007

This chapel was fabricated by creating a form of wood, pouring in concrete, and then burning out the wood to leave the remaining structure.

Fabrication can relate back to our perception and use of materials. It consists of the equipment, tools, and methods that are used to assemble these structures.

This fabrication process is something that humans can relate to in terms as touch, as if we are molding or forming something from our own hands, even if we now have extensive access to technologies to assist with that process.

MOVEM INTERA

MENT/ ACTION

Movement

Movement is the quality that grants us different experiences because it can take a static space and shift it into a dynamic one.

These “static� objects can form a composition that give the illusion of a particular verb or action.

This movement can further be categorized into how we understand the structure itself to be moving versus how the people would move within the building.

Middle Left

Compress and Split

Top Right Lift

Bottom Right Overlap

Transformation

Step 1: Cube

Step 2: Stretch

Step 1: Cube

As humans, movement is a large part of how we understand our environment and other external elements. Transformation can allow us to perceive a static object or structure as being capable of implying movement.

In these images, the clay was originally a cube, but it was reshaped according to a combination of action verbs. Each of these actions has its own dialogue. Some suggest expansive, contractive, or rotational movement (or most often, some combination of these).

Step 3: Pinch

Step 2: Rotate

Step 3: Carve

Environment Due to the harsh environment with very cold temperatures, Icelandic turf houses were made from wood and bricks with thick turfs on the roof to provide insulation. This shows how changing elements within the environment affect how we make decisions, such as materiality, insulation, or orientation.

Benjamin’s mushroom bricks show we can utilize elements from the environment to create architecture (It does not solely have to be about how the architecture affects the environment).

Icelandic Turf Houses

Sketch of The Living - David Benjamin

The environment can shape much of a human’s perception - not just the perception of one particular structure or design, but also how they interpret as a whole.

The environment frames the relationship of a design. It has to take multiple variables into consideration such as light, wind, soil, rain, temperature, and how it will react to the changing environment.

Dialogue

The No. 1 Poultry shares a dialogue as it is essentially a formal recombination or enrichment of the St. Mary Woolnoth. They have shared qualities, such as the arch keystone, vertical aspects, and striping patterns.

Top Left

Sketch of St. Mary Woolnoth Nicholas Hawksmoor, 1712

Bottom Left

Sketch of No. 1 Poultry - James Stirling, 1997

Bottom Right

Recomposition of SIS Building, Temple of Kukulcan, and Pantheon

Dialogue is perhaps one of the closest attributes to a human as it implies “linguistic” interaction between different buildings and people’s experiences or context of them. This relates to the conceptual interaction of how humans perceive these designs.

There are different forms of dialogue including contrasting, enrichment, redirection, addition, and indexing.

Circulation

Circulation can be seen as another form of movement, but in terms of how humans move throughout, rather than movement of the form or structure itself.

Circulation can imply many different things.

For instance, it can be designed to be open for the purpose of social interaction. As for vertical circulation such as stairs, it can be for central movement or for visual effects.

Top Left

Palais Garnier stairwell - Charles Garnier, 1875

Top Right

Circulation Diagram of Artisan House Lower Floor

Bottom Right

Sketch of Newport Street Gallery Stairway Caruso St. John

Program

Diagram of St. Peter’s Basilica Floor Plan

The floor plan shows how the space is mainly divided for the people to use for circulation and for religious purposes within the church.

As for the Pantheon, its design was made to fit the program of having a main oculus as the source of light and to serve as a sundial.

Pantheon - Apollodorus, 27 B.C.

In one of its meanings, a program is the basic requirements for a project. However, it is also important to consider program in terms of how it must accommodate the human body.

For instance, it is always important to consider the dimensional values of the human body and how it will occupy a certain space. The same goes for its functionality and how to create optimal relationships for how humans will use the structure or space.