26 Architectural Elements: Through The Lens of Residential Architecture

26 Architectural Elements

Through The Lens of Residential Architecture

Logan Gibson

Table of Contents Planning Elements 3 Drawing 5 Program 7 Constraints 9 Sustainability Situational Elements 13 Context 15 Environment 17 Defamiliarization 19 Repetition 21 Transformation

Explanatory Elements 25 Analysis 27 Symmetry 29 Geometry 31 Grid 33 Datum 35 Color 37 Representation Non-Physical Elements 41 Space 43 Light 45 Circulation 47 Movement 49 Scale Physical Elements 53 Mass 55 Faรงade 57 Materials 59 Structure 61 Construction 63 Index

Planning Elements

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Drawing

Drawing is an important part of an architect’s repertoire. From creating quick sketches to analytical diagrams, the power of drawing enables an architect to document ideas an concepts in an effective format.

While the art of drawing by hand is decreasing in popularity with the increasing use of computers, it remains a fundamental part of an architect’s process in any design.

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Residence - Tom Kundig

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Program

The concept of program stems from the individual systems of a structure and how they fit together within the design. These programmatic systems range from air circulation to an electrical system, each of which will come with it’s own challenges and specifications. Systems, however, are not limited to these but expand as far as how spaces are used and what each space can facilitate in terms of capacity.

This goes to show that the program of a structure is one of the more expansive of all the architectural concepts in an architect’s vocabulary.

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Diagram showing programmatic use throughout the residence.

Big Ideas Small Lots NYC Competition - RES4 Architects

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Constraints

Constraints within a design project come in many forms including dimensional constraints and material constraints. While constraints may seem like a hindrance to a design, constraints can be helpful in narrowing down a design concept from a myriad of options. While there are given constraints in the form of physics and current technology, many constraints come from clients that have specific needs or wants in their design that an architect must work to fulfill simultaneously.

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Dimensional constraints limited to a cube.

Dimensional constraints limited by the site of the residence.

No. 111 - Matt Gibson

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Sustainability

Sustainability in architecture is a topic that has been increasing in popularity with the rise in concern about global climate change. Sustainability can be incorporated into various aspects of a design from material choices to energy efficiency within the structure. Every decision about a design can have a positive or negative impact on the sustainability of the structure and with advancements in technologies, more of these decisions are beginning to have a greater positive impact than in the past.

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Sustainability through energy efficiency caused by the cooling of the interior spaces by the central pool.

Observatory House - Tatiana Bilbao

Sustainability through the reuse of shipping containers as the primary structure.

Project No. 1 - Casa Container MarĂ­lia

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Situational Elements

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Context

Context in the architectural sense can relate to both the interior and exterior of a structure. It can be applicable to the structure as a whole, all the way down to individual components of the design. Context describes the surrounding aspects of the design and how they relate and converse with the design components themselves. This can be extremely useful in identifying continuities throughout a design as well as in the immediate environment.

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Co-housing Project in Urban Historical Context - Zeynep Berra Kırbaşoğlu

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Environment

Environment in the realm of architecture defines how a structure or design interacts with its surroundings on its exterior. A design responds to its environment by either conforming to it or altering it to fit the designs needs. While many designs adapt to their environments, others modify it by transforming it to suit the design’s form and construction.

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The structure sits within the natural cliff of the ridge showing the conformity to the

Observatory House - Tatiana Bilbao

Conformity to the environment through the adherence to the rivers contours.

Aspen Residential Architecture - David Johnston Architects

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Defamiliarization

Defamiliarization within a design seeks to draw attention to details and forms that are commonly overlooked by breaking the norms of their design. This is an important practice for bringing unique qualities into a design that makes those who experience the structure question the ways in which things are typically done within design. These inquisitive breaks from the norm may lead to a change in the norms themselves to favor the unfamiliar structure over the traditional giving rise to a new design style.

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Montee Karp House - Patrick Tighe

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Repetition

Repetition within a structure is a design technique that is often used to bring other details not following the repetition to the foreground. In some ways the concept of repetition directly juxtaposes the concept of defamiliarization in that instead of making normal details stand out, repetition seeks to bring out other details that break away from the repeated details.

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Six Terrace Houses - PROW Architects

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Transformation

Transformation is another design technique that is applied to a specific component of the design that alters it to create a new component. Examples of transformation include, but are not limited to: rotation, stretching, tilting, twisting, and splitting.

Often many transformations will be applied to a component in a design to create a sense of familiarity and continuity throughout the design as a whole.

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Transformed by carving

Original

Transformed additionally by compression

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Explanatory Elements

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Analysis

Analysis of a composition is an important step to understanding precedents in architecture while presenting a persuasive argument. The precedents derived from analysis are important to understanding the why and how of an architect’s design process.

Analysis comes in many forms that each present an architectural concept or idea within a structure, and are up to interpretation from person to person. While analysis may sound like a daunting task, every time you look onto a structure, from recognizing familiar shapes in a facade to experiencing the flow of the structures circulation, you are creating an analysis of the design.

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San Carlo alle Quattero Fontaine - Francesco Borromini

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Symmetry

Symmetry is a design technique that brings balance to the design by mirroring a certain component or section of the structure. Our brains like symmetry because it is found in many natural things around us including our own bodies. For this reason some degree of symmetry is often found in many designs and when it is not, the design stands out from others.

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House ACP - Candida Tabet Arquitetura

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Geometry

Geometry is a fundamental part of the design process, as it creates the building blocks of form and structure. Geometry can be found in any design but may not be as obvious in all. While all designs are based on geometry, some seek to mask it by smoothing angles to create a curved form, thereby diminishing the obvious nature of geometric shapes.

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Vertical Villa Project - Maziar Dolatabadi

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Grid

The use of grids in architecture is common in that it is paramount in creating proportionality, symmetry, and balance. In some cases, it can be as fundamental as the use of geometry in a design and can be the basis for how a design is created. Some form of grid can be extracted from any structure even if angles from geometries can not be immediately seen.

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Process of grid extraction from an elevation.

Refined product of grid extraction.

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Datum

The use of a datum is often in a drawing or picture that is used to communicate unity within a design.

Common components a datum can be based on are defining ground lines, parallel roof lines, or other details that can provide scale. A datum is an effective way to illustrate the similarities in a design as well as give the design an underlying sense of cohesion.

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Strong parallel lines defining a datum within the elevation.

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Color

The use of color in architecture can be used to illustrate materials, depth, and shadow amongst other details. While typically color is restricted to black, white, and red to maintain legibility, further use of color is acceptable to further differentiate aspects of a composition or design.

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Color used to show depth and dimension.

Analogous Color Pallet (Left) Split Complimentary Color Pallet (Above)

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Representation

Representation in a design can take on many forms, from direct representation that mimics something seen before to indirect where only parts of a familiar object are taken. It is used to create familiarity in a design and is often based on things found in nature to add an organic feel to a composition.

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Center image is representative of another structure constructed before it.

Structure’s form is representative of a bird, following a natural form.

House on the Flight of Birds - Bernardo Rodrigues

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Ephemeral Elements

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Space

The space within and around a structure is one of the first things that a person will notice when experiencing the design. From grand atriums to narrow hallways, the use of space in a structure influences a persons feelings and mood throughout the structure. While design constrains influence how much space there is to work with, it is up to the architect to use that space to create other spaces that convey a specific feeling or inspire a specific atmosphere. The use of space heavily dictates a structures success in that if the space does not suit the intended tone, the structure more or less will not function as desired.

Space is one of the main tools that an architect has to work with to make their design unique and directly influence those who experience the structure.

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Wind House - OPENSPACE DESIGN

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Light

Light, in the traditional sense, usually comes directly through windows or openings in a structure, but as material technologies advance new forms of artificial lighting and reflected lighting are becoming popular.

Light inherently will cause shadows, also dynamically affecting a structures design. Shadows can be useful in their addition of shade to cool a structure or provide various patterns that add to the overall architectural composition. As lighting changes throughout the day and throughout the year with the changing of the seasons, the paths that the light takes vary significantly.

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Etham South Project - Wolveridge Architects

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Circulation

Circulation plays a vital role in the success of a design.

It can best be defined as the movement of people throughout a space or structure and the paths they take. Circulation can be thought of as the internal traffic of a structure that must be managed in an effective way to create enough paths and clearance for people to comfortably move around a space.

Circulation can be used as either a one way path or two directional path that allows for people to have a specific starting point and a destination.

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Circulation diagram revolving around a central mass.

Staircase showing central circulation between floors.

Sicilian Home Renovation - Francesco Librizzi

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Movement

Movement in a design may be implied or literal.

While some designs may not directly incorporate mechanically moving elements into it, they may resemble things that move or imply motion through form and design. While mechanical examples range from sunshades to water features, implied examples can be as simple as a curved structure that resembles wind or water erosion.

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Design arranged in a spiral pattern implying motion within the design.

Waterfall creating literal motion throughout and around the space.

Fallingwater - Frank Lloyd Wright

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Scale

Scale in architecture can be used in both drawings and within the structure to provide a sense of sizing for people to compare themselves to. Scale is important to a design because it can imply massiveness as well as minuscule detail, with each having their own importance.

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People provide a scale as to the massiveness of the surrounding residence.

Villa SR - Reitsema and Partners Architects

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Physical Elements

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Mass

Mass can be defined as the volumetric density created within spaces, as well as an additive component that directly juxtaposes the concept of void. Mass can not only give the sense of massiveness and heaviness but if composed correctly can give a sense of lightness or weightlessness. For this reason the use of mass is a powerful tool an architect can use to define space.

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Cantilevered residence implying a sense of weightlessness.

Clearhouse - Stuart Parr Design

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Faรงade

The faรงade of a design is defined as the exterior appearance of the structure, and is inherently the first impression that the structure makes on people.

The faรงade is often what attracts visitors into the structure and entices them to find out more. Though a faรงade can be extravagant or simple, design styles heavily influence what a faรงade may look like from a given time period.

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San Carlo alle Quattero Fontaine - Francesco Borromini

Rippling Brick Faรงade - Design Work Group

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Materials

Materials are an important part in the finishing of a design. While some materials may never be seen due to their obscured placement, such as within walls, many material choices are visible to those who experience the design. These visible materials can convey texture, depth, and even reflectivity, while setting the tone of spaces by creating senses of lightness or openness. Material choices also can have a direct impact on the overall sustainability of a design through the use of eco-friendly or energy efficient materials.

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Thatched roofing over exterior living spaces combined with dark wooden decking for the residence to blend into its environment.

Observatory House - Tatiana Bilbao

Reuse of windows and doors to create a new ans unique faรงade.

Collage House - S+PS Architects

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Structure

The structure of a design is one of the first things an architect must think about when beginning a project.

As structure is the way in which a design is kept stable and upright, it is considered to some to be the most important element in the design process. There are many types of structure that each serve their own role from central columns that support the entire design to load bearing exteriors and cantilevers.

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Visualization of load bearing walls and columns through a plan diagram.

Exposed steel structure placed on the exterior of the residence as a design element.

Tinman House - Jun Sekino

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Construction

Construction of a structure is the final step of the design process, but must be thought about from the beginning. Construction techniques can come in various varieties and range across all possible methods to create the most efficient and appropriate type. Two techniques that are becoming increasingly more common are prefabrication and fabrication, in which most of the construction process is split into pieces that can be mass produced or produced off site to save on time and material used.

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Observatory House Construction - Tatiana Bilbao

Shifting Nests Prefabricated Homes - Bla Design Group

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Index Residence - Tom Kundig

Source: architizer.com Big Ideas Small Lots NYC Competition - RES4 Architects

Source: re4a.com No. 111 - Matt Gibson

Photographer: Shannon McGrath

Source: ribaj.com Project No. 1 - Casa Container Marília

Photographer: Barros Assuane Arquitetura LTDA

Source: designlisticle.com Observatory House - Tatiana Bilbao

Source: archdaily.com Co-housing Project in Urban Historical Context - Zeynep Berra Kırbaşoğlu

Source: worldarchitecture.org Aspen Residential Architecture - David Johnston Architects

Source: djarchitects.com Montee Karp House - Patrick Tighe

Source: Enigma: Defamiliarizing The Familiar by Stephen Phillips Six Terrace Houses - PROW Architects

Source: architectmagazine.com House ACP - Candida Tabet Arquitetura

Photographer: Fran Parente

Source: homeworlddesign.com Vertical Villa Project - Maziar Dolatabadi

Source: archdaily.com

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House on the Flight of Birds - Bernardo Rodrigues

Photographer: Iwan Baan

Source: archdaily.com Wind House - OPENSPACE DESIGN

Source: archdaily.com Etham South Project - Wolveridge Architects

Photographer: Derek Swalwell

Source: maricamckeel.com Scicilian Home Renovation - Francesco Librizzi

Photographer: Alberto Moncada

Source: dezeen.com Fallingwater - Frank Lloyd Wright

Source: franklloydwright.org Villa SR - Reitsema and Partners Architects

Photographers: Luuk Kramer, Ronald Tilleman

Source: archdaily.com Clearhouse - Stuart Parr Design

Photographer: Stuart Parr Design

Source: maricamckeel.com Rippling Brick Faรงade - Design Work Group

Photographers: Sebastian Zachariah and Ira Gosalia

Source: dezeen.com Collage House - S+PS Architects

Source: archdaily.com Tinman House - Jun Sekino

Photographer: Spaceshift Studio

Source: dezeen.com Shifting Nests Prefabricated Homes - Bla Design Group

Source: designboom.com

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