TOA MIDTERM EXAM REVIEWER ♦ The term comes from latin architectura; from

lecture 01: ancient greek ἀρχιτέκτων (arkhitéktōn)

'architect'; from ἀρχι- (arkhi-) 'chief', and
Introduction to theory of architecture
τέκτων (téktōn) 'creator.
♦ Architecture is generally conceived-designed ♦ Architecture is a very complex discipline.
and realized-built in response to an existing Most people live their lives in constant
set of conditions. contact with architecture.
♦ These conditions may be purely functional in ♦ It provides a place to dwell, work, and play.
nature, or they may also reflect in varying With so much responsibility for determining
degrees the social, political, and economic our experiences, and with such a variety of
climate. uses, architecture has too many forms to be
♦ It is assumed that the existing set of precisely categorized.
conditions – the problem- is less than ♦ One house is used essentially the same way as
satisfactory and that a new set of conditions – any other, but how many different sizes,
a solution – would be desirable. shapes, or configurations are possible for a
♦ The act of creating architecture, then, is a house? There is no single correct formula for
problem-solving or design process. determining the perfect layout of a house,or
any other type of building. At the same time
Theory in general
as architecture is indefinite, it also has a
♦ Analysis of a set of facts in relation to one responsibility to facilitate specific functions.
another.
Architecture in art
♦ Belief, policy or procedure proposed or
followed as basis of action. ♦ It is the conscience use of skill, craft, and
♦ An ideal or hypothetical set of facts, creative imagination in the product of what is
principles or circumstances of a body of fact beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary
on science or art. significance. Visual (aesthetics, beauty, taste)
♦ A plausible or scientifically accepted general
Architecture in science
principle or body of principles offered to
explain phenomenon. ♦ A branch of knowledge dealing with a body
of facts or truths obtained by direct
Forms/types of theory
observation, experimental investigation and
1. Descriptive: explains phenomenon or events; methodical study, systematically arranged and
they re neutral and do not lean towards any showing the operation of general laws.
ideology (technology, techniques, building science,
2. Prescriptive: prescribes bases or guidelines engineering, behavior)
e.g. When we say we must relate classroom
Architecture in designing
teaching to the child's real world
3. Critical: challenges relationships between ♦ A plan or drawing produced to show the look
architecture & society and function or workings of a building. Space
planning, environment, urban, interior)
Architecture
Architecture in constructing
♦ The art and science of designing and
constructing buildings. ♦ To build (construction methodology)
Essence of architecture
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 ♦ Architecture is the process that we ♦ “dreams and visions of designing buildings
instinctively recognize as the genius of and structures that would change the world.”
growth and creation. It gives form to the
Architectural systems
invisible pulses and rhythm of life. The
physical manifestation of power is a ❖ The architecture of: space, structure,
consequence of the desire for the invisible to enclosure
be made visible. ▫ Organizational pattern, relationships,
hierarchy
Architecture as art and science
▫ Qualities of shape, color, texture, scale,
♦ As an art, architecture is more than satisfying proportion
the purely functional requirements of a ▫ Qualities of surfaces, edges and openings
building program. Fundamentally, the ❖ Experienced through: movement in space
physical manifestations of architecture time
accommodate human activity. ▫ Approach and entry
♦ Form and space are presented not as ends in ▫ Path configuration and access
but as means to solve a problem in response ▫ Sequence of spaces
to conditions of function, purpose, and ▫ Light, view, touch, hearing and smell
context- that is, architecturally ❖ Achieved by means of: technology
▫ Structure and enclosure
Architecture as people centered
▫ Environmental protection and comfort
♦ Human-centered architecture puts people at ▫ Health, safety and welfare
the heart of the design process, striving to ❖ Accommodating a: program
create spaces that cater to their needs, enhance ▫ User requirements, needs, aspirations
their well-being, and promote a sense of ▫ Socio-cultural factors
connection to their environment. ▫ Economic factors
▫ Legal restraints
Architecture as expression
▫ Historical tradition & precedents
♦ Architectural expression refers to design or ❖ Compatible with its: context
the determination of form which includes ▫ Site and environment
every aspect of every quality of a building, ▫ Climate: sun, wind, temperature and
including size, shape, materials, texture, color, precipitation
ornamentation, etc.. ▫ Geography: soils, topography, vegetation
and water
Architecture as place
▫ Sensory and cultural characteristics of the
♦ Our idea of an “architecture of place” is about place
creating design that ennobles people --that
Types of architectural systems
makes them feel empowered, important, and
excited to be in the places they inhabit in their 1. Spatial: the three-dimensional integration of
daily lives. Whether we like the buildings as program elements and spaces accommodates
pure formal objects is another matter, and not the multiple functions and relationships of a
of primary significance. house.
2. Structural: a grid of columns supports
Architecture as self reflection
horizontal beams and slabs. The cantilever

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 acknowledges the direction of approach along Form & space
the longitudinal axis. ▫ Comprehension of the ordered
3. Enclosure: four exterior wall planes define a and disordered relationships
rectangular volume that contains the program among a building’s elements
elements and spaces. and systems and responding to
4. Circulation: the stair and ramp penetrate and the meanings they evoke.
link the three levels, and heighten the Systems & organizations
viewer’s perception of forms in space and ▫ Images
light. The curved form of the entrance foyer ▫ Patterns
reflects the movement of the automobile. ▫ Signs
5. Context: gives meaning to parts of a building ▫ Symbols
by reference to its surrounding. A simple ▫ Context (space,form,
exterior form wraps around a complex interior function,techniques)
organization of forms and spaces. Elevating
the main floor provides a better view and
avoids the humidity of the ground. A garden Lecture 02
terrace distributes sunlight to the spaces
Basic elements of design
gathered around it.
1. Point
Types of architectural orders
➢ The two ends of a line
1. Physical ➢ The intersection of two lines
Form & space ➢ The meeting of lines at the corner of a plane
▫ Solids & voids or volume
▫ Interior & exterior ➢ The center of a field
Systems & organizations 2. Line
▫ Space ➢ A point extended becomes a line with
▫ Structure properties of:
▫ Enclosure - Length
▫ Machines - Direction
2. Perceptual - Position
Form & space 3. Plane
▫ Sensory perception & ➢ A line extended becomes a plane with
recognition of the physical properties of:
elements by experiencing them - Length and width
sequentially in time. - Shape
Systems & organizations - Surface
▫ Approach & departure - Orientation
▫ Entry & egress - Position
▫ Movement through the order of 4. Volume
spaces ➢ A plane extended becomes a volume with
▫ Functioning of activities within properties of:
spaces - Length, width, depth
▫ Qualities of light, color - Form and space
3. Conceptual - Surface
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 - Orientation - The degree of concentration and stability of
- Position a form. It depends on its geometry as well as
its orientation relative to the ground plane,
Architectural form
the pull of gravity, and our line of sight.
➢ Is the point of contact between mass and
Primary solids
space.
1. Spheres
Properties of form
2. Cylinder
1. Shape 3. Cone
- The characteristic outline or surface 4. Pyramid
configuration of a particular form. It is the 5. Cube
principal aspect by which we identify and
Anthropometrics and ergonomics
categorize forms.
2. Size Anthropometrics and its implication to
- The physical dimensions of length, width, architecture
and depth of a form. While these dimensions
• The science of measuring the size and
determine the proportion of a form, its scale
proportions of the human body (called
is determined by its size relative to other
anthropometry), especially as applied to the
forms in its context.
design of furniture and machines.
3. Color
• It derives from the greek words 'anthropos'
- A phenomenon of light and visual
(meaning human), and 'metron' (meaning
perception that may be described in terms of
measure).
an individual’s perception of hue, saturation,
and tonal value. It is the attribute that most • Human dimensions and capabilities are
clearly distinguishes a form from its paramount in determining a building's
environment. It also affects the visual weight dimensions and overall design. The underlying
of a form. principle of anthropometrics is that building
4. Texture designs should adapt to suit the human body,
- The visual and especially tactile quality rather than people having to adapt to suit the
given to a surface by the size, shape, buildings.
arrangement, and proportions of the parts. It • The use of anthropometrics in building design
also determines the degree to which the aims to ensure that every person is as
surfaces of a form reflect or absorb incident comfortable as possible.
light. Two basic areas of anthropometry
5. Position
- The location of a form relative to its 1. Static anthropometry
environment or the visual field within which ➢ Is the measurement of body sizes at rest
it is seem. and when using devices such as chairs,
6. Orientation tables, beds, mobility devices, and so on.
- The direction of a form relative to the 2. Functional anthropometry
ground plane, the compass points, other ➢ Is the measurement of abilities related to
forms, or to the person viewing the form. the completion of tasks, such as reaching,
7. Visual inertia maneuvering, and motion, and other
aspects of space and equipment use.

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Man against man: ergonomics 1. Anthropocentrism – individual humans and
the human species are seen as the most
and its implications to architecture
valuable.
• Is an applied science concerned with designing 2. Biocentrism – all living things carry an equal
and arranging things people use so that the inherent value.
people and things interact most efficiently and 3. Ecocentrism – environmental systems as
safely. wholes carry inherent value.
• Is about ensuring a good fit between people and
the things they interact with. This could include
the objects they use or the environments they live
in. You should consider ergonomics in the design
Gender in architecture
of every product, system, or environment. You
should focus on ergonomics early in the design ♣ Masculine
process. ♣ Feminine
♣ Gay
Difference of anthropometry and ergonomics
Emotions in architecture
• Anthropometrics involves the systematic
measurement of the physical properties of the ♣ It is a sublime act of poetic imagination which
human body (height, weight, shape, arm length, involves the user's body and mind. Experiencing
etc.). a built form does not relate only to its spaces,
• Ergonomic involves incorporating form, and surfaces, but also in listening to its
anthropometric data. In designing products and characteristic dialogues.
environments. ♣ As a user enters a space, a space enters the user
as well. The experience is essentially the
Man against furniture: anthropocentrism exchange and fusion of the object and the
• Literally means human centered. subject.
• In its most relevant philosophical form, it is the Spirit in architecture
ethical belief that humans alone possess intrinsic
value. In contradistinction, all other beings hold ♣ Spirituality is our attempt to become aware of
value only in their ability to serve humans, or in our spirit.
their instrumental value. ♣ It refers to any building system that facilitates
• It is the idea that the human experience is the this awareness. It is, an act of highlighting or
center from which to structure and organize the bringing forth the self, not by rejecting matter
world. but by manifesting it in matter, at various levels
and in multiple forms.
• Examples
a) Treatment of animals – animals can Lecture 03
hierarchically be organized with humans at
Dimension, scale, & proportion
the top. Human characteristics are utilized
to categorized other animals. Dimension
b) Eco consciousness – we continue to value
♣ It is a measurable extent of some kind, such as
human life above ecological preservation.
length, breadth, depth, or height.
Comparison ♣ It is a measure of extension in space that has a
particular direction, like height, breadth, and
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 depth of a given thing whereas measurement How is anthropometric different from
refers to the act of measuring. anthropomorphic?
♣ It refers to a measurement of things in one
♣ Anthropomorphic relates to
direction like the length, breadth, height, or depth
anthropomorphism, a common literary device
of an object.
relating to animals exhibiting human
Measurement attributes.
♣ Anthropometric relates to anthropometry,
♣ It is the basic concept in the study of
which is the study of human measurements
mathematics and science.
and proportions.
♣ It quantifies the characteristics of an object or
event, which we can compare with other things What is scale in architectural form?
or events.
♣ It is the most commonly used word, whenever
we deal with the division of a quantity. What is proportion in architectural form?
Anthropomorphism
♣ It is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or Two types of scale
intentions to non-human entities.
1. Scalar comparison
♣ It is considered to be an innate tendency of
2. Perception of scale
human psychology.
3. Scale and anthropometrics
♣ Personification is the related attribution of
4. Scale and context
human form and characteristics to abstract
5. Scalar experience
concepts such as nations, emotions, and natural
6. Scalar and form
forces, such as seasons and weather. Both have
7. Urban scale
ancient roots as storytelling and artistic devices,
8. Scale and time
and most cultures have traditional fables with
anthropomorphized animals as characters. People Theories of proportion
have also routinely attributed human emotions
Proportion
and behavioral traits to wild as well as
domesticated animals. ♣ Refers to the proper or harmonious relation of
♣ Anthropomorphism and anthropomorphization one part to another or to the whole.
derive from the verb form anthropomorphize, [a] ♣ This relationship may not only be one of
itself derived from the greek ánthrōpos magnitude, but also of quantity or degree.
(ἄνθρωπος, lit. "human") and morphē (μορφή, ♣ While the designer usually has a range of
"form"). It is first attested in 1753, originally in choices when determining the proportions of
reference to the heresy of applying a human form things, some are given to us by the nature of
to the christian god. materials, by how building elements respond
♣ Anthropometric measurements are noninvasive to forces, and by how things are made.
quantitative measurements of the body.
According to the centers for disease control and
prevention (cdc), anthropometry provides a 1. Material proportion
valuable assessment of nutritional status in 2. Structural proportion
children and adults. 3. Manufactured proportion
4. Proportioning systems
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 5. Fibonacci sequence on a bicycle wheel. Often, radially
6. Golden section balanced designs are circular.
7. Golden triangle 2. Unsymmetrical Balance (asymmetrical) is
8. Modulor when you have two dissimilar sides of a
9. Regulating lines design and have positioned visual weight
10. Classical orders unequally, and yet you've still achieved a
11. Renaissance theories sense of balance. It evokes a sense of
12. Ken modernism and movement.
13. Relative proportion 3. Gravitational balance demonstrates the
14. Absolute proportion existence of gravitational forces between
masses
Lesson 04
➢ Gravitational. -natural tendency toward
Balance and gravitational curve some point or object of influence

Balance Gravitational curve

♣ Provides stability and structure to a design by Gravity

placing the elements in such a way that the
♣ Is the curvature of space time
visual weight, in terms of objects, colours,
♣ Is the curvature of the universe, caused by
textures and space, is distributed, i.e.
massive bodies, which determines the path
Symmetry.
that objects travel. That curvature is
♣ For example, a large shape positioned close to
dynamical, moving as those objects move. In
the centre can be balanced by a small shape
einstein's view of the world, gravity is the
close to the edge
curvature of spacetime caused by massive
♣ Is an even use of elements throughout a work
objects
of art.
Three Types Of Balance
What Is Balance and Gravitational Curve In
1. Symmetrical Balance (central) means that
Architecture?
the work of art is the same on one side as the
other, a mirror image of itself, on both sides Balance
of a center line. Is achieved in work of art
- Equal distribution of weight
when visual elements are arranged on both
- Concerned with the distribution of visual
sides of a center line in equal weight.
interest.
➢ Symmetrical Balance (formal) is
achieved in work of art when visual Gravitational
elements are arranged on both sides of a
- Natural tendency toward some point or object
center line in equal weight. Symmetrical
of influence.
balance, also called formal balance, can
be thought of as a mirror image of one Ordering Principles
half of a work of art on the other half.
a. Axis
➢ Symmetrical Balance (radial) is
b. Symmetry
symmetry in several directions. Visual
c. Hierarchy
elements are arranged around a central
d. Rhythm
point in the composition, like the spokes
e. Datum
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 f. Transformation 3. The phenomenon of linear perspective:
the columns converge at the end of the
Symmetry
hall but are perceived as “parallel but
♣ Is a very formal type of balance consisting of further away”.
a mirroring of portions of an image. 4. The position of the shadow of an object,
or objects located in the shadow, give
Two Types of Symmetry
additional spatial information.
1. c. Kinesthetic vision in human sensory
reception: kinesthetic (motion) sense. Even
Visual Acuity and Perception
with the eyes closed, one is aware of the
Visual Acuity (VA) positions of his legs and arms and can
perceive the movement of a limb and its
♣ Is a measure of the ability of the eye to
direction. The term kinesthesis (“feeling of
distinguish shapes and the details of objects at
motion”) has been coined for this sensibility.
a given distance.
d. Figure ground is defined as a human's ability
Perception to visually differentiate between an object and
its background. When humans perceive a
♣ Is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of
visual image, they tend to simplify it by
something through the senses.
separating it into figure and ground. The
Theories of perception target object becomes the observer's main
focus, both visually and mentally.
a. Spatial perception involves not one but
e. Gestalt: objects observed have innate
many specific abilities. Within the visual
qualities that make them independent of the
domain these include locating points in space,
perceiver and the environment. The theory or
determining the orientation of lines and
doctrine that physiological or psychological
objects, assessing location in depth,
phenomenon do not occur through the
appreciating geometric relations between
summation of individual elements, as reflexes
objects, and processing motion, including
or sensations, but through gestalts functioning
motion in depth.
separately or inter-relatedly.
b. Stereoscopic vision describes the ability of
f. Reversible figure is an ambiguous two-
the visual brain to register a sense of three-
dimensional drawing that represents a three-
dimensional shape and form from visual
dimensional object in such a way that it can
inputs. In current usage, stereoscopic vision
be seen from two different perspectives. A
often refers uniquely to the sense of depth
reversible cube, for example, consists of two
derived from the two eyes.
squares that represent the front and back side
1. We have learned that objects that are
of the cube
partially hidden are behind other objects.
Therefore, you perceive that columns
which obscuring other columns are closer
to you.
2. The perceived object size is also a clue. A
larger object is perceived to be closer to
the viewer than a similar but smaller
object.

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