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Unit 2-Unity, Duality, Rhythm, Repetition

The document discusses several key principles of architectural composition: Unity refers to how elements are combined to form a harmonious whole. It can be achieved through common shapes, patterns, positioning, or backgrounds. Duality occurs when two similar elements are combined, creating complexity. Rhythm refers to a patterned recurrence of elements that creates movement, while repetition organizes forms through recurring elements. Proper use of scale and proportion also contribute to well-composed architecture.

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Nisha Gopinath
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315 views

Unit 2-Unity, Duality, Rhythm, Repetition

The document discusses several key principles of architectural composition: Unity refers to how elements are combined to form a harmonious whole. It can be achieved through common shapes, patterns, positioning, or backgrounds. Duality occurs when two similar elements are combined, creating complexity. Rhythm refers to a patterned recurrence of elements that creates movement, while repetition organizes forms through recurring elements. Proper use of scale and proportion also contribute to well-composed architecture.

Uploaded by

Nisha Gopinath
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PRINCIPLES OF ARCHITECTURAL

COMPOSITION
• Unity
• Duality
• Rhythm
• Repetition
• Scale
• Proportion
UNITY
The state or quality of being combined into one, as the ordering of elements
in an artistic work that constitutes a harmonious whole or promotes a
singleness of effect.

• The visual image of being one.


• May consist of many parts and is the sum of its parts.
Unity can be achieved through:

• Common shapes
• Use of similar patterns
• Use of space (position)
• Use of common background
UNITY OF OPPOSITES
Architecture
begins where
the mass
meets the
open space.
UNITY OF OPPOSITES
UNITY OF OPPOSITES
When we read an architectural drawing, there is always a figure and a background, or
Form of mass and voids or spaces

A. Line defining the boundary B. The form of solid mass C. The form of the spatial void
between solid mass and spatial void rendered as a figure rendered as figure

In all cases, however, we should understand that figures, the positive elements that
attract our attention, could not exist without a contrasting background. Figures and
their background, therefore, are more than opposing elements. Together, they form
an inseparable reality— a unity of opposites —just as the elements of form and space
together form the reality of architecture.
UNITY
Sketches of buildings

• Pick 3 examples on unity in groups of 3.

• All the groups should have different examples


DUALITY
Occurs when two or more elements which are similar in nature,
are put together and creates diversity and complexity.
• If a building uses a combination of two
elements at various scales of the building
which tend to dictate the composition, it
can create the effect of unity.

• Duality stems from a certain complexity


in architecture
• It decreases the effect of unity
Farmers’ and Merchants’ Union Bank, Columbus, USA
Farmers’ and Merchants’ Union Bank, Columbus, USA
The placement of the window and door on the outside reflects the duality of
two users seen on the inside- the clerks and the customers, the counter being
perpendicular to the façade.

The composition of door and window is again divided by the shafts above it
which divides the lintel into three panels- two smaller ones on either side and
a prominent panel in the centre. The panels together become one unit.

Duality is further reinforced by the placement of the arch above the entire
composition as it starts from the centre of the panel unit below. At the same
time it binds the whole composition and through its size resolves the duality
created by the door and window.

Although the entire façade is composed of diverse elements having single and
even those divided into two or three parts, it can be viewed as a whole unit.
RHYTHM

REPETITION
Rhythm refers to any movement characterized by a
patterned recurrence of elements or motifs at regular or
irregular intervals.
The movement may be of our eyes as we follow recurring
elements in a composition, or of our bodies as we advance
through a sequence of spaces. In either case, rhythm
incorporates the fundamental notion of repetition as a
device to organize forms and spaces in architecture.
Almost all building types incorporate elements that are by
their nature repetitive.
Beams and columns repeat themselves to form repetitive
structural bays and modules of space.
Windows and doors repeatedly puncture the surfaces of a
building to allow light, air, views, and people to enter the
interior.
Spaces often recur to accommodate similar or repetitive
functional requirements in the building program.
REPETITION
We tend to group elements in a random composition
according to:
• their closeness or proximity to one another
• the visual characteristics they share in common
The principle of repetition utilizes both of these concepts of
visual perception to order recurring elements in a
composition.
The simplest form of repetition is a linear pattern of redundant
elements. Elements need not be perfectly identical, however, to
be grouped in a repetitive fashion. They may merely share a
common trait or a common denominator, allowing each element
to be individually unique, yet belong to the same family.

Size

Shape

Detail
characteristics
Distyle in antis

Prostyle

Peripteral

Amphiprostyle
Dipteral
Pseudodipteral

Classification of temples-according to arrangement of colonnades by Vitruvius


Rhythmic patterns provide continuity and lead us to anticipate what
come next. Any thing breaking the pattern announces and
emphasizes the importance of the interrupting element or interval

Mosque of Beyazid -II, Bursa, Turkey


Structural patterns often incorporate the repetition of vertical
supports at regular or harmonious intervals which define modular
bays or divisions of space. Within such repetitive patterns, the
importance of a space can be emphasized by its size and
placement.

Jama Masjid, Gulbarga


Jami Masjid, Ahmedabad- part section and part elevation
Rhythmic pattern may be continuous, and flowing, or
abrupt in its pace or cadence.

Capitol Complex, Islamabad- Louis Kahn, 1965


Rhythmic pattern may be continuous, and flowing, or
abrupt in its pace or cadence.

Germigny-des-Prés, France
Rhythmic pattern may be continuous, and flowing, or
abrupt in its pace or cadence.

Siedlung Halen, near Bern, Switzerland, 1961, Atelier 5


More complex rhythmic patterns can be created by
introducing points of emphasis or exceptional intervals
into a sequence. These accents or beats help differentiate
between the major and minor themes in a composition.

Roq Housing Project, Cap-Martin, on the French Riviera near Nice, 1949, Le Corbusier
More complex rhythmic patterns can be created by
introducing points of emphasis or exceptional intervals
into a sequence. These accents or beats help differentiate
between the major and minor themes in a composition.

Bedford Park, London, 1875, Maurice Adams, E.W. Goodwin, E.J. May, Norman Shaw

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