THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE I

ARCH 3211

Instructor Anteneh Getnet

2016 E.C
Course Description/Course Contents
➢ Helps students to understand the fundamental components of architecture.

➢ To develop a deep and critical view on the development of architecture and understand its relations with
Society and the environment.

➢ Analyze universal theoretical concepts of architecture and compare them to local practices.
➢ Ability in conducting research, discussion and case study to explore, cultural, historical and economic
aspects that shape architecture & urbanism
➢ Analysis of the dimensions of architecture Art & architecture.

➢ Determents of architectural space & form Typology & design Structure,

➢ Technology & materials Culture, Society & economy, Climate & topography Principles and methods of
architecture.
Literature
− Alexander Tzonis and Liane Lefaivre, Classical Architecture: The Poetics of Order, MIT Press, Cambridge,
Mass, 1986
− Bernard Tschumi, Architecture and Disjunction, London: MIT. 1996. − Bruce Mau, Jennifer Leonard, Massive
Change, 2004
− Charles Jencks and George Braid, (Eds.), Meaning in Architecture, Barrie and Rockliff: The Crescent Press,
London, 1969.
− Charles Jencks, New Moderns. New York: Rizzoli, 1990
− Charles Jencks and Karl Kropf, (Eds.), Theories and Manifestoes of Contemporary Architecture, 2nd Edition,
Wiley Academy, London, 2006.
− Christian Norberg-Schulz, Genius Loci, 1991
− Christian Norberg-Schulz, Intensions in Architecture, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, 1977
− Christopher Alexander, Notes on The Synthesis of Form, Harvard Univ. Press. Cambridge. 1970.
− Christopher Alexander, The Timeless Way of Building, New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1979.
Assessment/Evaluation & Grading System

50% Exam 50% Papers

Chapter one
Introduction and Development of Architecture

Chapter Two
Fundamental Components of Architecture

Chapter Three
Universal theoretical concepts of Architecture and the local practice
Chapter Four
Development of Architectural Design in relation to society and environment

Chapter Five
Cultural, historical and economic aspects that shape architecture & urbanism

Chapter Six
Structure, Technology & materials Culture
Chapter Seven
Climate & topography in Architecture
Chapter one
Introduction and Development of Architecture
Definition of Architecture
Originated from the Greek word “ARCHITEKTON”. ARCHI means GREAT and TEKTON means BUILDER

Architecture is the art and science of building/ built environment

Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light

Architecture is a discipline, a profession and a state of mind

Design Development General
Architecture begins with an idea. Good design solutions are not merely physically interesting but are

driven by underlying ideas.

The more specific a design idea is, the greater its appeal is likely to be.

Good designers are fast on their feet

Soft ideas, soft lines; hard ideas, hard lines.

A good designer is not afraid to throw away a good idea.

Being process-oriented, not product driven, is the most important and difficult skill for a designer to develop.

The most effective, most creative problem solvers engage in a process of meta-thinking, or “thinking about the

thinking.”

Engineers tend to be concerned with physical things in and of themselves. Architects are more directly concerned

with the human interface with physical things.

An Architect knows something about everything. An engineer knows everything about one thing.
Architecture is an exercise in truth

Build to the street wall

Limitations encourage creativity

Architects are late bloomers

Assignment 1
Using one page and two sources
1. Choose a definition of Architecture and explain using at least two sources

2. What is an idea? Choose your definition for an idea and explain

3. State the best design process for you and explain why
Chapter Two
Fundamental Components/ Elements of Architecture
Space: What it is and who determines it and its influence
Definition
Space is the part of a building we move through and experience

Space, that immaterial essence that the painter suggests and the sculptor fills, the architect

envelops, creating a wholly human and finite environment within the infinite environment of

nature.

Space is absence of mass, filled by air

More on Space
Architecture is the thoughtful making of spaces

The area in between, which has no visible mass, is what we refer to space

Architectural space can only be created through the use of forms

We move through negative spaces and dwell in positive spaces

Our experience of an architectural space is strongly affected by how we arrive in it.

Suburban buildings are freestanding objects in space. Urban buildings are often shapers of

space

Space planning is the organizing or arranging of spaces to accommodate functional needs.

Columns are not merely structural elements; they are tools for organizing and shaping space

The concept that space can have a quality other than emptiness is difficult to grasp.

Places are sustainable spaces. Places are deeply memorable for their architectural and

experiential qualities.
Spatial Relationship of Spaces
Spatial Organization of Spaces
Assignment 2
Using one or two page
Describe your first semester design projects space using

1. The Spatial relationship of spaces notion

2. The spatial organization of the spaces notion

Form: What it is and who determines it and its influence
Definition
A static composition appears to be at rest

Form refers to the shape or configuration of a building.

Form in architecture refers to the shape, structure, and arrangement of a building or object.

In ancient Greek the word ‘idea’ was the word ‘form’ in Latin. Therefore, an idea is the origin of

form; there is no form without idea. Form is the result of the relation with an idea, with a

purpose; idea is the generative force of form. Therefore, there cannot be form without idea.

Space and mass are the raw materials of architectural form

More on Form
A good building reveals different things about itself when viewed from different distances

A dynamic composition encourages the eye to explore

An appreciation for asymmetrical balance is considered by many to demonstrate a capacity for higher-order thinking

Beauty is due more to harmonious relationships among the elements of a composition than the elements themselves

Square buildings, building wings, and rooms can be difficult to organize

When having difficulty resolving a floor plan, site plan, building elevation, section, or building shape consider it as a 2D

or 3D composition
Some of the characteristics of form include:
Shape – the outline of the form

Size – the dimensions of the form, proportions and scale

Color – the color of the form will affect its visual weight

Texture – the texture of a form will affect how light is reflected or absorbed

Position – where the form is located in relation to its environment

Orientation – the position of the form in relation to the ground, compass points or the person

viewing the form

The primary elements of form

❖ The primary elements of form are points, lines, planes and volumes

❖ Each one growing from the other.

❖ A point is a position in space,

❖ A line is the extension of a point.

❖ A surface or plane, is the extension of a line.

❖ A volume is a plane extended.

The most significant primary shapes are the circle, triangle and square.
The primary solids are the sphere, cylinder, cone, pyramid and cube.
Regular and irregular forms
A regular form is considered to be a form that is consistent and orderly. They are generally symmetrical

about one or more axes. The sphere, cylinder, cone and cube are examples of regular forms. These forms

can be changed by the addition or subtraction of elements, but can still remain regular.
An irregular form is one whose parts are dissimilar and generally inconsistent and asymmetrical.

A regular form can be contained within an irregular form.

Transformation of form
Many variations of a form can be generated from the primary solids, by manipulating dimensions of the solids, or

adding or subtracting elements.

Additive and

subtractive

forms
Function: What it is and how to determine
Definition and Explanation
Designed architectural space that accommodate a specific program, experience, or intent.

Function is the usage or the activity that will be held inside the space or building more important

than how it looks, function change over time.

The function of a building plays a major role in its design, as it determines the specific needs and

requirements of the space. For example, a hospital will have a different design than an office

building, as the needs of the two spaces are very different.

 Types of Function

1. Use and user function.

Function can refer to intended uses and activities. In short, this is what architects call program

2. Technical function

Structural and mechanical systems are crucial to the function of architecture. These systems in turn

respond to the constraints of the site, program, and available building technologies. Architects should

possess a clear understanding of physical processes that underpin the building’s own construction

and operation
3. Environmental function.

Architectural function can also be considered from the outside in — as a response to the

environment and context. A building’s enclosure system acts to modulate the effects of sun,

rain, dust, and other elements. A sophisticated building envelope can reduce the amount of

energy needed to maintain a comfortable interior, and lower the owner’s costs for

maintenance. In this sense, functional design aligns with sustainable design.

4. Economic function.

A functionally optimal building is a sound investment both for large organizations and

individual owners. With our clients’ long-term economic interests in mind, we seek to

source locally available building materials, streamline the construction process, maximize

usable floor space, improve thermal performance, simplify maintenance and cleaning

activities, and take other measures designed to reduce lifetime costs and boost

operational efficiency. At this level, function translates directly to business logic.

 5. Symbolic function.

Some types of function cannot be quantified or expressed in instrumental terms, yet they cannot

be ignored. This is the case with civic and cultural projects that are meant to embody the history,

values, and identity of a community or a nation. An embassy, for example, represents one state

to another.
The function of a building can determines its design include:
Size and layout: The size and layout of a building will be determined by the number of people

who will be using the space and the types of activities that will take place there.

Materials and finishes: The materials and finishes used in a building will be chosen based

on their durability, maintenance requirements, and the overall aesthetic of the space
Systems and infrastructure: The systems and infrastructure of a building, such as

electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, will be designed based on the specific needs of the

building and its occupants.

Accessibility: The accessibility of a building, including the number and location of doors

and elevators, will be determined based on the needs of the people who will be using the

space.
Overall, the function of a building plays a significant role in its design, as it determines the

specific needs and requirements of the space and influences the materials, systems, and

layout of the building.

Assignment 3
Using one or two page
Describe your first semester design project form:- how the form is organized

1. Based on the primary solids

2. Based on the primary shapes

Chapter Two
Development of Architectural Design in relation to society

and environment
Society and Architecture

➢ Who do we do architecture for?

➢ Why do we do it?

➢ What are we doing when we are doing architecture?

➢ A society is a group of people who depend upon one another for survival or well-being.

➢ A solitary man living in his solitary house is nothing; he does not exist. Men in a city are legion;

there are millions of them. Architecture, having accomplished its own revolution, can no longer do

anything to help modern society; it is doomed to stagnation as long as it has no program (official

social status) and no environment (its precise urban function must be formulated). Cities are made

by planning, and architecture can do nothing without such plans. For the houses it creates are in

cities; they are the cities themselves.

LE CORBUSIER, EXCERPTS FROM THE RADIANT CITY. First Published in 1935

➢ Today, a society is perhaps best described as what Ajun Appadurai (1990) has

called an ETHNOSCAPE: a global distribution of people associated with each

other by history, kinship, friendship, and webs of mutual understandings.

➢ Culture is the way members of a society adapt to their environment and give meaning to

their lives. It includes behavior and ideas that are learned rather than genetically

transmitted as well as the material objects a group of people produces

➢ Culture: norms and values relating to hierarchy, privacy, personal space and interaction.
➢ People make places in which to do the things they do in their lives—places to eat,

to sleep, to shop, to worship, to argue, to learn, to store, and so on and on. The

way in which people organize their places is related to their beliefs and their

aspirations, their world view. As world views vary, so does architecture: at the

personal level; at the social and cultural level; and between different sub-cultures

within a society.
➢ Culture can be seen in three major ways:

A. as a way of life typifies a group;

B. as a system of symbols, meanings and cognitive schemata and

C.as a set of adaptive strategies for survival, related to ecology and resources
Globalization

➢ can be defined as the integration of economic, political and social cultures and is

related to the spreading of modernization across borders. It theorizes the

development of a global economy in the sense that the world is moving in the

direction of more efficient use of resources and the means of production.

➢ Architecture is operated by and for people, who have needs and desires, beliefs and

aspirations; who have aesthetic sensibilities which are affected by warmth, touch, odor,

sound, as well as by visual stimuli; who do things, and whose activities have practical

requirements; who see meaning and significance in the world around them.

➢ Architecture has its elements, patterns, and structures (both physical and intellectual).

People and their activities are an indispensable component of architecture, not merely as

spectators to be entertained, but as contributors and participants.

➢ The conditions within which one can engage in architecture are therefore complex,

perhaps more so than for any other art form. There are the physical conditions

imposed by the natural world and how it works: space and solid, time, gravity, weather,

light…. There are also the fickler political conditions provided by the interactions of

human beings individually and in society.

➢ Individual liberty Vs. Community Architecture
ENVIRONMENT

➢ What constitutes the environment of a building? Briefly, it is all that surrounds the site

on that part of the Earth, including the landscape, be it desert, valley, mountain,

forest, seaside, or riverside, and what is above the surface with its seven zones that

envelop the Earth and influence terrestrial life.

➢ Some materials are transparent and some are opaque to the various components of this

radiation. Man should be careful not to disturb the natural electromagnetic balance by

improperly selecting the material he uses for his dwelling.

➢ These details demonstrate that the architect has a moral responsibility to consider whatever

may affect the efficiency of the building and the well-being of the people whom he is housing.

Besides the tangible and measurable features of the environment, there exist intangible

elements, but insufficient scientific information prevents their use in town planning and

architectural design.
➢ The techniques and equipment available to the architect today free him from nearly all material

constraints. He has the run of centuries of styles and can choose his plans from every continent

on earth. But he must remember that he is not building in a vacuum and placing his houses in

empty space, as mere plans on a blank sheet of paper. He is introducing a new element into an

environment that has existed in equilibrium for a very long time. He has responsibilities to what

surrounds the site, and, if he shirks this responsibility and does violence to the environment by

building without reference to it, he is committing a crime against architecture and civilization.
Assignment 4
Using one or two page
Describe your first semester design project form:- how you respond society and environment

1. How was the culture of the society considered?

2. How was your design harmonized with the environment?

On the bottom of the assignment put the introductory speech of “God must be crazy” film.
Chapter Three
Universal theoretical concepts of Architecture and the local practice
Local Practice

At the time of Majesty ( Haylesilassie)… Well defined

At DERGE Regime … socialist oriented

Contemporary…. Confused contemporary

At the time of Majesty ( Haylesilassie)… Well defined
At DERGE

Regime …

socialist

oriented
Contemporary…. Confused contemporary
Universal theoretical concepts

Assignment five:

Write the basic architectural theory of the prominent architects listed below and

show at least two buildings, of them, that demonstrate their theory.

Antiquity …………………... Vitruvius

Middle Ages ……………… Abbot Suger

Renaissance ………….…. Andre Palladio, Alberty

Nineteenth Century ………John Ruskin, Violet le Duc, Antoni Gaudi

20th Century ………. ……. Adolf loos, Ero Saarinen, Eric Mendelson, Richard Neutra

Post Modern ……… ……. Robert Venturi, Charles Jencks

Deconstruction …………. Frank Ghery, Jacques Derida

Chapter Four
Cultural, historical and economic aspects that shape architecture &

urbanism
Culture and Architecture
What does culture mean?

Culture: is the whole way of life, material, intellectual, and spiritual, of a given society

Culture embraces complex ways, of living, value, system, traditions, beliefs, and

habits; including knowledge, morals, law and custom, acquired by those within

society.
Factors that affect a society culture are:

Religion

Identity

Social life

Politics

Globalization
The Relationship between Culture and Architecture

The culture of each society is identified through its manifestations such as language, art, and

architecture, and analysis in the field of culture is related to the society of cultural manifestations.

Architecture is a matter of human life reflects the culture in every society interacting closely with

structural, historical, political, economic, and social features of society.

The culture of each community defines the identity of the community and architecture as a social

phenomenon was originated from the culture and its effects.

➢ Architecture in one hand is a reflection of city culture, and in the other hand

architecture can change our culture.

➢ In some cities you can study and understand the culture of its people from its

buildings, other cities the architecture of a building create culture of the city.
Cities influenced by the culture of the people
1. The Greek Parthenon
2. The Egyptian pyramids
Cities that created culture to the people

1. Mecca
2. Las Vegas
Chapter Five
Structure, Technology & materials Culture; Climate & topography in

Architecture