Basics : architecture and dynamics

Basics – the phenomena of form How do architecture and environmental art communicate with us? Which forms generate movement? Which generate stillness? What is centered and what is directional? How can forms be used to generate spaces in our lives? The effect of architectural and artistic forms is based on the phenomena of the basic elements: point, line and plane. Architectural space is defined by its boundaries, where each element is evaluated by its inherent energies . As architecture is also the organization of space, these elements are described in terms of their influence on each other and on their surroundings. In an attempt to understand these elements in terms of architecture, this book examines them based on the research of Bauhaus member Wassily Kandinsky. Through the inherent qualities of these elements we can understand the effect of energies, tensions, and dynamics in all existing objects, buildings and landscapes as the organization of movement and stillness. This book contains an abundance of diagrams and examples especially selected to describe these elements and their architectural manifestations and to show the manifold ways in which they communicate with us. In Basics the borders between architecture and art disappear making them accessible to everyone interested in these fields. Point And Point-element : 1. Place And Center, The Point-element Itself : Manifestations Of Point-elements ; Origin And Void, The Point As Idea ; Non-directional And Directional -- 2. Balance Point And Center, The Point Element And Its Surroundings : Balance Point ; Pivot And Center: The Vertical ; Transformation From Non-direction To Directional -- 3. Space Filter And Spatial Field, The Propagation Of Point-elements : Linear Arrangement, Row ; Spatial Arrangement, Field -- Line And Linear Element : 1. Guide-track-path, The Linear Element Itself, On The Line : Manifestations Of Linear Elements : Formation Of The Line Through Dynamic Forces -- 2. Separation: Partition, The Linear Element And Its Surroundings, Beside The Line : Separation ; Partition -- 3. Direction Of Space: Guiding Space, The Propagation Of The Linear Element : Duplication ; Row ; Linear Volumes --^ Plane And Planar Element : Plane And Area, The Planar Element Itself, On The Plane : Manifestations Of Planar Elements ; Outline ; Spreading Or Filling ; Basic Plane ; The Phenomenon Of The Plane -- 2. Figure And Ground, The Planar Element And Its Surroundings : Visual Perception Of Planar Elements ; The Tactile Perception Of Planes -- 3. Composition And Layering, The Propagation Of The Planar Element : Composition Of Planes (side By Side) ; Layering Of Planes (on Top Of Each Other) ; Elevation Of Planes ; Stacking Of Planes (one Over Another) -- Space And Spatial Element : 1. Space Itself, Body Or Volume : Body And Mass, The Space Is Full ; Volume And Boundary, The Space Is Empty ; Forming Space, The Influence Of The Ceiling ; Form-finding Processes -- 2. Space And Its Surrounding, Spatial Definition Through Boundaries : Filtering (through Point-elements) ; Dividing (through Linear Elements) ; Zoning (with Planar Elements) ; Spatial Body, Spatial Field --^ 3. Spatial Sequences, Addition Of Spaces : Horizontal Spatial Sequences ; Vertical Spatial Sequences ; Free Organization And Constellation Of The Volumes ; Immaterial Elements. Franziska Ullmann. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 202-204). Front Matter....Pages 1-9 Front Matter....Pages 11-12 Place and Center. The Point-Element Itself....Pages 12-31 Balance Point and Center. The Point-Element and its Surroundings....Pages 32-37 Space Filter and Spatial Field. The Propagation of Point-Elements....Pages 38-51 Front Matter....Pages 53-54 Guide — Track — Path. The Linear Element Itself. On the Line....Pages 54-71 Separation — Partition. The Linear Element and its Surroundings. Beside the Line....Pages 72-81 Direction of Space — Guiding Space. The Propagation of the Linear Element....Pages 82-91 Front Matter....Pages 93-94 Plane and Area. The Planar Element Itself. On the Plane....Pages 94-109 Figure and Ground. The Planar Element and its Surroundings....Pages 110-121 Composition and Layering. The Propagation of the Planar Element....Pages 122-131 Front Matter....Pages 133-134 Space Itself....Pages 134-169 Space and its Surroundings. Spatial Definition through Boundaries....Pages 170-177 Spatial Sequences. Addition of Spaces....Pages 178-201 Back Matter....Pages 200-205 What elements constitute space? What's a solitaire and what makes a solitaire a monument? Why is a building profane and what makes a space a sacred space? These and many other issues are addressed in this standard reference on basic architectural forms.