34 / Architecture: Form, Space, & Order

FOR M
Form is an inclusive term that has several meanings. It may refer to an In the context of this study, form suggests reference to both internal
external appearance that can be recognized, as that of a chair or the structure and external outline and the principle that gives unity to the whole.
human body that sits in it. It may also allude to a particular condition in While form often includes a sense of three-dimensional mass or volume, shape
which something acts or manifests itself, as when we speak of water in the refers more specifically to the essential aspect of form that governs its
form of ice or steam. In art and design, we often use the term to denote the appearance—the configuration or relative disposition of the lines or contours
formal structure of a work—the manner of arranging and coordinating the that delimit a figure or form.
elements and parts of a composition so as to produce a coherent image.
Shape The characteristic outline or surface

configuration of a particular form.
Shape is the principal aspect by which
we identify and categorize forms.
In addition to shape, forms have

visual properties of:
Size The physical dimensions of length,

width, and depth of a form. While
these dimensions determine the
proportions of a form, its scale is
determined by its size relative to
other forms in its context.
Color A phenomenon of light and visual

perception that may be described in
terms of an individual’s perception
of hue, saturation, and tonal value.
Color is the attribute that most
clearly distinguishes a form from its
environment. It also affects the visual
weight of a form.
Texture The visual and especially tactile

quality given to a surface by the size,
shape, arrangement, and proportions
of the parts. Texture also determines
the degree to which the surfaces of a
form reflect or absorb incident light.
3 4 / ARC HIT EC T UR E: FOR M , S PA C E , & O R D E R

PR O PERT I E S OF F ORM
Forms also have relational properties that govern

the pattern and composition of elements:
Position The location of a form relative to

its environment or the visual field
within which it is seen.
Orientation The direction of a form relative

to the ground plane, the compass
points, other forms, or to the
person viewing the form.
Visual Inertia The degree of concentration

and stability of a form. The
visual inertia of a form depends
on its geometry as well as its
orientation relative to the ground
plane, the pull of gravity, and our
line of sight.
All of these properties of form are in reality affected by the conditions under which we view them.
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FORM / 3 5
SHA P E
Shape refers to the characteristic outline of

a plane figure or the surface configuration of
a volumetric form. It is the primary means by
which we recognize, identify, and categorize
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shape depends on the degree of visual contrast
that exists along the contour separating a
figure from its ground or between a form and
its field.
Bust of Queen Nefertiti

The pattern of eye movement of a person
viewing the figure, from research by Alfred
L. Yarbus of the Institute for Problems of
Information Transmission in Moscow.
In architecture, we are concerned with the

shapes of:
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space
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enclosure
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SHAPE
These examples illustrate how shaping the juncture between mass and space
expresses the manner in which the contours of a building mass rise from the
ground plane and meet the sky.
Central Pavilion, Horyu-Ji Temple, Nara, Japan, A.D. 607
Villa Garches, Vaucresson, France, 1926–1927,

Le Corbusier. This architectural composition
illustrates the interplay between the shapes of
planar solids and voids.
Suleymaniye Mosque,
Constantinople (Istanbul), 1551–1558,
Mimar Sinan
FORM / 3 7
P R I M A RY SHAPE S
Gestalt psychology affirms that the mind will simplify the visual environment in order to understand
it. Given any composition of forms, we tend to reduce the subject matter in our visual field to
the simplest and most regular shapes. The simpler and more regular a shape is, the easier it is to
perceive and understand.
From geometry we know the regular shapes to be the circle, and the infinite series of regular
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the circle, the triangle, and the square.
Circle A plane curve every point of which is equidistant

from a fixed point within the curve
Triangle A plane figure bounded by three sides and

having three angles
Square A plane figure having four equal sides and four

right angles

34 / Architecture: Form, Space, & Order

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FOR M

Shape The characteristic outline or surface

In addition to shape, forms have

Size The physical dimensions of length,

Color A phenomenon of light and visual

Texture The visual and especially tactile

3 4 / ARC HIT EC T UR E: FOR M , S PA C E , & O R D E R

Forms also have relational properties that govern

Position The location of a form relative to

Orientation The direction of a form relative

Visual Inertia The degree of concentration

Shape refers to the characteristic outline of

Bust of Queen Nefertiti

In architecture, we are concerned with the

t GMPPS XBMM BOEDFJMJOHQMBOFTUIBUFODMPTF

3 6 / ARC HIT EC T UR E: FOR M , S PA C E , & O R D E R

Central Pavilion, Horyu-Ji Temple, Nara, Japan, A.D. 607

Villa Garches, Vaucresson, France, 1926–1927,

Circle A plane curve every point of which is equidistant

Triangle A plane figure bounded by three sides and

Square A plane figure having four equal sides and four

3 8 / ARC HIT EC T UR E: FOR M , S PA C E , & O R D E R

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