Formal Spatial Design in Architecture

[Music]you[Music]Luis Khan once said architecture is thethoughtful making of space there is anart of composing spaces that createspacial and aesthetic relationships thisis the art of architecture today's sofew buildings have a thoughtfulcomposition of spacespace today is created as anafterthought to the functionalstructural and economic requirements ofthe building at best these modern spacesare just a bunch of rectangular boxesarranged in a floor plan we must lookback to the history of architecture tosee truly artful compositions of space[Music]here is an analysis of Bramante's st.Peter's from a sketch by Leonardo daVinci from his sketchbooks[Music][Music][Music]here is a volumetric analysis of theSanta Maria del car sorry bye ghoulia nodel Sangalo this building was built in1482 in florence using dynamic symmetrythe square is added to with side squaresthis creates the floorplan formalspatial design comes to us from theEgyptians Greeks in Romans during theRenaissance formal spatial designreached new heights as architects andartists developed new ideas forperspective and geometric design theygot many ideas from studying EgyptianGreek and Roman precedent the wordformal here means that the design isstarted from a three-dimensionalgeometric form cubes spheres andcylinders often the design is started intwo dimensions as a flat geometricfigure and extruded up into threedimensionsformal geometry had special significanceapart from just the form itself platonicsolids since Greek times representedforces of the universe in the MiddleAges and into the Renaissance there wasmuch importance paid to sacred geometryespecially in church architecture oftenthe geometric forms represented a vastwealth of other ideas and principlesgeometry wasn't just abstract forms butrather a visual language of meaningchurch architectures visual language wasmeant to represent the cosmos the crossshaped interior spaces held supremesymbolic and mythical significanceduring the Renaissance architects andartists look back to Roman and Greekarchitecture to create a language ofgeometric forms that were rooted inclassical history the Romans inparticular had perfected spatial designin buildings and cities and there wasmuch to learn from them[Music]this is one of the first Renaissancechurches designed on a Greek cross planit is a concept which merges anaspiration for spatial centrality withthe symbolic religious references to thecross for equal rectangular extensionsare joined to the square central spacecalled Tribune the centrality of thesquare is emphasized by the dome abovethe pure geometry is based on the circlein a square and controlled by the simpleone to two proportional relationship thewhole composition resembles a cross withfour equal arms a simple hierarchy ofthe plan is reflected in thearticulation of the volumes as thesequence of spaces decreases in size asthe high moves downward from the highestpoint of the dome to the base of thebuildinggeometry the square cube as ageometrical object most clearlycommunicates the notion of enclosure andis also the symbol of stability the cubeamong the platonic solids symbolizesearth figure-ground figure-ground is theperceptual process of identifying afigure form within a ground form thefigure form becomes dominant while theground formas in the background additionaddition is one of the simplest orderingtechniques for geometric composition thegeometric forms are only closely joinedand forma accumulation or group theirrelationship comes from proximity oftenwith addition there is an expressedhierarchy of spatial elementspenetration or overlap two or morespaces of different forms overlap andmerge into a new shape the two spacesthen overlapped retain theirindependence remain recognizable andtogether create a new spatial form whentwo spaces overlap this creates a spacewithin a space or nesting of spacenesting geometric forms can besuperimposed on other forms one formthat appears to be within another space[Music]right believed that making a space orroom was the primary intent ofarchitecture[Music]he said the reality of the building doesnot consist in the walls and the roofbut in the space within to be lived inthe space a room was the generator ofarchitectural form all other orderingideas were subordinate to this principlethe spatial investigation of the roomwas the focus of Wright's work becauseit's essential part in the experience ofthe inhabitant the room was a placewhere man was truly embodied in a worldof his own making rather than have apure cube as the form of space rightcreated a dynamic room by fusion oroverlapping independent volumes rightused the cruciform often in his workthis was two rectangular volumes thatenter penetrated each other to form acube at its center this produces atension between a stable center and adynamic extension of space[Music]you[Music]the fusion or nesting of severalinterpenetrating spaces led to acontinuity of space the integration oftraditionally separate roomsthis brought an experience of the spacethat was full of mystery and discoveringthis integration of space require theoccupant to decipher through personalexperience the definition of spacemultiple spatial interpretations couldbe gained and a more engaging experienceresulted unlike other visual arts likedrawing or painting where the illusionof space is created through varioustechniques in architecture space isactually built people can move throughthe space and experience it directly ina physical way space is not just purelyvisual but physical and tactile as wellWright's interpretation of the basicelements of architecture were not takento oppose or destroy the history of thediscipline as did other modernarchitectsrather it was to continue it in aninventive and liberating waylike other architects from the historyof architecture right was fundamentallyconcerned with the definition andcreation of inhabited space[Music]finally we see the plans of the unitytemple and how all the elements cametogether into the final composition[Music]you