DESIGN PRINCIPLES IN

ARCHITECTURE
Design Principles, Ordering Principles, Basic Components of Design
Design Principles in Architecture
Is Design Intuitive or Is design Learned
By design, we are not only referring to Architecture but design
holistically
Design is both intuitive and can also be learnt
Great designers design mostly by intuition
Intuition is a reflexive and innate kind of knowing
Majority of designers can learn the principles of design
Design Principles: Ordering Principles
Axis: A line established by two points in space, about which forms
and spaces can be arranged in a symmetrical or balanced manner.
Datum: A line, plane, or volume that, by its continuity and regularity, serves
to gather, measure, and organize a pattern of forms and spaces.
Balance: A composition is balanced when its various aspects are in
equilibrium and in harmony. A balanced composition is intuitively
comfortable for the viewer. The easiest way to achieve balance is through
symmetry.
Symmetry/Asymmetry: The balanced distribution and arrangement of
equivalent forms and spaces on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane, or
about a centre or axis. Opposite is asymmetry.
Design Principles
Rhythm: A unifying movement characterized by a patterned repetition
or alternation of formal elements or motifs in the same or a modified
form.
Repetition: Concept of repeating same or similar objects in a
composition to improve the attractiveness. However, monotony should
be avoided. Repetition also has practical implications for building
components
Emphasis: This implies the focal point of a composition. This draws the
eyes to a composition before the eyes can study other details. Principle
makes a specific element to gain attention of the eyes.
Design Principles
Hierarchy: The articulation of the importance or significance of a form or
space by its size, shape, or placement relative to the other forms and spaces of the
organization.
Movement: The path the viewers eyes take to observe the work of Art often leading to the
focal point of the design. Can be directed along lines, edges, shapes, colour, pattern, etc
Contrast: Here two or more components in a design are different. Contrast draws attention
to the contrasting elements. Contrast can be used to moderate repetition
Unity: Unity signifies harmony in composition
Massing: Usually refers to the arrangement of the three dimensional components of the
building. Massing is what you observe by looking at a building from afar.
Transformation: The principle that an architectural concept, structure, or organization can
be altered through a series of discrete manipulations and permutations in response to a
specific context or set of conditions without a loss of identity or concept.
Proportional and Scale
Scale and Proportion relate to size
Scale is the size of one object in relation to the other objects in a design.
Usually in architecture scale has a relationship with the human size.
Proportion is size of parts of an object in relation to other parts of the
object. Example is the length of your arm relative to your height
Proportion plays key role in composition because it deals with the
relationship of one component to another
Scale relates all architectural design to the human dimension
Theories of Proportion
Golden Section: The Golden Section can be defined as the ratio
between two sections of a line, or the two dimensions of a plane figure,
in which the lesser of the two is to the greater as the greater is to the
sum of both.
The Greek Temple of Parthenon illustrates this proportioning system
Theories of Proportion
Classical Order: To the Greeks and Romans of classical antiquity, the
Orders represented in their proportioning of elements the perfect
expression of beauty and harmony. The basic unit of dimension was
the diameter of the column. From this module were derived the
dimensions of the shaft, the capital, as well as the pedestal below and
the entablature above, down to the smallest detail.
Intercolumniation—the system of spacing between columns—was also
based on the diameter of the column.
Theories of Proportion
Renaissance Theories: The architects of the Renaissance, believing that
their buildings had to belong to a higher order, returned to the Greek
mathematical system of proportions. Just as the Greeks conceived
music to be geometry translated into sound, Renaissance architects
believed that architecture was mathematics translated into spatial units.
Applying Pythagoras’ theory of means to the ratios of the intervals of
the Greek musical scale, they developed an unbroken progression of
ratios that formed the basis for the proportions of their architecture.
These series of ratios manifested themselves not only in the
dimensions of a room or a facade, but also in the interlocking
proportions of a sequence of spaces or an entire plan.
Theories of Proportions
Modulor: Le Corbusier developed his proportioning system, the
Modulor, to order “the dimensions of that which contains and that
which is contained.” He saw the measuring tools of the Greeks,
Egyptians, and other high civilizations as being “infinitely rich and
subtle because they formed part of the mathematics of the human
body, gracious, elegant, and firm, the source of that harmony which
moves us, beauty.” He therefore based his measuring tool, the Modulor,
on both mathematics (the aesthetic dimensions of the Golden Section
and the Fibonacci Series), and the proportions of the human body
(functional dimensions).
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Theories of Proportion
Theories of Proportion
Theories of Proportion
Ken: The ken, however, was not only a measurement for the
construction of buildings. It evolved into an aesthetic module that
ordered the structure, materials, and space of Japanese architecture.

In a typical Japanese residence, the ken grid orders the structure as

well as the additive, space-to-space sequence of rooms. The relatively
small size of the module allows the rectangular spaces to be freely
arranged in linear, staggered, or clustered patterns.
Theories of Proportion
Anthropometry: Anthropometry refers to the measurement of the size
and proportions of the human body. While the architects of the
Renaissance saw the proportions of the human figure as a
reaffirmation that certain mathematical ratios reflected the harmony of
their universe, anthropometric proportioning methods seek not
abstract or symbolic ratios, but functional ones. They are predicated on
the theory that forms and spaces in architecture are either containers
or extensions of the human body and should therefore be determined
by its dimensions.
Theories of Proportion
Components of Design
Point: Every conceptualization of architectural design starts with a point. A point
indicates a position in space
Line: An extended point becomes a line. A line has length, direction and position
Plane: Extended lines becomes a plane and it possesses length and width, shape,
surface, orientation, position
Volume: Extended planes becomes volume. Volume possesses the properties of:
i. length, width, and depth
ii. form and space
iii. Surface
iv. Orientation
v. position
Illustration (Point, Line, Plane, Volume)
Three Generic Planes
In architectural design, we manipulate three generic types of planes:
Overhead Plane: can be either the roof plane that spans and shelters
the interior spaces of a building from the climatic elements, or the
ceiling plane that forms the upper enclosing surface of a room.
Wall Plane: The wall plane, because of its vertical orientation, is active
in our normal field of vision and vital to the shaping and enclosure of
architectural space.
Base Plane: The base plane can be either the ground plane that serves
as the physical foundation and visual base for building forms, or the
floor plane that forms the lower enclosing surface of a room upon
which we walk.
Planar Composition (Falling Waters)
Components of Design
Space: Space is enclosed by planes, natural feature or man-made
objects. Space can be internal or external. Space can be interconnected
Shape: The characteristic outline or surface configuration of a
particular form. It is the principal aspect by which we identify and
categorize forms
Form: interface between mass and space. It is an external appearance
of an object that can be recognized. Form is usually perceived in three
dimensions
Shape and Form
Form suggests reference to both internal structure and external outline
and the principle that gives unity to the whole.
While form often includes a sense of three-dimensional mass or
volume, shape refers more specifically to the essential aspect of form
that governs its appearance—the configuration or relative disposition
of the lines or contours that delimit a figure or form.
Design Studio as Centre of Design Learning
The design activity in Architecture is all about the manipulation of the
concepts outlined earlier.
Ideally, design is a hands-on activity and the student learns while doing it.
The design studio is the workshop where the learning takes place
Prior to the establishment of formal schools of Architecture, such learning
was done under apprenticeship systems under an architecture practice
environment.
By applying the principles enunciated above to design, the design skill can be
learnt. Even for architects that arrive at design by intuition, the principles will
help to give order to the design.
Evaluating Design
There are no specific standards for evaluating architecture
However, evaluation criteria will usually revolve around the main
purpose of architecture
Function
Structure
Aesthetics
In addition, the various concepts explored earlier will help the
evaluator to decide if the design measures up to expectation