THEORY OF

ARCHITECTURE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

UNDERSTAND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE

IDENTIFY THE ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF

DESIGN FROM REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS

APPLY THE THEORIES TO ARCHITECURAL

SOLUTIONS
THEORY?
THEORY
ARCHITECTURE?
ARCHITECTURE
-The art and science of designing and
constructing buildings
THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE
It is a system of design principles used in the
design process of creating architectural
solutions
PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
• Point
• Line
• Plane
• Volume
 POINT
• Marks a position in space
• Has no length, width and depth
• Static and directionless
POINT
 LINE
• An extended point
• Has length but no width or depth
• Capable of expressing direction,
movement, stability and growth
 LINE
A line can be observed
from:

• Linear elements such as

obelisks, bridges, etc.

• Bounding edges of
planes
LINE
 PLANE
• An line extended other than its intrinsic
direction
• Has width and length but no depth
• Is formed when the bounding lines form a
closed loop
• Shape is its identifying characteristic
 PLANE
In arch’l design we can
manipulate 3 types of planes

• Overhead plane
• Wall plane
• Base / Ground Plane
PLANE
 VOLUME
• An plane extended other than its intrinsic
direction
• Has width and length and depth
• Is formed when several planes meet
together
• Form is the primary identifying
characteristic of a volume
VOLUME
FORM
-The manner of arranging the primary
elements so as to produce a coherent
image
 FORM
Visual Properties

• Shape – the outline of a surface

• Size – physical dimensions of length, width and

depth of a form

• Texture – tactile quality of a surface

• Color – A phenomenon of light and visual perception

 FORM
Relational Properties

• Position – the location of a form relative to its

environment

• Orientation – the direction of a form relative to a

plane, compass points or to the viewer

• Visual Inertia– degree of concentration and stability

PRINCIPLES OF ARCH’L DESIGN
• Balance
• Rhythm
• Emphasis
• Proportion and scale
• Contrast
• Unity
 BALANCE
• FORMAL
• Parts of the design are symmetrical in relation
to a centerline or axis
• INFORMAL
• Parts of the design are asymmetrical but are
equal in visual weight
 RHYTHM
• Repeated use of line, shape, color, texture
or pattern

• Repetition
• Random
• Progression
RHYTHM
EMPHASIS
• The feature in
design that attracts
one eye to a certain
focal point
 PROPORTION AND SCALE
• Scale is the relative size of one object to
another

• Proportion is the relationship between

parts as a whole
SCALE
 CONTRAST
• Two or more distinct parts of a design

• It can be created with

• Color
• Proportion and scale
• Shape
• Texture
• Style
CONTRAST
CONTRAST
 UNITY

• When all of the design elements create a

holistic feeling

• Achieved by the consistent use of lines,

color, material, etc.