The Meaning of Architectural Form, Essay Example

Introduction

The form is the physical outline of something. Therefore, an architectural form can be expressed as the way something looks physically. Form and space constitute elements of architecture. They are essential since an initial goal of any architectural work is to provide people with shelter. While designing, both shape and form are scaled. Buildings surrounding the main architectural structure may have a significant impact on the way that architectural structure is perceived by the viewer. Importantly, reaching a specific architectural style is one of the ultimate goals of an architect. Therefore, an architectural form is of importance. Form in building architecture provides “contact” between space and an object. (Gunce, Erturk, and Erturk, 12). Architectural form and space intertwine. It should be said that elements of the architectural form and shape are primarily determined by a designer who seeks to express the interior and exterior design of the architectural form.

A form does not necessarily have to be the shape or outline of an object; it can encompass the other aspects of an object to attain its perceived form. Architectural forms can take different shapes. They take regular shapes, irregular shapes, mixed shapes, or even those inspired by nature itself. An architectural form can be divided into three distinct categories which categories such as mass, space, and facade defined by visual perception. Each of the categories requires a special approach to its creation. What’s more, the form relates to both the interior design and exterior design (Gunçe, Erturk, and Erturk, 9).

Different forms create different atmospheres depending on their architecture, which a designer wanted to convey in the first place. The exterior design of a building may convey either an architect’s preferences or a client’s preferences. All over the world cases are known in which musicians have designed their swimming pools or even houses to take the form of a guitar or beach hotels having swimming pools make the form of palm trees. Interestingly, the coloring put into the form may express the core values of the form, for example, it can symbolize a company’s brand.

The Effect of Forms and Shapes on Consciousness

The shape is generally the configuration of edges and surfaces that form objects, which can be either two dimensional or three dimensional. Shape preferences may denote somebody’s culture or memory, for example in many ancient cultures the pyramid was used to indicate the religion of a certain culture Ching, 25).

Form and shape can be perceived as two dimensional having both width and height and three-dimensional figures, which have the same characteristics to the two dimensional with the addition of depth. Forms and shapes can further be described as organic or geometric. Organic forms are mostly to be naturally occurring while geometric forms correlate to regular structures such as rectangles triangles squares and circles (Gunce, Erturk, and Erturk, 29). Therefore, one may choose a form that easily blends in with the environment. Another essential thing to consider is that the way we perceive things can be affected by other things than light and shape. According to Elnimeiri and Almusharaf, “the position from which we see an object will emphasize or obscure certain features or even create a different impression from the one originally intended, and therefore affect the impression it makes” (55). That is to say, a source of light and character changes the way we perceive objects. Other factors include proximity, size, background, and similarity.

Forms and shapes can also be perceived as positive or negative. In a two dimensional image, the background can impose negative perception while the image itself can bear positive impression. Good knowledge on how to use this may prove a potent tool in the creation of illusions.

A study conducted by Elnimeiri and Almusharaf, has proved that depending on the geometric object in question it might have an impact on consciousness and even the brain waves of an individual. A study shows that geometric forms resonate with a particular frequency, which might affect the consciousness of the viewer.

Social Context and Theoretical Discourse

The Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located in LA. Designed by Frank Gehry, it was built between 1999 and 2003 and officially opened on October 24, 2003. The building design is a desire to create an acoustic and appropriate environment where one can find a spirit of music and literature. The Concert Hall draws its design from the “marriage” between art and inspiration. The designer has breathed the art into its architectural designing while at the same time he has created an environment where pieces of arts can live in mutual tolerance and respect.

The form of the building is intricately designed detailing its lack of symmetry. The “shell’ of the Walt Disney Concert Hall consists of various interconnected spaces, which are mostly covered by corrugated steel and some surfaces are covered by stone (Hassett, 1).

The corrugated steel that has been used to build the Concert Hall is asymmetrical. The Walt Disney Concert Hall does not have two same pieces since each piece is unique to its location. There are 12500 steel pieces together on the outside of the building. It is worth noting that the use of steel imposed a necessity to use various modifications aimed at removing different reflective properties. The use of steel also imposed a necessity to use computer analysis to evaluate and determine the temperature of steel panels. It should be some surfaces of the building are made of stones. Glass surfaces are used to join both surfaces.

A centerpiece of the interior is designed like the hull of a boat. The architectural form of the hall can be described as being irregular and asymmetrical in that it does not follow the geometric shapes such as rectangles, squares, and ovals.

Interior, the walls and the ceilings are built using fir while the floor is furnished with oak. To access the hall one should pass through a large public space. The main entrance is connected with music center facilities. The auditorium is designed to occupy 2265. Designed to look like the hull of a ship, the curve of the ceiling looks like the sails of a boat. The auditorium is lit with natural light. The audience is placed around the orchestra (Hassett, 2)

A structure of the building is in complete harmony with its architectural form. This can be explained by a large area the Concert Hall covers and its “relations” with other buildings, which surround it creating an impression of a chain of skyscrapers.

Speaking about the Walt Disney Concert Hall, it is impossible not to mention that initiation of the process of construction requires an architect to develop a para-metrically associative geometry model that introduces an initial design intent in the case of the Walt Disney Hall. Frank Gehry was involved in an architectural design competition where his model was chosen.

Frank Gehry’s model had a unique parametric form, which included geometric, functional and structural elements. The original synthesis process involved pure use of geometric criteria mainly to ensure that the structure to be constructed would be within the accepted “boundaries” (Elnimeiri and Almusharaf,). By the end of the entire process, an architect may have an entirely better-advanced structure than the one he/ she started with. In the designing of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Frank Gehry worked with Yasuhisa Toyota, an acoustical consultant, to improve the hall’s sound system. This required all elements to be scaled accordingly. The Concert Hall’s partitions and its curved, billowing ceiling are integrated part of the acoustical system while simultaneously they reflect the sculptural language of the exterior.

This is a vivid example of the improvement of the structural system while the erection of the building was still in process. Another example is the latter modification which involved the use of the anti-glare (Hassett, 1).

Geldenhuys describes the Walt Disney Concert Hall as a work of art. According to the researcher, the macro and micro design of the building has led to an intelligent approach to hybridization and inclusiveness. It is not an overstatement to say that the Walt Disney Concert Hall has brought together subcultures of LA. Moreover, this architectural masterpiece has given a new meaning to Downtown Los Angeles. Its open, accepting and friendly architectural form has absorbed voices of dozens of the city’s subcultures (6).

Conclusion

All things considered it seems reasonable to conclude that reaching a specific architectural style is one of the ultimate goals of any architect. Therefore, an architectural form is of importance. Form in building architecture provides “contact” between space and an object There are multiple methods to analyze elements of buildings and projects. Formal analysis of an architectural form always includes an understanding of its social values. Furthermore, the geometry of the form of a building can have an impact on consciousness and even the brain waves of an individual. A study conducted by has shown that geometric forms resonate with a particular frequency, which might affect the consciousness of the viewer.

The paper has established the relationship of the formal characteristics to the social and cultural milieu of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Evidence of the harmony in the masterpiece created by Frank Gehry can be illustrated by the clear accord witnessed by the collaboration of the parties involved and a good understanding of the roles of each of them. This has led to the creation of an individualistic structure unique in all aspects from the shape to the size. Moreover, the macro and micro design of the building has the Walt Disney Concert Hall to an intelligent approach to hybridization and inclusiveness.

Bibliography

Ching, Francis. Architecture: Form, space, and order. 4^th ed. John Wiley & Sons, 2014. Accessed 15 April 2019 www.academia.edu/31687928/Francis_D._K._Ching_Architecture_Form_Space_and_Oder_Wiley_2014_1_

Elnimeiri, Mahjoub and Ayman Almusharaf. “Structure and architectural form of tall buildings.” The International Conference on Sustainable Building Asia, Seoul, South Korea. Accessed 15 April 2019 www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB17237.pdf

Geldenhuys, Daniel. Empathy as Perception in Downtown Los Angeles and the Walt Disney Concert Hall as an Act of Architecture. South African Journal of Art History, vol. 23, no. 1, 2008, pp. 1–13. Accessed 15 April 2019 rosales.com/instruments/op24/SAJAH_VOL_23.pdf

Gunce, K., Erturk, Z., and Erturk, S. “Visual Interpretation of Architectural Form.” 5^th International Postgraduate Research Conference in the Built and Human Environment, Lowry Center, Salford, Manchester, UK. 2005. Accessed 15 April 2019 www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB16713.pdf

Hasset, Patric. Steel Erection for the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Journal of Modern Steel Construction, April 2002. Accessed 15 April 2019 www.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-steel/archives/2002/04/2002v04_steel_erection.pdf