Assignment Overview
This assignment is both a research paper and an analysis. In this assignment students examine an architectural work in terms of its Form, Function and Style. Students may select from the architectural works listed below (images of these architectural works can be found at the end of the assignment description, as are the general guidelines for this paper). Students may also elect to do their paper on an architectural work not listed here, if they so choose.
· Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral
· San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane – Francesco Borromini
· St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican)
· British Columbia Parliament Building
· The White House
· The US Capitol
· Sydney Opera House – Jørn Utzon
· Guggenheim Museum Bilbao – Frank Gehry
· Fallingwater – Frank Lloyd Wright
Purpose of the Assignment:
This assignment has two parts, the first part is an Analysis and the second part a Research Paper. For the Analysis portion of this assignment you will be conducting your first analysis of an architectural work, by examining your selected building in terms of its Form (architectural design) you will be able to look beyond the mere first appearance of a work by examining its Sensory Elements and Elements of Architectural Design.
For the portion of this assignment that is a Research Paper you will be conducting research to determine your selected building’s Function (the current and historical use of the space); and will be addressing this building’s Architectural Style.
Please note that for this particular assignment you must use the Architecture Template provided.
Steps for this Assignment:
Select one building from the architectural works listed, unless you have elected to do your paper on a building not included in our list You will be examining your selected piece in terms of its Form, Function and Style.
Part 1 – Form
1. Form – Provide a formal analysis of your selected building’s architectural design (Form) by examining each of the Sensory Elements and Elements of Architectural Design listed below (all of the elements must be covered in your analysis, which is why you must use the Architecture Template provided). Please note that your analysis of Form will
not require research, this is your own analysis based on your own observations of how the Sensory Elements and Elements of Architectural Design are present or absent from your selected architectural work. Therefore, you do not need to conduct research and do not need to include material about the building’s construction and design process, this is a basic analysis based on your observations of the building from photographs (those I have provided and any additional photos from the internet you might wish to view). Please note that you only need to examine the building’s
exterior (its façade) and do not need to examine its interior for the purposes of this analysis.
1. Identify each of the sensory elements in the work such as lines, shapes, and colors.
Sensory Elements:
· Lines
· Shapes
· Colors
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Lines – Lines can be horizontal, vertical, dotted, zigzag, curved, straight, diagonal, bold, or fine. Lines can show direction, lead the eye, outline an object, divide a space, and communicate a feeling or emotion.
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Shapes – Shapes are made by connecting lines. Circle, square, triangle, and free-form are words used to identify shapes. Look at your selected building and notice its basic shapes. Is there one basic shape or are there various types of shapes? Line creates two dimensional or flat shapes. When shapes are three dimensional, we call them forms. For example, a circle is a shape, while a ball is a form; a square is a shape, while a cube is a form. A drawing would be a flat shape, while a sculpture or a building would be a three-dimensional form.
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Colors – Color can be described with the words, hue, value, and intensity. Hue refers to the name of the color—red or blue, for example. Value tells the lightness or darkness of a hue. Intensity refers to the brightness or dullness of a hue. You can reference a color wheel to learn how colors work together. Colors in Architecture can embellish, highlight, illuminate and separate spaces. Color plays a significant role in our perception of space. When lighter shades are used, it makes the space appear bigger and when darker shades are used it make the same space look smaller.
2. Identify each of the formal elements of architectural design present such as pattern and repetition, rhythm, symmetry and asymmetry, balance, contrast, proportion and scale, theme and variation, and coherence and unity in variety. Examine how each of these elements is present or absent in this work and provide a detailed explanation of why this is the case). See the list of elements below and as well as a definition for each of the elements:
Elements of Architectural Design:
· Balance
· Contrast
· Pattern and Repetition
· Rhythm
· Symmetry and Asymmetry
· Proportion and Scale
· Theme and Variation
· Coherence and Unity in Variety
Elements of Architectural Design (Definition):
Balance – Is the characteristic of equal weights opposing one another. In art, we say that a composition is balanced if the shapes on one side of a center line appear to have the same weight as those on opposite sides. Buildings can be balanced whether they are symmetrical or asymmetrical as long as they maintain a sense of equal, visual weight on either side of a center line drawn through the façade.
Contrast – There is contrast when two adjacent parts are very different from one another. In architecture, we speak about such things as materials that have contrasting colors and textures. We may also mean the relationship of highlights and shadows. When contrasting materials are placed together, one seems to move to the front of your line of vision. Architects use contrast to add visual variety to their designs.
Pattern and Repetition – When lines and shapes are repeated, they create a pattern. Patterns can be regular or irregular, however, architects try to repeat elements of design in a regular manner. In architecture, patterns can be found in the way bricks are laid, in repeated shapes of windows, and in decorative wood or stone trim.
Rhythm – There are rhythmic patterns which give a dynamic quality to a building, making it appear lively. It is very apparent in rows of columns or repeated arches. Such patterns carry our eye across the façade of the structure and add visual excitement to its large form.
Symmetry – When there is correspondence in size or shape of parts on either side of a bisected whole we say it is symmetrical. A good starting point for understanding symmetry might be to look in the mirror and imagine a line drawn down the center of your body. You are fairly symmetrical with correspondence between your eyes, ears, arms and legs, thus a symmetrical building has the same shapes on either side of an imaginary line drawn down the middle of its façade.
Asymmetry – A building is considered asymmetrical when different shapes are placed on either side of a bisecting line.
Proportion – Is the term used to describe the relationship between two things of a different size. In architecture we are looking for the proportional relationship between spaces and the size of the human body. The proportion of a room can greatly affect the way a person feels within a space.
Scale -When we are referring to a building we often refer to this kind of proportion as scale. Ordinarily, an architect tries to design a space so that people feel comfortable moving about in it. For that reason, a bedroom may have a much lower ceiling than an auditorium, which will house a large number of people. Sometimes a building is designed so a space is purposely out of proportion to human scale. An example of this would be the towering spaces inside cathedrals that humbles the way worshipers feel in relation to the greater place of God. Architects deliberately design spaces with changing scale by varying the heights of ceilings and sizes of rooms. This makes the occupants’ movement through the space more dynamic.
Theme and Variation – A theme is a dominant feature of a work of art that is carried throughout the piece. A variation is a change in the dominant elements, where the main idea still recognizable. An architect may design a building using a historical theme such as a Classical building with columns, domes and pediments, or make reference to the architecture of another culture.
Coherence and Unity in Variety – A work of art has coherence when its elements are used together in a logical and systematic manner. In architecture, a variety of elements are used to add interest to a design, however the architect tries to tie these together to make the work cohesive.
Part 2 – Function and Style
2. Function – Research the building’s history to determine its function, both past and present (what purpose does this building serve and/or has served throughout history, (both the historical and current use of the space-please note that some buildings have served a variety of functions throughout history), i.e. is it a cathedral or church used for worship, a government building, an opera house, etc.) Provide as many details about its function as you can.
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· Conduct research to assess the building’s function, both in terms of the current use of the space and historically.
· Please make sure that this section is covered in-depth.
· Since you are using source material for this section, you must include in-text citations throughout the body of your paper (see the document “Citing your Sources” in your syllabus for guidelines on how to properly use in-text citations).
· When you are incorporating material from your sources in this section, please be sure to incorporate the URL and other needed information in your MLA style bibliography at this point (it’s easier if you do this while you are writing your paper, so you don’t forget which sources you obtained your material from). Please see the link with instructions for putting together your MLA Style Bibliography in the document “Citing your Sources”).
3. Style – Conduct research to determine your building’s architectural style and also discuss this style of architecture in general (historical aspects, how it developed, etc.)
· Conduct research to determine your selected building’s architectural style.
· Discuss the style as it relates to your building in particular. What are some the features in your building that reflect its architectural style.
· Address the architectural style in general (i.e. what are some the key features of this style; how did the style develop, etc.) Some examples of Architectural Styles include (i.e. Gothic style architecture, Neoclassical, etc.).
· Please make sure that this section is covered in-depth.
· Since you are using source material for this section, you must include in-text citations throughout the body of your paper (see the document “Citing your Sources” in your syllabus for guidelines on how to properly use in-text citations).
· When you are incorporating material from your sources in this section, please be sure to incorporate the URL and other needed information in your MLA style bibliography at this point (it’s easier if you do this while you are writing your paper, so you don’t forget which sources you obtained your material from). Please see the link with instructions for putting together your MLA Style Bibliography in the document “Citing your Sources”).
Guidelines
· Your Research Paper and Analysis should be at least 5 pages long, double spaced, with standard size margins and a 12-point font (the 5 pages do not include your bibliography which should be included separately at the end of your paper).
· Since the second part of this paper includes research, you must provide in-text citations throughout your paper for any source materials used and must include an MLA Style Bibliography. Please see the document titled “Citing your Sources” for guidelines on including in-text citations and putting together an MLA Style Bibliography.
· Turnitin will detect both plagiarized work and AI generated content. Please note that even editing and writing programs such as Grammarly are detected as producing AI generated content, and that any papers showing plagiarism or AI generated content will be returned and will need to be revised as many times as needed until Turnitin no longer indicates plagiarism or AI generated content. There is no need to use editing or writing programs beyond the basic Word grammar and spell check. Most students do not realize how well they write without the use of these tools and you will not be graded on your grammar, but on your ideas, research and effort.
· Academic resources to be used for this paper include academic journals and trusted Internet sources. Since this is a research paper, you must include at least one academic journal as one of your sources. Technology today makes it easy to access a wide range of academic journals online, which may be accessed via the internet and your MDC Library online resources. One easily accessible online resource for finding academic journal articles on your subject matter is JSTOR.org, where you can find a wide range of academic journals.
· Please spellcheck, edit and proof your work before submitting.
· You
must use the template (see below) for your assignment. The template includes headings and sub-headings for each of the sections of your paper and will ensure that all required portions of this assignment have been addressed. Do not delete the headings.
Architecture Research Paper and Analysis Template
Introduction:
1-Form
A.
Form – Sensory Elements
a. Introduction to the Sensory Elements
b. Sensory Elements:
• Lines
• Shapes
• Colors
B.
Form – Elements of Architectural Design
a. Introduction to the Elements of Architectural Design
b. Elements of Architectural Design:
• Balance
• Contrast
• Pattern and Repetition
• Rhythm
• Symmetry and Asymmetry
• Proportion and Scale
• Theme and Variation
• Coherence and Unity in Variety
2-Style
A. Introduction to Style
B. Style of your Particular Architectural Work
C. Discussion of the Style in General and How it Developed
3-Function
A. Introduction to Function
B. Function – Use of the Space throughout History
C. Function – Current Use of the Space
Conclusion
