Lecture 3- Product: Basis of Forms of the Built Environment.(3/09/08)

On all seven scales, a product may be viewed as having the following elements- form-space, nodes-paths and illusion.

FORM
"Architectural form is the point of contact between mass and space... Architectural forms, textures, materials, modulation of light and shade, colour, all combine to inject a quality or spirit that articulate space. The quality of the architecture will be determined by the skill of the designer in using and relating these elements, both in the interior spaces around building."

Edmund N. Bacon
The Design Cities
1974

Defination
Form is an inclusive term that has severalmeaning. It may refer to an external appearance that can be recognized, as that of a chair or the human body that sit on it. It may also allude to a particular condition in which something acts or manifests itself, as when we spaeck of water in the form of ice ar steam. In art and design, we often usethe term to denote the formal structure of a work- the manner of arranging and coordinating the elements and parts of a compostition so as to produce a coherent image. Form also suggests reference to both internal strcuture and external outline and the priciple tha gives unity to the whole. while form often includes a sence of three dimensional mass or volume, shape refers more specifically to the essential aspect of form that governs its appearance- the configuration of relative disposition of the lines or contours that delimit a fogure or form.

Attributes of form
Shape
Size
Colour
Texture
Finished
Glow
Shine
Pattern
Transparency/ translucency
Heavy
Light
Proportion
Scale

Forms also have relational properties that govern the pattern and composition of elements:
Position
Orientation
Visual Innertia

Space
"We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel; But it's on the space where there is nothing that the utiliry of the wheel depends. We turn clay to make a vessel; But it is on the space where there is nothing that the utility of the vessel depends. We pierce doors and windows to make a house; and it's on these spaces where there is nothing that the utility of the house depends. Therefore, just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize theutility of what is not."

Lao-tzu
Tao Te Ching
6th century B.C.

Space constantly encompasses our being. Through the volume of space, we move, see forms, hear sounds, feel breezes, smellthe fragrances of a flower garden in bloom. It is a material substance like wood or stone. Yet is is an inherently formless vapor. Its visual form, its dimensions and scale, the quality of its light- all of these qualities depend on our perception of the spatial boundaries defined by elements of form. As space begins to be captured, enclosed, molded, and organized by the element s of mass, architecture comes into being.

A space would also be structured as nodes and path.

Illusion
A product may also be an illusion.

What is illusion?
We can perceive our environment through visual and auditory sensations. Since we do this easily and naturally, we are generally unaware of our visual and auditory functions in daily life. Occasionally, however, we fail to acquire information correctly. Dreams or hallucinations, of course, are not real, and we can have wrong perceptions if we are seriously ill, injured, or tired. Abnormal sensations are also common in cases of brain damage or drug abuse. Illusions, on the other hand, are wrong visual or auditory perceptions that an unimpaired person, even though s/he understands them to be false, still sees or hears.

In a visual illusion, one will see the wrong size or position of a figure or fail to judge brightness, color, and motion. In audition, one will hear a sound that does not actually exist, or make mistakes judging loudness, pitch, and location. We have two types of illusions. The first type happens when all information is given at the same time. The other type happens when pieces of information are presented sequentially. This is called the aftereffect. Vision and audition may work together to cause illusions. We know that because of a familiar phenomenon called constancy, we usually do not recognize illusions. Size constancy means we see the same size figures independent of their distance from us. Color constancy causes us to see the same hue of surfaces of objects independent of lightning. Our tactile sensation may also give us interesting illusions that are analogous to visual illusions. Though we do not have comprehensive information, olfactory and gustatory sensations might happen to provide illusions.

References:
1. My lecturer, Cik Wan site: http://www.hbp.usm.my/1b/RAG132/2008/L3product.htm
2. http://www.brl.ntt.co.jp/IllusionForum/basics/index-e.html
3. Architecture- Form, Space, & Order (Third Edition)